g journey over the range.

August 12.

Proceeding about five miles over uneven open forest ground, with isolated
blocks of rock, we camped by a chain of rocky waterholes. The trees
growing here were casuarina, box, apple-gum, and ironbark.

August 13.

Sunday. Prayers as usual at eleven o'clock.

August 14.

Complaint was made to Mr. Kennedy of the waste and extravagant use of the
flour and sugar by Niblett, who had the charge of the stores. Mr. Kennedy
immediately proceeded to examine the remainder of the stores, when he
found that Niblett had been making false returns of the stores issued
weekly. Up to this time Mr. Kennedy, Niblett, and Douglas (who waited on
Mr. Kennedy) had messed together, apart from the other ten. Niblett took
charge of the ration for the smaller mess, and usually cooked it himself,
the ration being taken out weekly from that weighed for the whole party.
Besides issuing a larger ration to his own mess, Niblett had taken a
great deal from the stores for himself.

On finding this out, Mr. Kennedy requested me to take charge of the
stores, and issue them to the cook for the week, and from this date we
all messed together. We had at this time about seven hundred pounds flour
left. Everything was weighed in the presence of the whole party before I
took charge, and I always weighed out every week's ration in the presence
of the cook and two other parties. At this camp it was found necessary to
reduce our ration to the following scale per week; fifty pounds flour,
twelve pounds sugar, two and three-quarter pounds tea, and the sheep as
before--one every second day. After the ration was cooked, it was divided
by the cook at every meal. We this day burned our sheepfold to lighten
our loads a little.

August 15.

We were cutting through scrub nearly all day, and crossed several small
creeks running westward. This day the horse carrying my specimens had
become so poor and weak that he fell five different times, and we were
obliged to relieve him of his load, which was now placed on one of Mr.
Kennedy's horses; but we soon found that even without a load he could not
travel. We took off his saddle, bridle, and tether rope, and left him
behind on a spot of good grass, where plenty of water was to be found.

The country here had a rugged and broken appearance; huge blocks of rock
were lying on the open ground, sometimes one irregularly placed on the
top of another, and of curious shapes. The hills as