20 
consists of twelve white men, two Afghans, and two black boys, 
together with twenty-six camels and two horses. 
Monday, May 28th. — Camp No. 20, Henbury Station; bar. 
28°72in., ther. 26°. Last night was the coldest we have yet 
experienced. The thermometer descended to 12° below treezing 
point, and all the water in the bags became solid masses of ice. 
Obtained a supply of beef and other necessaries from the station, 
and, after wishing farewell to Mr. Parke and Mr. Gill, whose kind- 
ness to us exceeds all praise, we continued our course up the Finke. 
Crossed the river near our camp, and travelled for two miles on 
a bearing of 315° through a sandy cane grass flat, then at 308° 20’ 
over porcupine sandridges for four miles, again crossing the Finke 
at one and a quarter miles and also at two and a half miles. 
Changed the course to 297° for two and a half miles, then 387° for 
three-quarters of a mile, once more crossing the Finke, this time 
near some large sheets of water. Continued across a flat on a 
bearing of 305° 45’ for one mile, and then yet again across the 
Finke. These repeated crossings are a great trial to the heavily- 
loaded camels, and greatly retard the progress of the caravan. 
At one and a quarter miles we camped in the sandhills on the 
eastern side of the river near a clump of desert oak. 
Tuesday, May 29th.—Camp No. 21; bar. 28°54in., ther. 29°; 
height above sea level, 1,324ft. An early departure was made. 
Continued on the previous bearing 824° 20’ for one and three- 
quarter miles over porcupine sandhills to a low stony sandstone 
rise, from which an extensive section of a high sciubby range is 
visible a few miles to the northward; this is, no doubt, a con- 
tinuation of the James Range, of Stuart. A gum creek issuing 
from these ranges joins the Finke about half a mile to the west- 
ward. The river then takes a decided bend to the westward, 
in which direction the sandhills appear unusually high. The 
prominent hill towards which we have been travelling, distant 
three miles from here, is of considerable altitude, probably over 
1.000ft. above the plain; it appears to be very rugged, and is 
entirely enveloped in mulgascrub. I have named it Mount Holder, 
after the Hon. F. W. Holder, Treasurer of South Australia and 
Minister Controlling the Northern Territory. Altered our course 
to 814° 20’ for two and three-quarter miles through dense mulga 
scrub to a gap in the James Range; advantage has been taken of 
the p-ccipitous rocks on either side to construct a horseyard by ~ 
fencing across the gap in two places. Continued on a bearing of 
295° 20’ across a magnificently-grassed plain, on which the Mitchell 
erass of Queensland is fairly abundant; cotton-bush and saltbush 
also prevail. High rough ranges enclose the plain on the north 
