about midday. The bullock, Bawley, never made his appearance, and I
suppose has gone to find his way back to Mr. Jacob's from whence he was
purchased. Cool westerly breeze.

Saturday, October 5.

Hodgkinson and party arrived all safe and were successful in finding the
left articles. Middleton very slowly recovering.

Sunday, October 6, and Monday, October 7.

Spelling the camels and bullocks; taking off the shoes of the horses that
were shod in town, having stayed on remarkably well. The country soft;
not likely to shoe them for a time; appear in good condition; bullocks
tender-necked. Rather a strange circumstance occurred while staying here.
A pelican, in an attempt to swallow a perch about a foot long by about
five inches in diameter or twelve inches in circumference, was choked
after getting it halfway down his throat, and found in the morning quite
fresh and the tail of the fish out of its mouth. A considerable quantity
of clover or trefoil on this lake; and at the eastern end on the flooded
flat, grass but not abundant. The country in this part does not appear to
have been visited by any rain for very many months; indeed years must
have passed since any quantity has fallen in this sandy region; the
bottoms of the clay-pans are nearly as hard as bricks. A considerable
quantity of saltbush of various kinds around the lake and on the flats,
with some polygonum on the flooded flats; innumerable pigeons.

Tuesday, October 8.

Started from Pando Lake Camp at twenty minutes to 9 a.m., wind west and