Tuesday, 17th January, Louden Springs
Started shortly after daybreak, on a course of 110 degrees, over as fine a grass country as I have yet travelled over. At sixteen miles crossed the Douglas, running through sand hills covered with grass, but no water, nor any signs of springs. Proceeded in the same direction for eight miles, when we were stopped by a lagoon. Changed my course to south-south-west to a hill that had the appearance of water, but found beyond it another large dry lagoon, on the banks of which we saw the tracks of a single horse crossing the end of the lagoon, and steering for Lake Torrens; they seemed to be about two months old. Can they be the tracks of that infatuated man who left me on the 20th of November? In all probability he has lost my downward track and himself also. They are only about two miles to the east of mine. Camped without water on a sand hill.
