8th November.
The water being exhausted, the party had to move on in search of a
further supply where we could halt until Melville had recovered from his
injuries. Steering south-east for one hour, came to a fine creek with
grassy flats and a stream of muddy water, indicating that there had been
heavy rain in the ranges to the south. Having camped, we shot the filly,
which was now eleven months old, cut the flesh into slices and hung it up
to dry in the sun during the day and over a charcoal fire at night. The
skin was cleared of hair, and was thus made into a species of gelatine,
from which excellent soup was subsequently prepared. The saddlery had
become much worn by passing through the scrubs, and the party was fully
employed in repairs and shoeing the horses, many of which were very lame
from injury among the fallen timber.
9th November (Sunday).
Melville somewhat better, but scarcely able to walk. The meat drying
well.
Latitude by a Pegasi 22 degrees 26 minutes 16 seconds.
10th November.
At 7.40 a.m. left the camp and followed the creek up for an hour
south-south-east; then steered south-east through brigalow scrub, which
gradually changed to open ironbark and box flats well grassed. At 2.0
p.m. came to broken country covered with a dense scrub of acacia and
ironbark, deep gullies intersecting the country in every direction; at
3.30 ascended a ridge of mica schist, from which a high range was seen
twenty miles to the south-east, but the scrub was so dense that the view
was imperfect. Followed a gully, which changed from south round to
north-west till 5.15, when we camped at a small pool of rainwater. There
were good grassy flats along the watercourse, but the hills were covered
with scrub. It is evident that we are now approaching the watershed of
the Fitzroy River, and hope soon to emerge from the vast tract of scrub
which occupies the valley of the Suttor River. On the plain we observed
that more than half the box-trees had died within the last three years,
and that they had not been killed by bush fires, as the old timber which
lay on the ground was not scorched.
Latitude by a Andromedae 22 degrees 42 minutes 13 seconds.