Thursday, 2nd October, The Taylor. Started at five minutes to eight, course 3 degrees west of south; at five miles got through the gap in the range, then changed to 20 degrees west of south, and after ten miles on that course reached the water hole. The journey to-day has been over first-rate travelling-ground, avoiding crossing the range at Mount Morphett. The country in many places along the creek has large grassy plains with mulga, gum-trees, and scrub, not too thick to get easily through. Native smoke under the hills to the east. Strong cool wind blowing all day from the south-east. A little before sundown three natives came within three hundred yards of the camp, setting fire to the grass as they came along. We could not get them to come any nearer. Latitude 21 degrees 22 minutes 12 seconds. Friday, 3rd October, Surface Water, The Taylor. Shortly after sunrise despatched Thring and King in search of water higher up the creek. I feel so weak and ill that I am now scarcely able to move about the camp. This morning Frew, in searching for some of the horses, came upon the three natives we saw last night; the moment they saw him off they went at full speed, and he saw no more of them. They must have been sneaking about and watching our camp during the night. Wind still blowing strong south-east. Saturday, 4th October, Surface Water, The Taylor. It still continues to blow very strong from the same quarter. A little before two p.m. King returned. They had followed up this creek for a considerable distance beyond where the Taylor joined it, and as it came more from the south-east than I had expected, and approached near to Forster range, Thring changed his course to the Stirling, according to my instructions. A little before sundown they arrived at my former camp on the Stirling; found the water hole quite dry; dug down, but could find no moisture. They had not seen a drop of water during the whole day. In the morning King returned to me, giving Thring's horse the water that he had carried with him to enable him to search the Stirling down and round about the adjoining country. Still blowing strong from the same direction. No clouds visible.