bushman its appearance was in every respect inviting; there was a good deal of grass in its neighbourhood; the spot looked cheerful and picturesque, with a broad sheet of water in the creek, which when Mr. Poole first saw it must have been much larger and deeper; but in the interval between his first and second visit, it had been greatly reduced, and now presented a broad and shallow surface, and I felt assured that it would too soon dry up.  Convinced therefore of the necessity of exertion, to secure to us if possible a supply of water, on which we could more confidently rely, I determined on undertaking myself the task of looking for it without delay.  Both Mr. Poole and Mr. Browne were better, and the men generally complained less than they had done.  On Sunday, the 12th, we had thunder with oppressive heat, but no rain.  On Monday the wind, which had kept with the regularity of a monsoon to the E.S.E., flew round to the N.W., the thermometer at noon standing at 108 degrees in the shade.

From the period at which we left Flood’s Creek we had not seen any hills to the eastward, the ranges having terminated on that side.  The hills we had passed were detached from each other, and to the westward of our course.  The fall of the creek on which we were at this time encamped was consequently to the eastward, but there was a small hill about five miles to the E.N.E., under which it ran; that hill was the southern extremity of the ranges Mr. Poole and Mr. Browne had lately visited.

I left the camp on the 14th of the month, in the anxious hope that I should succeed in finding some place of more permanent safety than the one we then occupied, for we could almost see the water decrease, so powerful was the evaporation that was going on.  I was accompanied by Mr. Browne and Mr. Poole, with Flood, Joseph, and Mack; but Mr. Poole only attended me with a view to his returning the next day with Mack, in the event of our finding water, to which he might be able to remove during my absence.  We traced the creek upwards to the north-west, and at about four miles came to another, joining it from the westward.  There was no water, but a good deal of grass about its banks, and it was evidently a tributary of no mean consequence.  Crossing this we traced up the main creek on a more northerly course, having the Red Hill, subsequently called Mount Poole, on our left.  We were obliged to keep the banks of the creek to avoid the rough and stony plains on either side.  A little above the junction of the creek I have noticed, we passed a long water-hole, at which Mr. Poole and Mr. Browne had stopped on their excursion to the north; but it was so much diminished that they could hardly recognise it.  The fact however shewed how uncertain our prospects were at this period.  The bed of the creek was grassy, but broad, level, and gravelly.  At almost every turn to which we came Mr. Poole assured me there had been, when he passed, a large sheet of water; but not a drop now