Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia | Page 4

a sign and token might lead the practical explorer to hope that he was about to enter upon a tract of an extent and fertility yet unknown in south-west Australia. A total change had taken place in the geological formation of the land: a rock as yet unobserved in the south-west portion of the continent occupied the principal place here; and with this rock was associated limestone; the springs had a strong sulphureous smell, and the lofty broken character of the distant mountains had an almost grand appearance to those who had so long wandered through low and level countries.
Each step I took rendered my spirits more buoyant and elastic, and each hill, the position of which I fixed, gave me, from its appearance, renewed hopes. Under such agreeable circumstances the morning wore rapidly away, and, having rendered my survey as complete as I could, we returned to the boats.
COMMENCE THE MARCH TO PERTH. PROVISIONS DIVIDED.
We were now all ready to commence our toilsome journey; the provisions had been shared out; twenty pounds of flour and one pound of salt provisions per man, being all that was left. What I have here designated by the name of flour was quite unworthy of being so called. It was of a dark yellowish brown colour, and had such a sour fermented taste that nothing but absolute necessity could induce anyone to eat it. The party however were in high spirits; they talked of a walk of three hundred miles in a direct line through the country (without taking hills, valleys, and necessary deviations into account) as a trifle, and in imagination were already feasting at home and taking their ease after the toils they had undergone.
I gave them all warning of the many difficulties they had yet to encounter, and did this not with the intention of damping their ardour but in the hope of inducing them to abandon some portion of the loads they intended to carry. I entrusted a small pocket chronometer to Mr. Walker, and another to Corporals Coles and Auger; and to Ruston I gave charge of a pocket-sextant which belonged to the Surveyor-General at Perth. Coles and Auger also undertook to carry a large sextant, turn about; all my own papers, such charts as I thought necessary, and some smaller instruments I bore myself; but Kaiber, in order to relieve me, took charge of my gun and some other articles. Mr. Smith carried his sketchbook and box of colours. I ought here to state that, in all the difficulties which beset those individuals to whom I entrusted anything, they never, except on one occasion, and by my orders, abandoned it: indeed I do not believe that there is a stronger instance of fidelity and perseverance than was evinced by some of the party in retaining, under every difficulty, possession of that which they had promised to preserve for me.
PICTURESQUE HALTING-PLACE.
Our loads having been hoisted on our shoulders away we moved. I had before chosen my line of route, and the plan I had resolved to adopt was to walk on slowly but continuously for an hour, and then to halt for ten minutes; during which interval of time the men could rest and relieve themselves from the weight of their burdens whilst I could enter what notes and bearings I had taken during the preceding hour.
We were embarrassed for the first portion of our journey this afternoon by a thick scrub, through which we could only make our way with great difficulty, but on coming to a watercourse running into the southern part of Gantheaume Bay from the south-east I turned up its bed, and we were then able to move along with tolerable facility. This watercourse ran at the bottom of a red sandstone ravine resembling the old red sandstone of England; and the remainder of the evening was spent in clambering about the rocks and endeavouring to avoid such natural obstacles as impeded our route. Our progress was slow, and just before nightfall I turned up a branch ravine trending to the southward, when we soon found ourselves at the foot of a lofty cascade down which a little water was slowly dropping; and on climbing to its summit it appeared to be so well adapted for a halting-place for the night that I determined to remain here. The men made themselves comfortable near the waterholes, and Mr. Smith and myself crept into a little cave which occasionally served as a resting-place for the natives, the remains of whose fires were scattered about. A wild woodland and rocky scenery was around us; and when the moon rose and shed her pale light over all I sat with Mr. Smith on the edge of the waterfall, gazing alternately into the dim woody abyss below, and at