rious effect upon some of us, for, our clothes having been lost with
the other things which were swept away from the depot during the
hurricane of the first of March, we were very insufficiently clad.

DIRK HARTOG'S ISLAND.

March 29.

The weather this morning being very foul I occupied myself in making a
survey of a portion of Dirk Hartog's Island, which is of a very barren
nature, though rather better than either Bernier or Dorre Islands, but
for many years to come it must be utterly useless. It looks exactly like
a Scottish heath; and I have no doubt whatever that water would be found
by digging on it; but as we could have obtained plenty from large holes
in the rocks we did not make the attempt. Whilst I was occupied in this
examination of the island the wind shifted suddenly to the north-west and
I hurried back to the party in order not to lose so favourable an
opportunity.

On arriving at the boats I found that the water had not been completed,
nor had three days' provisions (such as they were) been cooked, although
I had left orders when I went away that these necessary preparations for
our moving should immediately be made; this gave me another reason to
suspect that, during my temporary absence from the party, discipline was
now altogether neglected, and indeed treated as an unnecessary restraint
under existing circumstances. Mr. Smith had warned me that such was the
case, and I therefore never separated myself from any portion of the
party without great anxiety; for I well knew that the safety of all
depended upon preserving the strictest subordination.

In this instance however I merely ordered the boats to be instantly
launched; for I knew that to lose a fair wind in our present situation
would be rashness; and we were soon bounding before the breeze. The wind
now continued fair and at nightfall we landed on the main in such a
position as to look out to the open sea, through the passage between
Steep Point and Dirk Hartog's Island.

PERILOUS COASTING.

March 30.

This morning we pulled up the opening and found a perfect bubble of a sea
running into it and breaking on the various reefs which lie in its mouth.
We then made an attempt to pull round Steep Point and succeeded in
getting out to sea; but there was a formidable swell setting dead on the
shore and drifting us rapidly in towards it, whilst in the event of being
stranded nothing could have saved our lives for the surf was so
tremendous that t