next day, and carry the packs on their heads.  Black and white cockatoos, some parrots, scrub turkeys (’Talegalla Lathami’), and white pigeons (Torres Straits), were seen on the march, throughout which the rain still continued to fall, as it did also during the night.  At this camp (80) the last of the sugar was finished, but this was not thought much of, as from the latitude being ascertained to be 11 degrees 10 minutes, it was supposed that Somerset could not be more than 20 or 30 miles distant.  How they were undeceived in their conjecture, and had their hopes disappointed, will be seen.

[footnote] After Captain J. McHenry, of Arthur Downs, Isaac River.

‘January’ 27.—­Early this morning the party addressed themselves to the task of crossing the McHenry.  This was accomplished in safety, cattle and horses taking the water like dogs, the greater difficulty being in getting over the packs, saddles, and stores, which had to be carried on the heads of the swimmers of the party, and this necessary part of a bushman’s education was not common to all, or at least sufficiently to be of use.  The course was then continued on the other side to the junction of the two streams.  The rain continued to fall steadily during most of the day, filling up every little creek and gutter.  Some of the former had to be swum over, whilst the latter occured at every mile.  Just below the junction there is a large dense vine-scrub, which had to be skirted, after which, the party continued their course down the supposed Escape, which had now increased its width to a hundred yards.  Its width when first struck, was only twenty, increasing to forty or fifty at its junction with the McHenry, when the united streams form an imposing river.  Its course is extremely winding, whilst the numberless creeks and gulleys which join it, all with scrubby banks, make travelling along its banks, a work of great labor and difficulty.  The country on this day’s march slightly improved, being more open and better grassed, the best being on the river banks, but coarse and sparse at best.  The timber chiefly bloodwood and black tea-tree.  Several trees were marked with a cross at the crossing place of the McHenry, and one similarly at the point of the scrub below the junction.  In consequence of the many delays to-day the total distance travelled was only 5 miles.  Course N. by W. (Camp LXXXI.)

‘January’ 28.—­The course of the river was followed down to-day for about two-and-a-half miles, but the endlessly recurring water courses, each with its eternal fringe of thick vine scrub, at last compelled the party to turn to the west in order to avoid them, there being no time to cut roads for the cattle.  They were constantly getting entangled by the horns in the hanging vines of the ’Calamus Australis’ and ‘Flagetlaria’, so often referred to.  The effect of this on some was to work them into such a perfect fury, that when released by the party cutting them clear, they would