consequence of the stony layers lying so up-edged, has cut some of them so badly that the caravan might be tracked by a streak of blood on the stones over which we have passed.  This was not so much from the mere stones, but from the camels getting their feet wedged into clefts and dragging them forcibly out.  Some were so fortunate as to escape without a scratch.  We made very little distance to-day, as our camp is not more than five miles from the summit of the mountain, which bore south 61 degrees west from us.  We rested at this little pond for a day, leaving it again upon the 4th.

Following the watercourse we were encamped upon, it took us through a pass, among the rough hills lying north-easterly.  So soon as we cleared the pass, the creek turned northerly, and ran away over a fine piece of grassy plain, which was a kind of valley, between two lines of hills running east and west, the valley being of some width.  The timber of the creek fell off here, and the watercourse seemed to exhaust itself upon the valley in a westerly direction, but split into two or three channels before ending, if, indeed, it does end here, which I doubt, as I believe this valley and creek, form the head of the Lyons River, as no doubt the channel forms again and continues its course to the west.  To-day on our journey I noticed some native poplar-trees.  We left all the water-channels on our left hand, and proceeded north across the plain, towards a low part or fall, between two ranges that run along the northern horizon.  The valley consists of grassy flats, though somewhat thickly timbered with mulga.  Some natives’ fires were observed in the hills on our line of march.  That night we encamped without water, in a low part of the hills, after travelling nineteen or twenty miles.  The night became very cloudy, and so was the next morning.  We had more rough, stony, and scrubby hills to traverse.  At six miles we got over these and down into another valley, but even in this, the country was all scrub and stones.  We encamped at a dry gum-creek, where there was good herbage and bushes for the camels; but the whole region being so rough, it does not please either us or the camels at all.  They can’t get soft places to stand on while they are feeding, nor are their sleeping places like feather-beds either.  At night a very slight sprinkling of rain fell for a minute or two.

May the 6th was the anniversary of the departure of the caravan from Beltana in South Australia, whither we were now again endeavouring to force our way by a new line.  More hills, rough and wretched, were travelled over to-day.  In five miles we got to a new watercourse, amongst the hills, which seemed inclined to go north-easterly, so we followed it.  It meandered about among the hills and through a pass, but no water was seen, though we were anxiously looking for it at every turn.  Alec shot a wild turkey or bustard to-day.  After going thirteen or fourteen miles, and finding no water, I camped, and as we had