n from such
excursions The Widow and her child frequently gave notice of our approach
long before we reached the camp: their quick ears seemed sensible of the
sound of horses' feet at an astonishing distance, for in no other way
could the men account for the notice which Turandurey and her child,
seated at their own fire, were always the first to give of my return,
sometimes long before our appearance at the camp. Piper was usually the
first to meet me and assure me of the safety of the party, as if he had
taken care of it during my absence; and I encouraged his sense of
responsibility by giving him credit for the security they had enjoyed. A
serene evening, lovely in itself, looked doubly beautiful then as our
hopes of getting home were inseparable from fine weather, for on this
chance our final escape from the mud and bogs seemed very much to depend.
The barometer however indicated rather doubtfully.

September 1.

Heavy rain and fog detained us in the same camp this morning and I
availed myself of the day for the purpose of laying down my recent
survey. The results satisfied me that the coastline on the engraved map
was very defective and indeed the indentations extended so much deeper
into the land that I still entertained hopes of finding some important
inlet to the eastward, analogous to that remarkable break of the mountain
chain at Mount William.

STILL RETARDED BY THE SOFT SOIL.

September 2.

We travelled as much in a north-east direction as the ground permitted
but, although I should most willingly have followed the connecting
features whatever their directions, I could not avoid the passage of
various swamps or boggy soft hollows in which the carts and more
especially the boat-carriage, notwithstanding the greatest exertions on
the part of the men, again sank up to the axles. I had proceeded with the
light carts and one heavy cart nearly nine miles while the boat-carriage
fell at least six miles behind me, the other heavy carts having also been
retarded from the necessity for yoking additional teams to the cattle
drawing the boats. The weather was still unsettled and the continued
rains had at length made the surface so soft that even to ride over it
was in many places difficult. I had reached some fine forest land on the
bank of a running stream where the features were bolder, and I hoped to
arrive soon at the good country near the head of the Wannon. I encamped
without much hope that the remainder of