JOURNAL OF MR. STUART'S FOURTH EXPEDITION—FIXING THE CENTRE OF THE CONTINENT. FROM MARCH TO SEPTEMBER, 1860.
Friday, 2nd March, 1860, Chambers Creek. Left the creek for the north-west, with thirteen horses and two men. The grey horse being too weak to travel was left behind. Camped at Hamilton Springs.
Saturday, 3rd March, Mount Hamilton. Camped at the Beresford Springs, where it was evident that the natives, whose camp is a little way from this, had had a fight. There were the remains of a body of a very tall native lying on his back. The skull was broken in three or four places, the flesh nearly all devoured by the crows and native dogs, and both feet and hands were gone. There were three worleys on the rising ground, with waddies, boomerangs, spears, and a number of broken dishes scattered round them. The natives seemed to have run away and left them, or to have been driven away by a hostile tribe. Between two of the worleys we observed a handful of hair, apparently torn from the skull of the dead man, and a handful of emu feathers placed close together, the feathers to the north-west, the hair to the south-east. They were between two pieces of charred wood, which had been extinguished before the feathers and hair were placed there. It seemed to be a mark of some description.
Sunday, 4th March, Beresford Springs. Night and morning cold; day very hot. Wind south-west.
Monday, 5th March, Beresford Springs. Wind changed to the east during the night. Morning very cold. Arrived at the Strangway Springs. Day very hot. Wind variable.
Tuesday, 6th March, Strangway Springs. Very hot during the night. Made William Springs and camped. The day exceedingly hot, wind south-west, in which direction a heavy bank of clouds arose about noon; in the evening there was a great deal of lightning, and apparently much rain falling there, but none came down our way.
Wednesday, 7th March, William Springs. The night very hot and cloudy, with the wind from the west, but without rain. Started for Louden Spa,* (* The Louden Springs of the two last expeditions.) the first few miles being over low sand rises and broad valleys of light sandy soil, with abundance of dry grass; by keeping a little more to the north-west the sand rises can be avoided. At seven miles we struck a swamp, but could see no springs. On approaching the Douglas the country becomes more stony, and continues so to the Spa, where we camped.
Thursday, 8th March, Louden Spa. Cold wind this morning from the south-east; the clouds are gone. Camped at Hawker Springs.
Friday, 9th March, Hawker Springs. Very cold last night. Wind from the south. During the day it changed to the south-east, and the sun was very hot. Camped at the Milne Springs, and found the articles we had left* there all right (* See last expedition.); the natives had opened the place where we had put them, but had taken nothing.
Saturday, 10th March, Milne Springs. At half past 11 last night it began to rain, and continued doing so nearly all day. Wind south-east.