We encamped but the night was so short and the mosquitoes so troublesome
that, what with watching and getting up at 3.45, we had hardly sufficient
sleep. I found at this time that the duties of exploring gave very little
time for fishing or shooting. At this period of our journey the sextant
was too much out of order for making sufficiently accurate observations
of the stars.

Thursday November 21. Camp Number 5.

On right bank of the Gregory River. Started at 8.30 a.m., and at 8.55 had
made along the same bank three-quarters of a mile in a south-south-east
direction; at 9.25 we made a mile further in the same direction; at 10.13
also in the same direction (south-south-east) two miles; at 10.30 changed
our course and made three-quarters of a mile south-east; at 10.45 by
following up the river we made half a mile south-east by south to a point
where I marked a tree with a broad arrow before LC+, where the river
assumed a new character. It has a broad hard bed with only a boggy spot
at the western bank. The crossing of the horses over this place was more
difficult than I expected, and had to be accomplished by strewing the
ground with grass. We started from the left bank of the river at 3.13
p.m., and at 3.40 made one mile and a quarter south and by east; at 4.18
two miles in the same direction; at 4.40 one mile south-east; at 4.54
half a mile further in the same direction; at 5.12 three-quarters of a
mile south in a fruitless search for water. Returned to the same bank by
an east-north-east line of one mile and a quarter in length, where we
encamped. The country we have seen on this side, although fine fattening
plains, is more thinly grassed and not nearly so rich as that on the
plains we saw lower down the river. At the camp we found marjoram, which
makes a pleasant drink. On this side of the river also we observed a
white stunted gum with leaves like that of the apple tree. I may mention