I would have gone on today if Mr. Bourne and Jackey had been with us as we have only a few days’ rations.  Not knowing how far I may have to go down the river before we reach a station where we can obtain a fresh supply, and knowing from my last trial of going to the eastward how much the horses suffered from the want of water, I determined not to put them to such suffering again if avoidable.  In the middle of the day Fisherman, Jemmy, and I heard a loud report of what we thought was a gun probably discharged by Mr. Bourne or Jackey, and expected them to arrive immediately.  I am very anxious about them, especially as it would be inconvenient to send Fisherman off to see what has become of them, Jemmy being so ill he cannot look after the horses.  Meridian of the sun A.H. 86 degrees 23 seconds, latitude 27 degrees 5 minutes.

Monday May 19.  Camp 72.  River.

Fortunately the horses were not all mustered until the afternoon, as shortly before they were so Mr. Bourne and Jackey arrived.  If we had found the horses as early as usual we would have been looking up the river for Mr. Bourne and Jackey, where we should not have found them.  They had lost our tracks and followed down the river.  We were exceedingly glad to see them and to find that they had brought a large portion of an emu with them which they killed yesterday.  Mr. Bourne observed in the course he had pursued a tree marked EO on one side and on the other side EWC over C. I washed on the edge of the river near a deep waterhole in some clay and pebbles in search of gold but did not find any.  This afternoon we left Camp 71 at 3.20.  Came down on the eastern side of the river and encamped as it grew dark, within about six and a half miles of our last camp.  I made the meridian altitude of the sun A.H. 85 degrees 51 minutes, the latitude is by that observation 27 degrees 8 minutes.  The observation I yesterday made showed the camp three miles northward of the latitude from today’s observation.  We came here in about the following courses:  4.10 south-east for two miles; 4.30 east-south-east for one mile; 4.50 south-south-east one mile to Mr. Bourne’s camp; 5.27 south-south-west for one and a quarter miles; 6 west-south-west for one and a quarter miles.  Distance six and a half miles.

Tuesday May 20 1862.  Camp 73.

We left Camp 72 this morning, 9.20, and made down the river after sunset.  In that time we travelled about twenty-one miles.  We hoped to have reached a station today and would have gone further if we had not been delayed.  We got on to a cattle run, and when our packhorses saw the cattle moving they took fright and galloped off.  Fisherman and Jackey went after five of them, the remainder were collected and came on here with them.  The others Jackey and Fisherman collected and brought in a few hours after dark.  This is a fine run, and the country we saw from our path consisted in a great measure of fine grassed plains.  We were very glad to