les. (Camp
LXXVI.)

'January' 23.--A steady rain poured down all to-day, and as
yesterday, the route alternated over and through desert wastes of
brush and tangled scrubs, the former telling with great severity on
the lacerated feet of the travellers. Their legs had the appearance
of having been curried by a machine. At the end of 9 miles they
luckily came on to a creek comparatively well-grassed on the banks.
This being the first that had been seen for three days, they joyfully
encamped on an open ridge. The timber comprised nonda, grevillea,
banksia, tea-tree, mahogany, and many other tropical trees not known.
The total distance travelled was 10 miles. N. by W. (Camp LXXVII.)

'January' 24.--For the first three miles to-day, the country
remained similar to the generality, that is, scrub and heath, after
this it slightly improved, opening into coarse sandstone ridges, in
some parts strewed with quartz pebbles, either white or tinted with
oxide of iron. At two miles from the start a stream was struck,
running north, having a clear sandy bed thirty yards wide, which was
immediately concluded to be a head of the Escape River, and a
continuation of that crossed on the 22nd. Into this, numerous short
steep scrubby creeks discharge themselves from the range or ridge to
the eastward. These had, as usual, all to have passages cut through
them for the stock. At the end of about six miles, a heavy
thunder-storm coming on whilst the party were engaged in clearing,
the creek they were upon was sent up bank and bank by the storm
water, and barred their further progress. They were therefore
compelled to camp. At sundown it was again nearly dry, but the rain
continued at intervals till midnight. During the day a large low
table-topped mountain was passed about 4 miles to the eastward. It
was either bare of timber or heath clad, and received the name of
Mount Bourcicault. (LXXVIII.) Distance 6 miles. N. by W.

'January' 25.--A ten-mile journey was accomplished to-day, the
country for the first seven having slightly improved into red soil
ridges coarsely grassed, having patches of scrub along their summits.
The remaining three were of the usual character, heath and brushwood,
in the midst of which, in a miserable hole as it is described, they
were obliged to camp. A delay of a couple of hours occured in
consequence of a thunder-storm flooding a narrow gutter that might be
hopped over. It was not until this subsid