, May 31.

Patients about the same. Middleton rather worse. Wind in the morning from
south-east and south-south-east, at midday changed to east, then north
and afterwards to north-north-west. Meat nearly dry.

Sunday, June 1.

Still in Camp 8. Patients about the same, very weak and feverish, but
must endeavour to make a move tomorrow. Wind from north, north-west to
west, and rather warm. Had a visit from a number of natives, they do not
appear so shy as usual; they do not circumcise but have one or two teeth
out in front of upper jaw. From what I could see the young men are not
allowed to talk, but merely making a hissing and twittering noise to make
themselves understood, and pointing and motioning with the hand whilst
the old men do the talking business. I could make but little out of them.
I made them a few presents with which they seemed much pleased; got a few
words of their language and with a promise to return tomorrow they took
their leave. They are not at all such a good sample as are at the lakes
north and east of Lake Hope. They say there is plenty of water ahead on
the course I intend to take, but from want of knowledge of their language
could glean nothing of the parties that came in search to the north
coast; but that they have seen whites was quite evident from their
knowledge of the use of the axe. They seemed much in dread of the camels,
the only animals that were near the camp at the time, and expressed by
motions a desire that they should be driven away.

Monday, June 2.

Camp 8. The heaviest dew last night I have experienced for many years,
accompanied by a dense fog till between 8 and 9 a.m. Wind from
west-north-west. Palmer attacked with same fever that the rest have. The
others very weak but I think a little better. Made a start this morning
at 9.20 a.m. on bearing of 95 1/2 degrees; at 10.14 lagoon on right; at
10.27 crossed creek with plenty of water from south-south-west; at 11.50
lagoon on right--all forest land with a greater number of the paper-bark
tree than any other; at 11.15 much spinifex; at 11.20 creek close on left
with plenty of water; at 11.35 crossed creek, it goes off into many
lagoons southwards and eastwards; good grass and plenty of water, not
much spinifex, the country rather too thickly wooded to be open forest.
Halted at lagoons on the left at 1.20 coming from south of east and
flowing to north of west. Although this country is rather too thickly
wooded to be called ope