Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/300

 feed; I took a bath, and very much refreshed I was after; the water, nice and cool, but the bottom muddy. About 6 I went on horseback after the camels, the horsemen reporting that they were not to be seen on the creek for three miles. I overtook them about four miles down the creek on the tramp; God knows where they would have been in the morning had I not gone after them. There was plenty of feed on the creek, and they had a good drink on arriving, so that I cannot account for their getting on the spree; tied them up at camp to-night; Mr. McKinlay much better to-day, and looks quite a different man; Ned very bad; the day was hot in the extreme.

21st. This is not a very first-rate camp, but Middleton is too ill to move. Repairing camel saddle to-day, and doing odd jobs, others washing.

22nd. Up early; Hodgkinson and Bell start off with two days' rations to examine the stony ranges in the distance, and to ascertain if this creek receives any waters from the west or north-west, and to return by this creek and see how the water is in it. Parallel ruler not to be found; it must have been left behind or else dropped off the earners back; unpacked everything, but non est. McKinlay quite well to-day, and Middleton improving, thank God!

There is only eight weeks' flour from to-day, but we still get a lot of that greenstuff, and