which we had previously passed, and as, from the
greater depth of the water, the extraordinary low character of the coast,
and the circumstance of the driftwood upon Dorre Island, I expected to
find a large river hereabouts, I determined to examine even the smallest
openings most narrowly; we therefore ran straight for this one, and found
that it had a shoal mouth with only four feet water at the entrance. The
opening ran east 1/2 north, and after we had followed it up for about
half a mile it became very narrow and shoaled to two feet, so we turned
about and again pulled away to sea. This opening, as well as the first we
had entered, appeared rather like a canal running through a woody grove
than an arm of the sea; the mangrove trees afforded an agreeable shade,
and were of the most brilliant green, whilst the blue placid water not
only washed their roots but meandered through the sinuosities of the
forest like a quiet lake till sight of it was lost in the distance.

We now stood north-north-west parallel to the shore, which was fronted by
mangroves; and here we again had only two and a half feet of water. A
very low chain of hills extended parallel to the shore and about two
miles behind the mangroves. We thus continued running along the coast
until we made a large opening which was about three-quarters of a mile
across at the mouth. On either side of the entrance was a sandy point,
covered with pelicans and wild-fowl who seemed to view our approach with
no slight degree of surprise. As yet we did not know the proper entrance
to the river (for such it was) so that where we ran into it we had only
two feet of water. Three low hills were immediately in front of us, and I
afterwards ascertained that the proper course for entering was to steer
so as to keep the centre of the opening and the middle hill in the same
line.

DISCOVER ONE MOUTH OF THE GASCOYNE RIVER, AND EXPLORE THE COUNTRY IN ITS
VICINITY.

The opening now widened into a very fine reach, out of which the water
was running rapidly, and when we had ascended about a mile I saw large
trees, or snags (as they are called by the Americans) sticking up in the
bed of the river; as these trees were of a very large size, and evidently
had come from a different country to the one we saw upon the river banks,
I felt assured that we had now discovered a stream of magnitude, and, the
eager expectations which these thoughts awoke in our breasts rendering us
all impatient,