Several old native camps were dotted about in the scrub; old fires and very primitive shelters formed of a few branches.  Amongst the ashes many bones could be seen, particularly the lower maxillary of some species of rat-kangaroo.  To descend to the cave beneath, the natives had made a rough ladder by leaning mulga poles against the edge of the entrance from the floor.  All down the passage to the water little heaps of ashes could be seen where their fires had been placed to light them in their work.  Warri found some strange carved planks hidden away in the bushes, which unfortunately we were unable to carry.  King Billy saw them with evident awe; he had become very useful, carrying wood and so forth with the greatest pleasure.  The morning we left this camp, however, he sneaked away before any of us were up.  I fancy that his impressions of a white man’s character will be favourable; for never in his life before had he been able to gorge himself without having had the trouble of hunting his food.  From him I made out the following words, which I consider reliable: 

    English.  Aboriginal. 
    Smoke, fire.  Warru or wallu. 
    Wood.  Taalpa. 
    Arm.  Menia. 
    Hand.  Murra. 
    Hair.  Kuttya. 
    Nose.  Wula or Ula. 
    Water.  Gabbi. 
    Dog.  Pappa.*

[* This word “pappa” we found to be used by all natives encountered by us in the interior.  Warri uses it, and Breaden tells me that in Central Australia it is universal.]

August 15th we again watered the camels, who were none the worse for their dry stage.  Breaden was suffering some pain from his strain, and on descending to the cave was unable to climb up again; we had some difficulty in hauling him through the small entrance.

CHAPTER VI

WOODHOUSE LAGOON

But for the flies, which never ceased to annoy us, we had enjoyed a real good rest, and were ready to march on the morning of the 16th, no change occurring in the character of the country until the evening of the 18th, when we sighted a low tableland five miles to the North, and to the West of it a table-topped detached hill.  Between us and the hills one or two native smokes were rising, which showed us that water must be somewhere in the neighbourhood.  From a high sandhill the next morning, we got a better view, and could see behind the table-top another and similar hill.  I had no longer any doubt as to their being Mounts Worsnop and Allott (Forrest, 1874), the points for which I had been steering, though at first they appeared so insignificant that I hesitated to believe that these were the right ones.  From the West, from which direction Forrest saw them first, they appear much higher, and are visible some twenty miles off.  From the North they are not visible a greater distance than three miles, while from the East one can see them a distance of eight miles.