August 8.

Early this morning a number of natives came near our camp, but without bringing any fish.  The man to whom the promise of a tomahawk had been made was not however amongst them.  I went up to the party when we were about to continue our journey, and I recognised one of the Fort Bourke tribe, the total gules man, who had formerly appeared very shy and timid.  Now however in half a minute his hand was in my pocket; on which I instantly mounted my horse and rode on.  We crossed the tracks of our horses’ feet on my first excursion, and entered a plain where we struck into the old route.  In this plain we saw three emus and killed one after a hard run.

MR. HUME’S TREE.

On coming to the hollow which leads to the tree marked with Mr. Hume’s initials (and which may therefore be called Hume’s Creek) I measured with the chain its channel to the river so as to connect the tree with the survey.  I found that it bore due north from where our route crossed this hollow, the distance being sixty-nine chains.  We reached our camp of the 9th of June by half-past two o’clock and took up the same ground.

August 9.

We continued our journey along the old track to our camp of the 8th of June where we once more rested for the night.  This was a very convenient station, being nearly on the margin of the river, the bank of which, consisting of concretionary limestone, afforded easy access for the cattle to the water while surrounding hollows supplied them with plenty of grass.  I was now enabled to reduce the cattle guard from four to two men, which was a great relief to them.  The backward journey allowed me a little time to look about me, and the river scenery here was fine.  Indeed the position of our camp was most romantic, being a little eminence in the midst of grassy hollows, and recesses of the deepest shade, covered by trees of wild character and luxuriant growth.

RETURN TO FORT BOURKE.

August 10.

The whole party was ready to start early this morning and we proceeded in good time, in hopes of reaching our old home at Fort Bourke.  Our dogs caught two of the largest kind of kangaroo as we crossed the plains.  The cattle, although now weak, seemed also eager to get back to their old pasture on which they had fed so long formerly.  We accomplished by four P.M. the journey of fourteen miles.  From Fort Bourke we had been absent two months and two days, having travelled during that time over 600 miles, even in DIRECT distance.

DESCRIPTION OF THAT POSITION.

On our return from the lower country this place looked better than ever in our eyes.  The whole of the territory seen by us down the river did not present such another spot, either for security, extent of good grazing land, or convenient access to water.  The fort was uninjured except that the blacks had been at infinite pains to cut out most of the large spike nails fastening the logs of which the block-house