he boat must instantly have gone to pieces, and the
lofty limestone cliffs were perfectly inaccessible, being hollowed out
into deep caverns by the action of the waves. The attempt to get along
this coast appeared indeed to be so hazardous that even the old sailors
who were with me begged me not to risk it, but rather to allow them to
endeavour to walk overland to Perth. I was well aware that had I
attempted to do this at least half the party would have been lost; for
but few men can support the fatigue of making long and continuous marches
in a very warm climate in which a great scarcity of water prevails.

SHELTER UNDER A REEF.

I however humoured them so far as to put back for the mouth of the
opening, where, under the shelter of a reef, we could lie at anchor for a
few hours in the hope that the sea would lull a little; we however only
just cleared Steep Point, and whilst doing so I felt certain for two or
three minutes that we must have gone ashore, for each breaker lifted the
boat bodily towards the cliffs; as it was however it pleased Providence
to bring us safe to our anchorage.

We were now about to enter on the most perilous part of our journey
homewards. For the next one hundred and twenty miles along the coast I
could not hope to find a place whereon to beach the boats, in the event
of our meeting with those unfavourable winds which we had hitherto found
so prevalent. It would, in the present weak state of the party, take us
many successive days to make this passage; and, should the weather be
really foul, accompanied by strong gales from the south-west, our fate
would soon have been decided. Nevertheless our hope of ultimate safety
rested altogether upon the accomplishment of the difficult task we were
about to commence.

INSUBORDINATION CHECKED.

I soon found that remaining in a state of inactivity would but increase
our difficulties; for as the men talked over them to one another, they
grew wore and more gloomy, and when at length I gave a particular order
to a man of the name of Woods he quietly refused to obey it, saying that
he now considered that his life was altogether lost, and that he would
therefore knock off work. I was rather puzzled for a minute or two as to
how I ought to act under these circumstances, for such an example as he
had set necessarily exercised a bad influence over the others; yet there
was no use in threatening to punish where I had not the means to do so; I
therefore merely