Friday, Aug. 13: Prepared a few plants collected about camp by Willie while I was away in the moun- tains two days ago, and was barely out of camp, hunting for more plants, when a team of horses arrived from Coen. Thompson had sent two more packhorses in charge of three blackboys. This brings our packhorse team up to five horses and saddles, 2 sets of pack bags, and 5 sets of sling straps. We still have but 2 surcingles for the 5 pack outfits, but will be able to get along with makeshifts. The arrival of the two extra horses puts a new complexion on our move into and out of the Rocky. Barring accidents, such as lost horses, or lamed horses, (none of our horses are shod), we will have ample transport. Bonanza Ck., on short inspection, looks the worst place yet for plants. Some nice ract mixed rainforest of Leichhardt trees, Syzygium, etc. is developed to a depth of up he 100 yds. along the banks of the creek where the soil is greyish and hard packed. Practically no undergrowth in this forest as a rule. A large feather palm (same sp. as big palm of Gordon's Ck.) gives a touch of luxuriance to a forest otherwise rather temperate in appearance. Rustling dry leaves on the ground; a little grass; clear boled hrees well spaced; closed canopy; general appearance reminiscent of scenes in the New Forest. A type of monsoon forest, now almost leafless (Bombax in flower, Albizzia, and most characteristic of all trees a small Desomdium with yellowish soft bark) occupied dry erosion hollows and gullies along the creek and extends in partial cover up the sides ess of the dry granitic hills. The horses returned from the Leo a bit before 7 P.M. Letter from George givingtails of the trip. They are camped at Lakeland's old battery site on the Claudie Ck., tributary of the Leo. A lovely spot, says George, with a waterfall close by, and plant- ing of mangoes and limes. The roof of the old galvanized iron hut has fallen in. Good fine weather. On the way up they did some track clearing and camped in the big scrub on top of the range, sending the horses back to grass in the last pocket (the "farthest point" of George and I on Wednesday). Reached the battery at 12:30 or 1 o'clock today. George has no watch. Nor have I. Have lost my watch again; most likely for good and all this time. Was carrying it in the fob pocket of my trousers on the reconnaissane trip of Wednesday. The stitching of the pocket gave out, and the watch fell somewhere along the way. I hated to lose that watch. Bought it in Java in 1939, and it always kept splendid time. Saturday, Aug. 14: Second party for the Leo, consisting of Van, Geoff and blackboy Roy, left at 8:30 with five packhorses carrying lighter loads than those of yesterday. Willie Alf expects ag to deliver his charges and get back here this evening. Van sits a horse well. Geoff is no rider. Inexperienced riders give a horse a hard time on mountain trails such as these. Later: Horses returned about 7 PM in the moonlight. Another horse short. On the way back, while still on the Range east of Camp Oven Pocket, reports Alf, one of the two new packhorses came in contact with a wasp's nest, bolted, and went bush. Alf went back along the trail after eating and returned to camp about midnight, having failed to find tracks of the horse. The cook sick with a bad cold, but stayed up baking bread until 11:30. Blackboy Moreton also on the sick list. Pains in back and the miseries. Says that some time back he got drunk, "not proper trunk", fell in the fire, burned both shoulders, and as a result has a bad heart.