nd also a river, and went up it four or five leagues, amongst
rocks and shoals, when they saw much water inland, as if the country were
drowned, but no men, nor anything for food, and wherever they dug the
ground was salt. They afterwards came to another river, which they
ascended about a league, and found it to terminate in a round basin, and
to be entirely salt water. No men were seen, nor any animals, except
divers, which were very shy; and the country was destitute of grass and
trees. Returning downward on the 10th, they saw footsteps of men and
children of the common size, and observed the point of entrance into the
river to be a very red sand.)

March 19.

The wind still blew pretty fresh from the southward; we however had no
surf to impede us and therefore got under weigh soon after dawn. The men
pulled away cheerfully and, although this was very hard work on account
of the headwind and sea, we experienced no great difficulty until we had
rounded Point Whitmore, at the north of Babbage Island, where we all at
once found ourselves in broken water, so very shoal that between each
breaker the boat was bumped with great violence against the bottom, and
must have been very soon stove in had we not speedily got into deeper
soundings.

ANCHOR IN SOUTHERN ENTRANCE OF THE RIVER.

About 2 P.M. we neared the southern mouth of the Gascoyne, pulled two
miles up it, and anchored about a mile and a half to the south of our
former position. The men, although it was very warm and they had been
pulling hard all day, had as yet only had about a wine-glass full of
water each, I therefore lost no time in sending off a watering party; and
the remainder of us collected samphire which grew abundantly hereabouts
and forms a fair article of food for hungry men.

The remainder of the evening was occupied in completing our water and in
endeavouring to get a shot at some pelicans, but although numerous they
were too wary, and my feet were covered with such dreadful sores from bad
diet and being constantly in the salt water that I could not walk to any
great distance in search of game.

COMPLETE OUR WATER.

The completion of our supply of water was a very great matter and, as we
had now got so far to the southward as to make our fetching the northern
extremity of Bernier Island almost a matter of certainty, however
strongly it might blow, I determined to effect the passage the next day.
Indeed I could not have delayed it for our provi