Rather late getting the animals ready for a start, the feed being so scant; started on bearing of 40 degrees, on same side of creek as that on which we were encamped, over flooded flats and sandy terminations:  at five and three-quarter miles passed along and crossed a large deep creek in which there was a little water and a number of native wurlies.  Course of creek nearly north and south, at seven and a quarter miles further over some abrupt sandhills, the summits of which had an almost perpendicular wall of pure drift sand, varying from two and a half feet to five feet in height and very difficult for the animals to get over, and flooded flats on same bearing; then changed course to 34 degrees for four and a half miles over similar country mixed with stone hills and flats, the creek being a long way to the west but now gradually approaching our course; then changed course to 14 degrees for one and one-sixth of a mile to creek, where luckily we found sufficient water for all purposes and in the bed of the creek a better supply of green grass for the animals than they have had for some time.  Cloudy, wind north-east.  The bullocks have not arrived tonight.

Wednesday, February 26.

Cloudy and threatening for rain; wind north-east.  At 9.30 a.m. one of the men from the bullocks arrived and informed me that one of the pack bullocks had dropped and was killed to endeavour to make some use of his flesh.  This is the same that had the sunstroke first but was apparently recovering; and another of our very best and generally quietest had that day bucked so much in endeavouring to get rid of his saddle that he disabled himself, fell down, and could not be got up; the remainder of the bullocks went off to feed but there he was where he fell in the morning beside his pack.  Immediately on hearing of this disaster I forwarded some hands and packhorses out to convey to camp what was thought to be of any use.  It has commenced raining and what little will be got cannot, I am afraid, be cured, as there is every appearance of a continuation of rain and there will be no chance of drying the flesh as we have no salt.  If it was fair weather I would kill at once the disabled also, and have his flesh dried; but it would be no use at present and he may be able to get up after a spell and come in this length when, if the weather prove favourable, I will have him killed and jerked.  The remainder of the bullocks (seven) arrived during the day and the detachment of the party with what was thought of use of the dead bullock; but I question much about its keeping as now it is raining steadily, but we will use as much of it as we can and save the sheep.  None of our journeys appear to give the sheep the slightest inconvenience and they are as ready to commence their journey in the morning as the man that attends to them; in fact no party ought ever to go out exploring in the summer months without them.  During the day I rode out to the tops of some of the