Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/245

 "named Sturt's Ponds; abundance of fish and fowls. From this point, course 308° up the creek for four miles; at two miles a creek went off to the right through a flooded flat, thence on a course varying from 224° to 239° principally through what was recently a large lake—now a splendidly-grassed plain of vast extent, and at the latter part a few small sand hills. Distance to-day, thirty-six miles.'"

3rd. Shift camp to-day from this side of the lake to the north-east side. Mr. McKinlay goes out to-day with two camels, five horses, and the same party as before, Middleton, Hodgkinson, Wylde, and black fellows, to see some lakes reported to be to the south-west, but returned soon after we had finished the sheepfold and pitched tents. They found a fine creek with deep water, well timbered, with plenty of fish. Also they came on the lake to the south, called "Wattigaroony," which Mr. McKinlay has called Lake Strangways, after the Hon. the Commissioner of Crown Lands. It is a fine deep one, but not well timbered.

We keep New Year's Day to-day with plum-pudding and roast mutton, as we were not all together yesterday. I sat in the water yesterday for a long time with only my shirt on, and the consequence is my legs, from the intense heat of the sun, are so burnt I cannot wear any trousers, and feel very unwell. Applied glycerine and they got better. The lake literally covered with waterfowl.

4th. Very monotonous to-day. Shoeing horses, repairing pack-bags, jerking mutton, etc.