Thursday, June 19.

Camp 19.  Beautiful morning, not a breath of wind.  Try what success we will have up the main branch of this river in finding a passage over the range to eastward.  Have got rid of everything we can possibly spare and that will now be of little use to us and had them buried on the south-west side of creek, under the creek side of large broken-off standing dead tree, and up the bank about forty yards from a large gumtree, with a large square patch of bark taken off and small arrow at 4 o’clock in the direction should they be sought for, which I much doubt.  The horses don’t look at all the thing I am sorry to see, knowing that they have some heavy work immediately before them; even before attempting to ascend the ranges we have to travel in the bed of the river where the sand is excessively heavy and trying on the poor animals in their present leg-weary state and want of condition.  I never saw animals fall off so suddenly in my life.  Followed our tracks back to the junction of the two branches about two and a half miles, then took the left-hand or south-east branch, found it improve much more than I had anticipated; the rocky hills recede occasionally and leave a nice bank of grass, but most of it recently burnt by the natives; on our left the rock appeared now to be chiefly slate, while on the right it still remained sandstone and quartz; the bed is broad and generally very open and sandy, upon which we have principally to travel; followed it for about eight miles in about an east-south-east course.  From here (Camp 20) for some distance (seen from a hill here) the river appears to receive from the east by south generally plenty of water at intervals and generally at those places running; no doubt all the way it runs either over or under the land.  Where we are now encamped the river is upwards of 150 yards broad.  We found on turning out the camel meat to air that it was quite putrid and had consequently to throw the whole of it away; at this time it is a very great loss to us, the loss of upwards of seventy pounds of food.  Even with the spell our horses have had they come along very indifferently, and I am almost afraid some more of them will have to be left behind as I have not sufficient food to wait spelling for them till they get flesh; there does not appear to be the same nourishment in the grass that there is almost anywhere else.  Saw the smoke of natives a few miles ahead of us; I suppose we will see something of them tomorrow.  Shot a new pigeon, will try to preserve the skin.  Some figs were got by some of the party this morning before starting; I ate one of them apparently ripe, it was very insipid, the principal part of them were full of small flies.  Distance travelled by bed of river not direct about ten and a half miles.

Friday, June 20.