Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/380

 camels, but could not find them anywhere; returned, after some hours' fruitless search, to my dinner, and afterwards Bell and I started again, found yesterday's tracks, but no new ones. We shall be in a nice mess if they are lost; we looked for them till dark, and went on to last camp, but could see no sign of them. We stayed at the old camp all night without supper or blankets; mosquitoes very bad, but when we did get to sleep we forgot all about them.

15th. Up by starlight, and started across country to try and cut their tracks and make a circuit home again. The country covered with small trees, which is much against our seeing the brutes; had it been open plains, we might have seen them a long way off; I am afraid we shall not find them. Saw plenty of turkey, but could not waste time to go after them. After a long round we sighted camp about two o'clock, having had nothing to eat since one o'clock the day before. Just as we came in view of the camp I saw McKinlay on horseback coming up the creek. I reported our loss; he did not say much, as it was no fault of ours, but I dare say that he thought the more. Bell and I rode forty or fifty miles to-day, and crossed any quantity of small creeks and water-courses. Immense tracks of country burned by the natives. We came on a deserted native encampment, where we found the bones of