Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/141

This page has been validated.

112

exceed ten miles. On the sixth day (Sunday) we went round Cape Naturaliste, keeping the sea-shore the whole of the sixth day. We met a single native, who led us to a spring in a swamp, close to the shore, the water very bad and brackish. This native was very troublesome, trying to push us off the rocks, and steal from us. On the first part of this day we could find no water among the rocks. From Cape Naturaliste to Port Leschenault we kept along the shore. From the Conical Hills near Augusta to Cape Naturaliste we kept at from three to four miles from the shore, on a ridge of low hills. Inland the country to our right consisted of a deep extensive valley, immediately on the right of the ridge we were walking upon; beyond this valley, further inland, the country rose gently, being moderately covered with lofty fresh looking trees, gum and mahogany. Beyond this gentle rise we could not see further inland. In the large valley we found fresh water of excellent quality, standing in little pools; it appeared to be the bed of a stream. The whole of the country, between the Conical Hills and Cape Naturaliste, has been burnt. On the ridge upon which we walked there was not a large tree in a whole day's walking; there was scarcely any thing else but the ground blackboys, with an occasional bush and creepers. On the evening of the fourteenth day we fell in with a bush growing on the rocks, overhanging the sea, having a fruit growing in clusters, consisting of berries about the size of a grape, of yellowish white colour, with a brownish tint on the top. We eat great quantities of this berry, and found it very pleasant; it was agreeably acid. On the evening of the sixth day (having been on short allowance two days before) the provisions we brought with