Monday, July 28.

After much swimming by Middleton and Hodgkinson we managed to cross all the things and the camel.  The horses we could not get to cross so left them with the men to look after them till tomorrow when we shall try them again and hope for better success; it is a most difficult, intricate, and dangerous place; if they all cross in safety it is more than I expect.

Tuesday, July 29.

Camp 45.  By much perseverance and difficulty got the horses and remainder of the men safe across; by 4 p.m. packed up and started down the river east by south, very rough, walking nearly all the way for about one mile, at which place we take to the ranges; in the morning, on our way at about three-quarters of a mile, two considerable running creeks join the river; another running creek joins the river at camp.  I shall take the camel on and our only packhorse-load of stuff shall leave behind here till it can be sent for; it consists chiefly of seeds which I should be sorry to lose.  I had intended to leave the camel here also, but after thought it best to try and take him on over the ranges one stage and kill him, and by doing so save a horse.

Wednesday, July 30.

Camp 46.  Buried the things safely and securely from wet, and should not the natives find them and dig them up they will be perfectly secure till we can send back for them.  Obliged to shoe one of the horses which lost his shoe in crossing yesterday on the rocks.  Started at 10.15 and at once tackled the range, up a steep hill, down again in a north-east by north direction, crossed a deep ravine, and ascended the first of a series of steep stony hills in a north-east by east course; from the summit Mount McConnell bears 246 degrees.  The conspicuous mount round the north side of which the Burdekin passes bears 23 degrees; followed the river in that direction for about five and a half miles to a creek, the north and east drainage of the large range under the western side of which we were latterly travelling, and round the termination of them we camped at a running creek of excellent water coming from east of south-east.  We are here very reluctantly obliged to kill our good and faithful companion the last remaining camel (Siva) that was with us in all our reconnoiterings and other journeys; he was indeed a splendid animal but now quite unfit to travel beyond this.  I hope to get sufficient of his flesh to carry us into a station, or if the country is at all passable to Port Denison.  We are encamped under some splendid shady large-leafed tree in the bed of the creek, leaves about ten inches broad and twelve to fifteen inches long; some of the men found that the leaves dry were a good substitute for tobacco and were soon puffing a cloud.

Thursday, July 31.

Spelled here today to boil down camel.  Mild night, day warm, many recent traces of natives here under the shade of these trees, they are firing the grass in various directions around us but we never see anything of them.  The remnants of a broken gourd we found here, it has been used as a vessel for carrying water; it was the size of a large coconut with a neck about six inches long, through one side of which they had drilled a hole for a cord for slinging on their arms.