Return Camp 1. Beautiful morning; this lagoon is about twelve feet deep, surrounded by a marsh with abundance of green feed. Not a breath of wind at sunrise. West of this camp about two and a half miles off is a considerable-sized creek, by the overflow of which this lagoon is formed and fed; plenty of water in the creek and in side creeks from it, and most excellent timber on its banks and flats for building purposes; it comes up from south-west and after passing this bears off considerably to west of north. I have called it the Fisher after C.B. Fisher, Esquire, of Adelaide. Returned today by my north-going track, the approaches to the river were so abrupt that I could not get a crossing-place; some of the banks nearly precipitous and from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, although I saw rocks right across the river and could have gone over, but could not ascend the banks so came to camp at a lagoon close to the creek, three and a half miles north 25 1/2 degrees west of Falls camp. This creek, which comes up from the south-west and flows past this for some miles yet before it joins the river about north-north-east of this, I have called Boord's Creek after Samuel Boord, Esquire, of Adelaide.
Friday, May 23.
Camp 2. Started on bearing of 135 degrees; at starting crossed the creek, and at three and a half miles made the river where it is joined by another of quite equal size apparently but no crossing-place; so had to go about one mile south-south-west to the Falls and crossed there with some difficulty, getting one of the camels and several of the horses down on the clefts of the rocks and barking their knees a little: just after crossing and proceeding on bearing of 95 1/2 degrees a marked tree was observed, the first we had seen, and then close by two others, evidently by Mr. Landsborough. They were respectively marked on the large tree next the Falls, a large broad-leafed tree, arrow at 1 o'clock LFE. 15, 1862. C.5. On the northernmost of the other two trees, about twenty paces to eastward of the large tree, are a large arrow at 1 o'clock and L facing the west, and on the other gumtree, a few feet north-east, is the letter E of large dimensions; facing the opposite way or east we dug round the tree but could find nothing deposited; saw the remains of broken bottles and fancied from the broad arrow being pointed upwards that a document in a small bottle might have been suspended high up in the tree and got at by the natives, but on after consideration I took the meaning of the arrow being up that up the river was his course; we saw the traces of his horses at the marked trees, but the tracks must be quite obliterated up the river or we must have seen something of them; indeed the heavy rain that inundated the whole country south commenced where we were on the 27th February, and perhaps he had it a little earlier, which may account for our not seeing any traces of him ere this. Which way he may have gone under the circumstances is hard to say, as no doubt he experienced very rough wet weather indeed, and probably was put to many shifts in consequence of the heavy overflow of the immense creeks. At scarcely one mile on bearing of 95 1/2 degrees we came to the falls of the other branch of the river, and crossed it much more easily than the other; it is about 400 to 500 yards broad and all conglomerate stone, and quite treeless or nearly so on its banks as far as the stones went, it then bore off to the south-east or perhaps east of that; at three miles further, seeing ridges ahead on our course, we camped at a swamp; lots of geese and ibis. Marked a small tree near Landsborough's with MK (conjoined), May 22, 1862, with a knife, as we had no chisel or gouge, they being lost.
Saturday, May 24.
Camp 3. Heavy dew of late; last afternoon wind fresh from west-south-west; same this morning but light; geese and all game very difficult to be got at in this part of the country. Natives burning in all directions but do not approach us; I almost fancy they have been reproved for some of their misdeeds to some one or other of the parties here lately, from their shyness. Bearing of 95 1/2 degrees, half a mile stony flat; one mile, stony ridge and ironstone flat; two and three-quarter miles small creek; lagoon with plenty of water. North-north-east open undulations rather swampy; at three and three-quarter miles struck and crossed a small creek with a little water, stony ridges (ironstone) rusty gum, spinifex, etc.; at eleven and three-quarter miles crossed creek with water from north-east. Left creek at 11.45; stony ridges, ironstone and slate, with a little spinifex; rather thickly wooded with rusty gum, silver-leafed gum, etc.; anthills, turreted shapes. At twenty-one and three-quarter miles came to and crossed a creek on a plain between ranges; it flows north and east and takes its rise in the ranges close by to the south-west; plenty of water and feed. Camped at 3.30 p.m.; take three and a quarter miles off journey = eighteen and a half.
Sunday, May 25.
Camp 4. No dew; started at 8.35 a.m.; wind south a.m.; afternoon south-east. Over half a mile open plain; then ridges, and on top of first range at 9.53; very rocky; spinifex, rusty gum, etc. At twenty minutes past ten stony flat; at twenty-five minutes past ten crossed creek; at 12 o'clock along creek on the left; at 12.15 rocky hill on right and lagoon with water close under; top of next hill at 12.50; at 1.5 on the open plains and undulations and pretty well clear of the stones. Tier of ranges immediately on the left for a mile or so; at 2.18 crossed dry creek from west-south-west; at 2.28 came to another creek from the south-west. They are both dry where struck; followed the last one down, bearing of 60 degrees for one-third of a mile; water in creek and in a lagoon on the east side; travelling about six hours besides the one-third of a mile. Creek flows to north-east; distance about eighteen miles.
Monday, May 26.
Camp 5. I find that my watch, the only one in going order or rather disorder, gains eleven minutes in the hour with the regulator hard back to slow—now and then, without any apparent cause, stops; until by sundry shakings and bumps it is prevailed upon to go again—which is most unsatisfactory, situated as I am here, in calculating distances. Wind all night strong from south-east to south-south-east and very cold; no dew. The waters are drying up very fast; during the afternoon of yesterday the country looked well; nice open ranges on all sides with a large space of open country, well grassed in the centre. Started at 8.15 a.m. on bearing of 95 1/2 degrees; at 9.17 passed till this time rather thickly wooded (low) small ironstone, pebbly country, well grassed—ridgy on both sides; at 9.17 entered open plains; large creek ahead; first part of plain much subject to inundation; at 11.24 lagoon apparently about one mile south. Hills cease south about four miles; passed a couple of belts of timber, mistaken in the distance for large creek. At 1 p.m. swampy (dry); at 1.15 small creek with plenty of water and feed, from west-south-west to north-east or east-north-east; at 1.30 made a swamp with good feed and water. Camped; distance about seventeen miles. The horizon appears to be one dense cloud of fire and smoke on our way and on all sides of us; saw no natives.
Tuesday, May 27.