July 24.—­About a mile and a half from last night’s station, we crossed another small stream similar in all respects to Morrissett’s Ponds.  Our course was alternately over wet flats and dry brushes; but in the latter we met with difficulties which we did not anticipate, namely, dry bogs of a most dangerous description; they are from thirty to forty yards broad, and the apparent firmness of their surface treacherously conceals the danger beneath.  One was discovered before the horses were too far advanced to retreat, and by unlading them, we passed safely over.

The horses were upon the other before we discovered the extent of our danger, and it was only by instantly cutting away their loads and harness, and by the exertion of all hands, that they were dragged out; but they were so exhausted by the struggles they had themselves made, that I found it would be highly imprudent to proceed farther, though we had only gone five miles and a half.  Such of the horses as had not come up, their loads being carried over, crossed the bog half a mile higher, where the ground was somewhat firmer.  We had this day the misfortune to find two of our horses much strained in their hind quarters.  The soil of the brushes is in general a light, sandy loam; on the plains it is an alluvial mould, on a substratum of clay:  the water on these plains is seldom deeper than the ankles, but travelling over them is very wearisome.  Arbuthnot’s Range was in sight during the whole day.  The country was so generally level, that it was impossible to discern any inequality in it.  The waters however, ran with a pretty brisk stream northerly.

July 25.—­At nine o’clock we set forward with anxious hopes of reaching Castlereagh River in the course of the day; we struggled for nine miles through a line of country that baffles all description:  we were literally up to the middle in water the whole way, and two of the horses were obliged to be unladen to get them over quicksand bogs.  Finding a place sufficiently dry to pitch our tent on, though surrounded by water, we halted, both men and horses being too much exhausted to proceed farther.  Mr. Evans thinking we could not be very far from the river, went forwards a couple of miles, when he came upon its banks.  This same river, which last Wednesday week had been crossed without any difficulty, was now nearly on a level with its first or inner bank:  and its width and rapidity precluded all hope of our being able to cross it until its subsidence.  This was most perplexing intelligence, our situation being such that we could neither retreat nor advance beyond the bank of the river, which Mr. Evans represented as being both higher and drier ground, and to all appearance sufficiently elevated to protect us from the flood should it increase:  thither I determined to remove in the morning, and to take such further measures as might be deemed advisable in our present hazardous situation.  Since Mr. Evans re-crossed the river, we have had no rain in our immediate neighbourhood