creek.

As I have already stated the fall of Flood's Creek was to the west. The
creek from which we had just removed, as well as the one on which we then
were, fell in the opposite direction or to the eastward, terminating
after short courses either in grassy plains or in shallow lagoons.

On the 9th I remained stationary, and thus gave Mr. Piesse an opportunity
to examine a part of our stores. He reported to me that the flour had
lost weight nearly 10 per cent., some of the bags not weighing their
original quantity by upwards of sixteen pounds. As the men had their full
allowance of meat, I thought it advisable, in consequence of this, to
reduce the ration of flour to 7 lb. per week, and I should be doing an
injustice to them if I did not give them credit for the readiness with
which they acquiesced in this arrangement.

The 10th of the month completed the fifth of our wanderings. We left our
position rather late in the day, and halted a little after sunset at the
outskirt of a brush, into which I was afraid to enter by that uncertain
light, and as the animals had been watered at a small creek we crossed
not long before, I had no apprehension as to their suffering. We started
at 4 a.m. on the morning of the 11th, and soon passed the scrub; we then
traversed open plains thickly covered in many places with quartz, having
crossed barren sandy plains on the other side of the scrub. We now found
the country very open, and entirely denuded of timber, excepting on the
creeks, the courses of which were consequently most distinctly marked.
Keeping a little to the eastward to avoid the gullies connected with some
barren stony hills to our left, we descended to the ground Mr. Poole had
fixed upon as our next temporary resting place. To the eye of an
inexperienced bushman its appearance was in every respect inviting; there
was a good deal of grass in its neighbourhood; the spot looked cheerful
and picturesque, with a broad sheet of water in the creek, which when Mr.
Poole first saw it must have been much larger and deeper; but in the
interval between his first and second visit, it had been greatly reduced,
and now presented a broad and shallow surface, and I felt assured that it
would too soon dry up. Convinced therefore of the necessity of exertion,
to secure to us if possible a supply of water, on which we could more
confidently rely, I determined on undertaking myself the task of looking
for it without delay. Both Mr. Poole a