Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/335

 found the ground for some distance better for travelling, and camped. He climbed a tree, and could distinguish hills in the distance to the north and south of east, and some high ground near. We are a long way from the main creek; the ground is sadly boggy.

28th. (Camp xxi.) Morning splendid, and most of us hearty and in good spirits; kept changing our course to avoid water until we camped on a small stony rise, beyond this there is a net-work of creeks a mile in width; we crossed a great many to-day. These creeks must drain an immense area of country. Northward also appears to be a regular nest of creeks. This is a first-rate pastoral country.

29th. A new fruit to-day; the ripe ones have rather a nice taste, the seeds of it are quite hot and fiery. The fruit is about 1½ in. long, and ¾ in. in diameter, and ribbed quite sharply outside. We found here also the "bean tree," and the fruit tree of Cooper's Creek. Distance done to-day about seventeen miles. Camped on a small creek. The day was very fine; the first part of our journey was over rather swampy ground, but good travelling on the whole. For the last two miles the ground has been more swampy and full of watercourses, with plenty of water in them, caused by a large creek from the east emptying itself out in this direction. This creek Mr. KcKinlay has called