‘December’ 7.—­Leaving the nine horses hobbled to feed near the water the Brothers separated, one taking up and the other down the river to look for the others, in hopes that they might also have turned back, but met again in the afternoon, each without success.  Starting back (with the nine recovered yesterday) at about two o’clock, they returned to the camp, where fresh troubles awaited them.  Only two of the others had been found, and the party with the pack-horses had succeeded in losing the mule, together with his pack.  Whilst preparing to start they had allowed him to poke away unperceived in the scrubby timber, and did not miss him till ready to start.  Sambo had been at once despatched on his tracks but had not yet returned.  Binney had lost himself a second time and only rejoined the camp at dark last night, after having ridden the whole day, probably in a circle, without finding either horses or water.  The two black boys had been equally unsuccessful.  Eulah and Barney were now despatched with orders to camp out until they found the missing horses, five of which, besides the mule, still were away.  In the evening Sambo returned quite exhausted for want of water, not having seen or tasted any, or any food during the too days of his absence.  For an hour after coming into camp he was quite dilirious.  When sufficiently recovered and collected to speak he stated that he had followed the tracks of the mule (who had evidently been galloping) through the tea-tree levels, at the back of camp 35, when he was obliged to turn back for want of water.  This accident, the result of gross carelessness, together with frequent cases of less importance, induced in the Leader a want of confidence which caused him great anxiety when away from the party, to which indeed he never returned without a feeling of disquietude, which was not allayed until he learned that all was well—­a harassing feeling, which few but those who have experienced the responsibility of the conduct and success of a similar expedition can fully appreciate.  The water at this camp was very bad, but still under the circumstances, a great God-send.  There were two holes equi-distant half-a-mile from the one they were on, up and down the creek.  The upper one was the deepest, having many ducks, terns, and cranes on it.  All three were surrounded with a fringe of green rushes.  By digging wells and allowing the water to drain in, it was drinkable, although very brackish. (Camp XXXVIII.) Latitude 16 degrees 13 minutes 45 seconds.

‘December’ 8.—­At 4 o’clock this morning Alexander Jardine started with Sambo after the mule.  The Leader remained with the party employing the day in exploring ahead for about 18 miles, in the hope of finding water for a stage.  This was a paramount necessity, for the weather was so hot and the country so dry that twenty-four hours without drinking drove the cattle nearly mad, their drivers suffering almost equally.  Finding no