as circumstances would allow, succeeded in retracing ten miles of my
course by a little after dark, having completed a stage of fully
forty-five miles during the day. Here there was tolerable good grass, and
plenty of water from the late rains, so that the horses were more
fortunate on this excursion than usual. I observed the variation to be 4
degrees E.

September 3.--Travelling early, we made a long stage of about forty
miles, and encamped with good grass and water. During the day we caught
four young emus in the plains, which we roasted for supper, being very
hungry, and upon short allowance, as I had not calculated upon remaining
out so long; the black boy enjoyed them exceedingly, and I managed to get
through one myself. They were about the size of full grown fowls.

September 4.--Making a very early start, we travelled twenty miles to the
watercourse, where we had encamped on the 31st of August, striking it a
little lower down. As I had left one or two trifles here, that I wished
to take on with me, I sent the black boy for them, telling him to follow
my tracks while I went slowly on. Upon finding that he did not overtake
me so soon as I expected, I halted for some time, but still he did not
come up, and I again proceeded; for as I had left my former track, I
concluded he had taken that line, and thus missed me. Steering,
therefore, across the hills, some of which were very stony and broken, I
made for the Mundy, which I reached very late in the evening, and found
the party safely encamped there.

I had rode fifty-five miles, and had been on horseback about thirteen
hours, so that both myself and horse were well nigh knocked up. The black
boy had not arrived, nor did he come up during the night.