Camp 67 is situated on the left bank of the river. Last night we had
severe frost which produced ice in our tin vessels. We left it at 8.55 in
the morning and steered south-south-east. When we had gone eleven and a
half miles we crossed a sandy creek and followed it down in a
west-south-west direction for a short distance. Finding no water in the
creek we left it and continued on our old course. Near sunset, when we
had gone about nine miles without finding another watercourse, we went in
a more easterly direction. We continued going on after dark until nearly
2 o'clock on Sunday morning. After waiting for Jackey and Jemmy, who had
stayed behind yesterday, we started at 11.12 without them. We travelled
all day without finding water; but after dark we found a small
watercourse which we followed down for about four hours, still without
finding water. Here we encamped. In the course of the day Jackey and
Jemmy overtook us. Their excuse for being behind was their having turned
back to look for a pistol Jackey had lost. Jemmy I was sorry to find was
severely burnt from his clothes having caught fire while he was asleep on
the previous night. I determined to return to water from here as the
horses had been two days without any. After travelling almost incessantly
for upwards of seventy-two hours we reached here this morning at 9.
Although there was plenty of water in the creek here there was more lower
down, at the place we crossed on our outward route when we were eleven
and a half miles south-south-east from Camp 67. The horses looked
wretched when they had been twenty-four hours without water, and as they
had been seventy-two hours without water when they reached here they
certainly looked most pitiable objects. Whilst searching for water the
weather was most favourable, although sometimes freezingly cold when
travelling at night; so much so that to keep ourselves from getting
benumbed Mr. Bourne and I often walked. Being able only to take a small
quantity of water with us Jemmy, who was suffering very much from his