ffering from
dysentery, and had taken the flour without leave. Sent him to
report himself to Mr. Burke, and went on. He, having got King to
tell Mr. Burke for him, was called up, and received a good
thrashing. There is no knowing to what extent he has been robbing
us. Many things have been found to run unaccountably short. Started
at seven o'clock, the camels in first-rate spirits. We followed our
old course back (south). The first portion of the plains had much
the same appearance as when we came up, but that near Camp 88,
which then looked so fresh and green, is now very much dried up;
and we saw no signs of water anywhere. In fact, there seems to have
been little or no rain about here since we passed. Soon after three
o'clock we struck the first of several small creeks or billibongs,
which must be portions of the creek with the deep channel that we
crossed on going up, we being now rather to the westward of our
former course. From here, after traversing about two miles of the
barest clay plain, devoid of all vegetation, we reached a small
watercourse, most of the holes in which contained some water of a
milky or creamy description. Fine salt bush and portulac being
abundant in the vicinity, we camped here at 4.30 A.M. When we
started in the evening, a strong breeze had already sprung up in
the south, which conveyed much of the characteristic feeling of a
hot wind. It increased gradually to a force of five and six, but by
eleven o'clock had become decidedly cool, and was so chilly towards
morning that we found it necessary to throw on our ponchos. A few
cirrocumulus clouds were coming up from the east when we started,
but we left them behind, and nothing was visible during the night
but a thin hazy veil. The gale continued throughout the 26th,
becoming warmer as the day advanced. In the afternoon it blew
furiously, raising a good deal of dust. The temperature of air at
four P.M. was 84 degrees in the shade. Wind trees all day.

. . .

This last entry contains an unpleasant record of poor
Gray's delinquency. He appears to have been hitherto rather a
favourite with my son.

King, on his examination before the Royal Commission, finding that
Mr. Burke was censured for chastising Gray, at first denied it
strongly. My son only relates in his diary what Mr. Burke had told
him; "I have given Gray a good thrashing, and well he deserved it."
King blamed my son for mentioning this, but admitted that Mr. Burke
gave Gray sev