7th January, 1861.--We started at half-past four A.M. without
water, thinking that we might safely rely on this creek for one
day's journey. We, however, found the line of timber soon began to
look small; at three miles the channel contained only a few pools
of surface water. We continued across the plains on a due north
course, frequently crossing small watercourses, which had been
filled by the rain, but were fast drying up. Here and there, as we
proceeded, dense lines of timber on our right showed that the creek
came from the east of north; at a distance of thirteen miles we
turned to the north-north-east towards a fine line of timber. We
found a creek of considerable dimensions, that had only two or
three small water-holes, but as there was more than sufficient for
us, and very little feed for the beasts anywhere else, we camped. I
should have liked this camp to have been in a more prominent and
easily recognizable position, as it happens to be almost exactly on
the tropic of Capricorn. The tremendous gale of wind that we had in
the evening and night prevented me from taking a latitude
observation, whereas I had some good ones at the last camp and at
Camp 87.
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