‘January’ 13.—­The poor condition of the horses, and the wretchedly soft nature of the ground, making it impossible for them to be ridden, or do more than carry the diminished loads of baggage and stores, the party had no choice but to walk and in some cases even to carry the packs of the horses.  Mr. A. Jardine describes their appearance this morning as “rather neat” at the starting from the camp, the two Brothers, Mr. Binney, Scrutton, and the four black-boys having doffed everything but their shirts and belts.  It was well for the whites that their previous habits on the journey had hardened their feet and enabled them to travel without shoes, with but little less hardship than their black companions.  This they had acquired by the custom on coming into camp, of going out with the boys opossum and “sugar bag” hunting.  With stout hearts and naked legs, therefore they faced forward driving the horses and cattle before them, and by the end of the day placed ten miles between them and “Poison Creek,” as it was then named.  This however was not accomplished without great toil, the country traversed being red soil ridges, with black soil tea-tree flats between them, which were so many bogs.  In these the cattle floundered and bogged at every hundred yards, and even the spare unladen horses had to be pulled out.  The latter were at length so completely knocked up that it was necessary to leave some of them at one side of a swamp, the party carrying their packs and loads about a quarter-of-a-mile on to a dry ridge on the other.  Here they camped and tired as they were, were obliged to keep a vigilant watch, as, to add to their many annoyances the natives had been following them all day.  Distance 10 miles N.E. by N. Box marked F.J. 68 cross.

‘January’ 14.—­At daylight this morning the horses were got over the swamp, with less difficulty than was expected, being recruited by their night’s rest.  The journey was resumed at 6.30.  There had been no rain on the previous day and night, and the ground with only this twenty-four hours of dry weather had hardened sufficiently on the crust to allow the horses to walk without bogging.  This crust, however, once broken through, they bogged hopelessly, until dragged out with ropes.  In this the water and sludge oozing out from the tracks were great auxiliaries, as they formed a kind of batter, in which, by pulling the horses on their sides, they slid along like sledges.  This process had continually to be repeated throughout the day, causing so much delay, that seven or eight miles were with difficulty accomplished.  At each running stream the packs had to be taken off and carried over.  The country traversed was similar to that of yesterday, undulating blood-wood red soil ridges, sufficiently well-grassed, with the everlasting black soil, tea-tree flats, and gullies running between them, some being very wide.  Two more horses died during the day from the effects of the poison, and the Leader owns that he was beginning