ey had decamped on
the approach of the party, leaving plenty of birrum-burrongs, or
bee-eaters ('Merops Ornatus, Gould') behind them. An observation
taken at night gave the latitude 18 degrees 1 minute 59 seconds,
which gave about 41 miles of Northing.

'October' 16.--The cattle were started away at a quarter-to-four
o'clock, this morning, and found an excellent passage through
Jorgensen's Range, by "Simon's Gap." The track from this point to
the junction of Warroul and Parallel Creeks with the river (where the
camp was pitched) was very winding, from having to avoid the basalt,
which was laming some of the cattle, besides wrenching off the heads
of the horse-shoe nails: it could not be altogether avoided, and
made it past noon before the cattle reached the camp. A native
companion, a rock wallaby, and a young red kangaroo were the result
of the hunting in the afternoon, which saved the necessity of having
to kill a beast: this would have been specially inconvenient, if not
impossible here, for the natives had burnt all the grass, and there
was not a bite of feed for either horses or cattle, had they halted.
About 50 blacks, all men, followed the tracks of the party from
Cawana Swamp: they were painted, and fully armed, which indicated a
disposition for a "brush" with the white intruders; on being turned
upon, however, they thought better of it, and ran away. The camp was
formed under a red stony bluff, which received the name of
"Cowderoy's Bluff," after one of the party; whilst a large round hill
bearing E.N.E. from the camp was called "Barney's Nob." In the
afternoon Mr. Binney and Eulah were sent to the river to fish, but as
they ate all the caught, there was no gain to the party. For this
their lines were taken from them by Mr. Jardine, and they got a
"talking to," the necessity for which was little creditable to the
white man. The thermometer at 5 a.m. stood at 80 degrees. The day's
stage about 10 miles N.N.W. Some banksias, currijong, and
stringy-bark were noticed to-day, the latter is not a common timber
in the northern districts.

'October' 17.--All the horses were away this morning: as might
have been expected, the poor hungry creatures had strayed back
towards the good feed on Cawana Swamp, and were found 5 miles from
the camp. The day's stage was the worst they had yet had. The
country down Parallel Creek has already been described, and it took
six of the party five hours to get the cattle