ing in getting over the packs, saddles, and stores, which had to be
carried on the heads of the swimmers of the party, and this necessary
part of a bushman's education was not common to all, or at least
sufficiently to be of use. The course was then continued on the
other side to the junction of the two streams. The rain continued to
fall steadily during most of the day, filling up every little creek
and gutter. Some of the former had to be swum over, whilst the
latter occured at every mile. Just below the junction there is a
large dense vine-scrub, which had to be skirted, after which, the
party continued their course down the supposed Escape, which had now
increased its width to a hundred yards. Its width when first struck,
was only twenty, increasing to forty or fifty at its junction with
the McHenry, when the united streams form an imposing river. Its
course is extremely winding, whilst the numberless creeks and gulleys
which join it, all with scrubby banks, make travelling along its
banks, a work of great labor and difficulty. The country on this
day's march slightly improved, being more open and better grassed,
the best being on the river banks, but coarse and sparse at best.
The timber chiefly bloodwood and black tea-tree. Several trees were
marked with a cross at the crossing place of the McHenry, and one
similarly at the point of the scrub below the junction. In
consequence of the many delays to-day the total distance travelled
was only 5 miles. Course N. by W. (Camp LXXXI.)

'January' 28.--The course of the river was followed down to-day for
about two-and-a-half miles, but the endlessly recurring water
courses, each with its eternal fringe of thick vine scrub, at last
compelled the party to turn to the west in order to avoid them, there
being no time to cut roads for the cattle. They were constantly
getting entangled by the horns in the hanging vines of the 'Calamus
Australis' and 'Flagetlaria', so often referred to. The effect of
this on some was to work them into such a perfect fury, that when
released by the party cutting them clear, they would in some
instances rush blindly away from the herd and be lost, as described
before. The intention on starting was to run the river down to the
head of the tide, and then establish a camp, where the cattle could
stay, whilst the Brothers went on to find Somerset, now supposed to
be not far distant. On leaving the river the course was shaped west,
to h