We left this camp at 9.3 a.m. on a south-west course. On that course from camp we crossed and recrossed the creek. At 10.3 made two miles and three-quarters south-west over rich well-grassed tableland plains, slightly timbered with bushes. We observed the small saline herbs which I have mentioned the horses to be so fond of, also more of the Queensland saltbush than we have seen previously; at 12.3 made four miles and a quarter south-west by west to Manning Plain, where we delayed, and started again at 12.14; at 1.20 made two miles and a quarter south-west by west where we delayed and started again at 1.35; at 2.20 made two miles and a quarter south-west by west, where we having halted started again at 2.48; at 3.10 made one mile south-west by west to where we found yesterday's tracks; at 4.35 made four miles south by east to Saturday night's camp; at 4.45 made half a mile south to where Mr. Campbell's horse knocked up; at 6.19 made three miles and three-quarters south; at 6.27 made a quarter of a mile south half east to Chester Creek; at 6.52 made one mile and a quarter south half east to Mary Lake, where we formed our twenty-second camp.
Tuesday December 24. Mary Lake.
Rested ourselves and horses, and put shoes on Mr. Campbell's horse with screw nails. We found the punching and fitting of the shoes difficult and tedious, although Mr. Gregory, who is himself a first-rate hand at that sort of work, assured me that it would not be a troublesome operation.
Christmas Day. Mary Lake.
As ducks were abundant and the grass good this was a fine place for spending Christmas. In the afternoon Jemmy and I went down the river in a south-south-east direction to a fine waterhole, which I have named Lake Frances; between Mary Lake and it, we only found shallow pools of water from the last thunderstorm. We saw a fat old white-headed blackfellow and his gin near the waterhole. The gin was very anxious about the safety of her four dogs and carried one of them in her arms; but on our approach she abandoned it and fled into the water; but afterwards seeing the old blackfellow had gone up a tree she followed his example. Jemmy not understanding their language we could not get any information from them.
Thursday December 26. Camp Number 22, situated on Mary Lake on Herbert River.
We left this camp at 7.37 a.m. At 7.42 made a quarter of a mile south-west by south to end of Mary Lake; at 7.52 made half a mile south on left side of the river, to plains, which are slightly timbered; at 8 made half a mile south-south-east, skirting the river to Lake Frances; at 9 made three miles; at 9.19 made three-quarters of a mile south to where we crossed a watercourse from the east which I have named the Don Creek: at 9.30 made half a mile south-south-west on left side of river over plains; at 9.41 made half a mile south by west to where I waited for the party, who came up at 9.45; at 10.5 made one mile south by west to where we crossed a creek from north-east; at 10.24 made three-quarters of a mile south by west; at 10.45 made one mile south to the left side of the river; at 11 made three-quarters of a mile south-east by south along the dry bed of the river, from which we started successive flights of pigeons. At this place Mr. Campbell and party halted with the horses while Mr. Allison and I went about a mile westward onto the plain, where he made the altitude 86 degrees 30 minutes, which makes the latitude 20 degrees 6 minutes, agreeing with the latitude of my dead reckoning and with an observation I made of a star last night; at 3 Jemmy, who had gone down the river, returned without finding any water, except what was left by the last thunderstorm; and as he told me I was following up a river, and not down, I too hurriedly believed him, and made up my mind to return to a waterhole that Fisherman had found to the right of our course in the bed of the river. At the waterhole I found blacks, but, as I always avoid them when I can, after I had a short interview with them we started down the river to the water Jemmy had found, following along the right bank as we had the left before; at 4.40 made two miles and three-quarters down the river to where we crossed, near its junction, a river or a branch of one from north-west; at 5.8 made one mile and a half back to where Mr. Allison went on the plain to get an observation; at 5.20 made half a mile south; at 5.40 made one mile south to where the river has two channels; the one trending to the west of south we crossed, between the two channels of the river; at 5.53 made half a mile south to where the left channel of the river was full of water and fine grass on its banks, on the right bank of which we formed our twenty-third camp, at the place where Mr. Allison made an observation of the sun. The country is very level and the watercourses are unconfined, and in times of floods the water overflows the low banks of the different channels. The blacks we saw today appear to be circumcised; three of them approached us, one of whom was the old blackfellow we had seen yesterday. Their name for water we thought from what they said was oto. We presented them with a tin pot and two empty glass bottles with which they were very much pleased.
Friday December 27. Camp Number 23, situated on the Herbert River.
Left camp at 8.24 a.m. to go down the river; at 8.35 made half a mile south-south-west to where we crossed, near its junction, a western channel of the river; at this place there are flats covered with bushes like saltbush, which the horses eat. These bushes I have observed on the western plains from Rockhampton and on most of the low situations along our route on this expedition; at 8.43 made half a mile south; at 8.48 made a quarter of a mile south-west where we crossed, near its junction, a more western channel of the river; at 9.10 made one mile south-west by south to where we crossed, near its junction, a river from west, with a shallow and broad channel; the banks of the river at this place are very little below the level of the plain on each side of it; at 10.10 made three miles south-south-west with level plains on each side of us, without trees or bushes, except along the watercourses; at 10.30 made one mile south to the right bank of the river, where there are twelve box-trees growing in its bed; before crossing to its left bank we got enough water to satisfy the horses; at 11.4 made one mile and a half south to a junction of a watercourse with extensive flood-marks from the east. This river has a deeper channel, with trees on its banks, than the river we have been following down had. At 11.15 made half a mile south, when Mr. Allison and I went back to the westward, on the plains, and got the following altitude of the sun: 86 degrees 37 minutes, which makes the latitude 20 degrees 11 minutes 15 seconds; at 1.35 made three-quarters of a mile south down the river; at 1.47 made a quarter of a mile south-east down the river; at 2.20 made one mile and a quarter south, following the course of the river in search of water; at 3.10 made one mile and three-quarters about south-south-west, following the course of the river in search of water; at 3.44 made half a mile about south-west, following the course of the river in search of water; at 4.10 made one mile and a quarter about south, where, accompanied by the troopers, I left Campbell and Allison to go in search of water; at 5.20 made three miles about south-west down the river in an unsuccessful search for water; at 6 made two miles north-east by east; returning, we steered over plains, the grass of which was completely parched up. Near the creek I observed more owls than I have ever seen anywhere before; at 6.27 made one mile and a quarter north-east by east back to our party; then went, at 6.56, one mile and a quarter north by east, towards where we had seen the last water; at 7.15 made one mile north by east; at 7.35 made three-quarters of a mile north-east; at 8 made three-quarters of a mile about north-east by north and encamped.
Saturday December 28. Camp Number 24, situated on the Herbert River.