Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/236

 be a strict watch kept. There was a slight row in the evening, so McKinlay, Bell, and Davis started off. McKinlay fired his revolver, but no natives could we see, so returned to camp, and went to bed with our arms by our sides. We lost a ewe in lamb in the scrub: how she got away is a mystery to us all.

28th. Left the camp about 9 There was not a breath of wind to stir a leaf, consequently very hot. After a short journey of about five miles struck a most magnificent lake, which Mr. McKinlay has named after Mr. Hodgkinson; in fact it may be called two lakes, as there are two fine sheets of water joined by a narrow strait. We shall remain here a few days, I expect, as Mr. McKinlay is going to look for some more lakes, said to be east and south of our present camp.

More necklaces for the natives, who were highly delighted with their presents; they are all a fine, sleek, fat-looking race: they must live principally on fish, in fact there seems little else for them to eat, unless they can catch the gulls and ducks sailing about the broad and beautiful lake, or bring down some of the pigeons and cockatoos of all kinds that abound here. Occasionally a black may be seen with a solitary bird, but not often.

This is a fearful camp, sand everywhere, gets into all your things, and every mouthful you take