Sunday December 29th.  Camp 25.  Situated on the Herbert River.

It was our intention to remain here for several days as the grass was good and the horses required a rest, but I deemed it advisable to return at once up the river because there were about one hundred blacks in the neighbourhood of the camp, some of whom were so bold that I feared it might be necessary to shoot some of them, or give them possession of the ground.  Two of them had passed our camp on the previous evening, and the troopers, with my consent, presented them with glass bottles, after receiving which they soon returned with a large mob, who remained with us till dark.  In the morning they returned and surrounded the camp.  Mr. Campbell went up to one mob and tried to make them understand by signs that we had peaceable intentions towards them, but they from his account seemed fully bent on having us off the ground.  When he was returning to the camp Jemmy saw one of the blacks hold his boomerang as if he intended throwing it at Mr. Campbell, but he was probably advised by others not to do so.  I am not surprised that they were vexed, as we would not allow them to come up to the camp, although they showed a bunch of hawk feathers and two bottles we had given them, which they wanted us to believe were the signs of their good intention; and it is not to be wondered at on the other hand that we would not trust a mob of blacks, all warriors, heavily armed with spears, boomerangs, clubs, and little thorny sticks, to approach the camp.  From my previous knowledge of the blacks I fancied we would easily have driven them away on horseback, but this I did not think necessary.  The mere fact of seeing the horses brought towards the camp made them retire to a more respectful distance from us; at 10.5 a.m. left Number 25 Camp; at 10.18 made half a mile north-east half north to Number 23 Camp, where I stopped with Fisherman and observed that we were not followed:  at 10.45 made half a mile north-north-east up the river; at 11.23 made one mile and three-quarters north to the place where I accompanied Mr. Allison on a previous occasion westward on the plain to take an observation of the sun, at which place we overtook Campbell and party; at 11.48 made one mile north to where we observed rising ground.  I left the party, accompanied by Fisherman, to ascend the rising ground; at 12.2 made half a mile north-east by east to a tree on the rise which Fisherman climbed, and from it observed plain country to the south and west and wooded country to the east and north.  Here we observed stunted box and bloodwood trees, and a variety of grasses, among which I observed barley, oaten, kangaroo, and triodia; at 12.23 made one mile north by east; at 12.53 made one mile and a half north by east to the waterhole I named Kenellan, where there were the same blacks I had seen before.  On this occasion they remained on the right, while we had dinner on the opposite side, during which time others