Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/332

 many more were afterwards visible over the other plains. The "native turkey," a kind of bustard, is also plentiful. Fish, too, are abundant in the creeks and water-holes, and were seen jumping and snapping at the flies. We commonly think that all such pleasant scenes were made for man, but man hardly ever appears in all this magnificence and busy life; there were only signs of his existence in the smoke occasionally rising from the distant ranges. Let us return to our journal.

March 24th. We travelled to-day some eighteen miles on a course a little west of north, over nothing but one grand plain with plenty of small creeks crossing our line of march, with a high range of hills running to north-west and south-east, the tops of which are well-wooded. These Mr. McKinlay has called "Scott's Ranges," after John Scott, Esq., of Adelaide, who kindly lent Mr. McKinlay two horses from his run, and also gave him leave to take anything from his station that he thought might be of use to him. This plain is undulating in some parts. Here we saw some fifteen emus, and have called it Emu Plains. Camped on a small box creek with plenty of water; there was no timber anywhere except on the banks of the creeks and the tops of the ranges.

We are getting on well now, and hope to continue making good days' work, every one being in excellent health. A sheep to be killed to-day to