e now in, I walked up its
course, accompanied by Corporal Coles, leaving the others to rest
themselves, and soon reached its head; when we found ourselves in a small
but fertile valley, surrounded on all sides by rocky hills. Here were
many tracks of natives, and we came upon one of their regular haunts,
where they had arranged a circle of large flat stones round a fireplace
occupying the centre; on each of these stones was laid a smaller one,
evidently used for the purpose of breaking small shellfish, for the
remains of the shells were lying scattered about in all directions;*
kangaroo bones were also plentifully strewed about, and beside each pair
of stones was laid a large shell, probably used as a drinking cup.

(*Footnote. We found the marks of an encampment of a tribe of natives.
Eight or nine spots were cleared away amongst the grass, and in the
centre of each were the ashes of a small fire, close to which we noticed
some loose flattened stones with a smaller one lying upon them, which the
natives probably used for the purpose of bruising or grinding the seeds
of plants and breaking shellfish. King's Survey of Australia volume 1
page 302.)

TRACES OF NATIVES. THEIR HUTS.

Natives had been at this spot within the last day or two, and we followed
their traces, which were quite recent, across a dry watercourse till they
led to a hut built of a framework of logs of wood, and in shape like a
beehive, about four feet high and nine in diameter. This hut was of a
very superior description to those I found afterwards to be generally in
use in South-Western Australia, and differed from them altogether in that
its low and narrow entrance rendered access impossible without stooping;
and with the exception of this aperture the hut was entirely closed.

PROGRESS TOWARDS HANOVER BAY. ALARMING INCREASING DEBILITY OF THE MEN.
EFFORTS TO REACH THE VESSEL.

Considering that the best route out of these ravines would be by this
valley, I returned with Coles to the party, whom we found much refreshed
and, having consulted with Mr. Lushington as to the route we should
follow to the vessel after reaching the valley, we once more moved on;
but the same symptoms of lassitude and thirst began very soon again to
afflict us in an aggravated form; probably from the brackish water we had
all swallowed. In less than two hours more these symptoms became so
distressing that I could scarcely induce the men to move, and we
therefore halted und