IIOKN EXPEDITION — NAIiHATIVE. 123 



MclJuiuicll.s. A small jiaity consisting of Jk-ssrs. Tate, Uclt and iiiysclt' wiih Mr. 

 Winiiecko was to make for Paisley BlufV and there find some way right through 

 the ranges to the Burt Plain and then travel eastwards to Alice Springs. 



Next morning we started ofl' travelling north-west across the undulating plain 

 witii every now and then patches of travertine and stony flats. In the afternoon 

 as we got nearer to tlie range we saw a long series of low, jundjlcd hills, above and 

 behind which rose high peaks which were evidently Paisley and Drinkley IJluH's. 



Kangaroos, red males and grey females, and Bettongias, were fairly al>undant 

 and there were plenty of lai-ge, wedge-tailed eagles flying about and perciiing on 

 tlie trees close to us, some of them very light, others very dark brown in colour. 

 Tiie Mulga scrub got thicker and what with this and the Porcupine covered hills 

 it was rather rough travelling. Just at sunset we got into a regular jumble of the 

 rounded Porcupine grass hills, which, as before, looked (juite smooth and beautifully 

 down-like in the distance. After following up a small valley into the hills Mr. 

 Winnecke luckily came across a small spring issuing from the conglomerate rock 

 of which the hill was formed. As tiie jjrevious night had been spent at a water- 

 less camp we were glad to give the two horses which we had witii us a <]rink. 

 Where it issued from the gr(jund the water was (juite warm, Ijut it only f(jrmi'(l 

 one or two very small pools each aljout a yard long and an inch or two deep and 

 then disappeared. 



We camped amongst the tea-tree by the side of a dry creek, and in tiie 

 morning sending the camels and hoi'ses round the base of the iiill we climbed up to 

 the top above th(> spring to get a general idea of the country. As far as we could 

 see the Missionary Plains stretched away to the west their flat surface Ijroken only 

 in one spot where tlie solitary Gosse Range stood out. To the south was the 

 northern jiart of the James Range known as the Waterhouse which was continuous 

 at its western end with the Krichaull' Range, while eastwards it trended towards 

 the north so as gradually to nairow in the plain between it and tlie McDonnells on 

 the .soutliern ridge of which we were standing. 



Across the plain to the east of us a streak of gum trees marked the course of 

 the Hugh River which ran right into the Waterhouse Range. It appeared to end 

 abruptly against the latter, but in reality it passes as usual right through it in a 

 gorge at Owen Springs. We were standing on the hills bounding the Horn Valley 

 to tiie south and to the north of us east and west stretched the McDonnell Range 

 in which Paisley and Brinkley Blufl" and Mount Conway stood out conspicuously. 

 Climbing down the hill we ioined the camels and soon came out into a level Mulga 



