bivouacked, without water or feed, and then tied up our horses. I found
this spot to be in south latitude 28 degrees 41 minutes by meridian
altitude of Bootes (Arcturus), and in longitude about 122 degrees 37
minutes East.

2nd.
Started at dawn, and steered about east, searching on our way for water,
which our horses and ourselves were beginning to want much. At six miles
we found a small hole in some rocks, apparently empty, but on sounding
with a stick I found it to contain a little water. The mouth of the hole
being too small to admit a pannican, and having used my hat with very
little success, I at last thought of my gum-bucket, with which we
procured about two quarts of something between mud and water, which,
after straining through my pocket-handkerchief, we pronounced first-rate.
Continuing for six miles over clear, open sand-plains, with spinifex and
large white gums--the only large trees and clear country seen since
leaving the settled districts--we climbed up a white gum to have a view
of the country eastward. Some rough sandstone cliffs bore North 127
degrees East magnetic, about six miles distant. The country eastward was
almost level, with sandstone cliffs here and there, apparently thickly
wooded with white gums, and other trees; spinifex everywhere, but no
prospects of water. More to the north, a narrow line of samphire flats
appeared, with cypress and stunted gums on its edges--all barren and
desolate--so much so, indeed, that for the last twenty-five miles there
has been no grass seen at all save spinifex. After taking a few bearings
from the top of the tree (which I marked with the letter F on the south
side), which is in south latitude about 28 degrees 41 minutes, and
longitude about 122 degrees 50 East, I decided to return to our last
watering place, nearly thirty-one miles distant, as we were now over 100
miles from camp, and the horses had been without water or feed since