Dec. 12—­After a clear night, the morning was misty, with a wall of clouds to the westward; at nine o’clock it cleared up, and loose cumuli passed over from the east; at eleven o’clock all clouds had disappeared, and a cool breeze set in from the northward.  Charley did not succeed in bringing in the horses and cattle sufficiently early for starting on the long and difficult passage over the range.  Our meat was all consumed; but we wished to reserve our bullocks for Christmas, which was, in every one of us, so intimately associated with recollections of happy days and merriment, that I was determined to make the coming season as merry as our circumstances permitted.  This decision being final, every one cheerfully submitted to a small allowance, and did his best to procure game.  Our latitude was 24 degrees 43 minutes.

Dec. 13.—­We travelled along the spur at the west and south-west side of Erythrina creek, at which we had been encamped; and, after having headed the whole system of its gullies—­keeping to the right along the main range for about three miles, we came to the spur on which I and Charley had ascended on our return, and which had a general direction to the north-west.  When we arrived at the foot of the range, our cattle and horses were so jaded, and the water-hole still so far off, that I encamped here, more especially as the feed was young and rich, and as I had hopes of obtaining water by digging into the sand which filled the upper part of the valley.  In this, however, I did not succeed; for, upon digging about three feet deep, I came on a layer of stiff clay very hard and dry.  Fortunately, however, a thunder-storm came on towards the evening, which supplied our cattle as well as ourselves with water.  This was the only time we encamped without a certainty of water, during our journey from Jimba to the head of the gulf, which occupied ten months.  The whole night was showery, the wind and clouds coming from all directions.

Dec. 14.—­We reached the water-holes I had discovered three days previous.  Our cattle were very thirsty, notwithstanding the late rain, and they rushed into the water as soon as they got sight of it.

The hills, at the foot of which we are encamped, are composed of whinstone (basalt).  Pebbles of conglomerate, of flint, and of quartz deeply coloured with iron, are, however, very frequent on the slopes.  It is remarkable that that part of the range which is composed of basalt, is a fine open forest, whereas the basaltic hills of the large valley are covered with dense scrub.  The Myal was frequent; and the fruit of the small lemon-tree was ripe.

I followed the watercourse which connects the water-holes on which we encamped, and met every where with Bricklow scrub.  Mr. Gilbert ascended the hills, and stated that the whole valley to the westward appeared like an immense sea of scrub.

A thunder-storm was forming to the north-west, but was probably deflected by the ranges.