Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/334

 it. Country here very flat, not a rise within sight, a nice place to be caught in a similar flood to the one we had to clear out from the 1st of the month. I don't suppose we could by any chance save ourselves, much less the animals and stores.

The plains we have been travelling over the last few days are covered with pieces of petrifaction. We saw one or two large logs quite petrified, and we got some specimens, which if we can get them to Adelaide will be considered curiosities. Camp xx., or Carbine Creek Camp—having left a carbine here that had lost its hammer and was unfit for service.

27th. Still journeying over an immense plain, and the low part of it awfully boggy, with hills on the right of the way. Crossed a creek with water, plenty of seed, and new flowers; one a kind of hollyhock, another on a large stem so like wax that we named it the wax plant; it was nearly white, with a very pretty puce eye.

Very hungry when we got to camp; found a sheep had been killed, and to which we paid great attention as soon as the supper was ready. I got some seed of the blue flower on the small creek near our camp, not quite ripe, but I shall take care of it in case I see no more. Mr. McKinlay also got bogged to-day, and got out with some difficulty; found that it was impracticable to go that way, so changed his course,