Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/103

 we had had a sermon from his reverence, Mr. McKinlay arrived with the cart.

19th.—Monday; started for Tottle Creek; roads very bad indeed, and the cart got bogged up to the axle, causing much delay; and during the detention the camels thought they would have a little fun on their own account, and so they did, for they commenced fighting like fury, till they were separated and tied up. Soon, however, the order was given to start with them and horses, and not wait for the carts; so off they went, got to Tottle Creek, put up at a roadside public house, where bottled porter was the order of the evening, and very acceptable it was.

Here very nearly occurred a sad accident, and had it not been for Mr. McKinlay, who fortunately happened to be standing close by, Mr. Hodgkinson would have been trampled to death by one of the camels, a very spiteful one; he (Mr. Hodgkinson) was hobbling him, when he struck him with his foot with such force as to knock all the wind out of him, and would have proceeded to trample on him had not Mr. McKinlay caught hold of our comrade and pulled him from under the feet of the infuriated beast, the man who had hold of the brute's nose-string pulling the camel round the other way; thus he was saved and soon recovered, and then put on the hobbles in spite of him. This camel was very