14th November.

Party employed as before.  At 3.30 p.m.  I left the camp and proceeded to the creek, where the timber party were at work, reaching their bivouac at 7.30; six logs had been cut twenty to twenty-five feet long and twelve to fourteen inches square; the timber is a melaleuca with a broad leaf (Melaleuca leucodendron).  The gum timber is generally unsound and worthless.

15th November.

Returned to the principal camp with Mr. H. Gregory at 11.0 a.m., and at 2 p.m. started in the indiarubber boat with Messrs. Wilson, Baines, and Flood; at 8.0 p.m. reached the creek near Steep Head, and remained at the camp of the timber party for the night.

16th November.

Started at 6.30 a.m. and crossed the shallows at Steep Head without much difficulty—­as the tide was high, the water was six to eight inches deep.  Three miles above Steep Head we observed three natives watching us, but they did not approach.  At 10.0 a.m. reached Palm Island, which is only a bank of shingle with a few pandanus and melaleuca trees growing on it without a single palm-tree of any kind.  One of the boats having been injured, hauled her up for repairs.  Mr. Baines shot three whistling ducks on the island; they were very good eating.  While at our dinner a native approached the bank of the river and came to us, and a parley commenced which was rather unintelligible, and when he found that he could not make himself understood by words, resorted to the language of signs, and expressed his contempt of us in an unmistakable manner.  Having repaired the leak in the boat, we again moved up the river, but at one and a half miles came to a dry bar of rock, over which the boats were carried, and we passed a shallow pool of brackish water half a mile long to a second bar of greater breadth, and then entered a deep reach; but the day was so far advanced that we took advantage of a level rocky ledge and bivouacked.

INDIARUBBER boats fail.

17th November.

Proceeded up the river about a mile and came to a dry bank of shingle and rocks, which extended for at least a mile, and over which it was not practicable to carry the boats, which had been much injured in crossing the rocky bars yesterday, the heat having destroyed the texture of the waterproof canvas.  I therefore decided not to expend any more time on this excursion, but return to the camp.  We observed some blacks watching us from some thick scrub; but they did not approach near enough to hold any communication.  At 2.0 p.m. commenced the return down the river and reached Palm Island after dark and bivouacked.

18th November.