Daylight quite cloudy and like rain.  Temperature 82 degrees, wind chopping all round; at noon south and north of west.  Temperature 142 degrees and still a cool breeze blowing; sunset temperature 90 degrees, wind southward and strong.  No appearance of Hodgkinson and party.  The natives in a great stir here tonight about something—­about a dozen of them crossed the lake to us after dark, wishing to camp near for the night; but as I did not approve of their movements in the evening immediately sent them off again.

Saturday, November 23.

At daylight wind strong from the east; temperature 80 degrees, at 5.30 a.m. blew quite a gale from south, the sky quite overcast and in every other part of the country would make preparations for a heavy fall of rain, but I have seen so much of this here that I don’t expect rain till I see it.  Temperature noon 110 degrees, rain all blown past; at sunset wind still strong from south; temperature 84 degrees.  No appearance of Hodgkinson’s party.  Natives assembling in great numbers on this lake—­distributed some beads, bracelets, and other trinkets amongst them, at which they seemed much pleased.

Sunday, November 24.

Wind south-east beautifully cool; temperature at sunrise 63 degrees; at noon in shade 84 degrees; at sunset wind south, temperature 76 degrees; cloudy.  Hodgkinson not arrived.

Monday, November 25.

At 1.30 a.m. temperature 62 degrees; at sunrise temperature 58 degrees, wind east-south-east, beautifully cool; at noon temperature 106 degrees in the sun and wind; at sundown 82 degrees, gentle breeze.

Tuesday, November 26.

Wind east, at sunrise temperature 63 degrees; at noon in the shade temperature 79 degrees, very light breeze:  temperature at 2.30 p.m. 110 degrees, wind west-north-west and cool; at sunset temperature 90 degrees, calm.  No appearance of the party from Blanchewater.

Wednesday, November 27.

Calm at sunrise, temperature 60 degrees; at 9 a.m. 116 degrees in the sun; at 1 p.m. 118 degrees.  Got the horses in the forenoon and went east three and a half miles; first three-quarters of a mile over sandhills, rest of the way over flooded ground to Goderannie Creek; not much water now; then to Palcooraganny.  At present this is the dry bed of a small lake with plenty of dry clover and grasses in the dry bed.  On the north-east side of the lake is a well dug by the natives about ten to eleven feet deep with about one foot of water at present in it and good.  I suppose a considerable quantity could be had if the hole were enlarged.  Close by there was an encampment of blacks, in all about a dozen, not the same apparent well-fed fellows that frequent the lakes and main creeks.  From enquiry it appears that during the dry season this is the sort of water they have to depend upon, and I think the wells are few and far between.  A high sandhill was some little distance off and to it I went; from the top of which I had an extensive