Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/299

 dampier's voyages. 143

did not deceive us. As soon as I came to anchor in this bay, I sent my boat ashore to seek for fresh water; but in the evening my men returned, having found none. The next morning I went ashore myself, carrying pick- axes and shovels with me to dig for water, and axes to cut wood. We tried in several places for water, but finding none after several trials, nor in several miles compass, we left any farther search for it, and spending the rest of the day in cutting wood, we entered aboard at night.

The land is of an indifferent height, so that it may be seen nine or ten leagues off. It appears at a distance very even ; but as you come nigher you find there are many gentle risings, though none steep nor high. 'Tis all a steep shore against the open sea, but in this bay or sound we were now in, the land is low by the sea side, rising gradually within the land. The mould is sand by the sea side, producing a sort of sampler, which bears a white flower. Farther in the mould is reddish, a sort of sand, producing some grass, plants, and shrubs. The grass grows in great tufts, as big as a bushel, here and there a tuft ; being intermix'd with much heath, much of the kind we have growing on our commons in England. Of trees or shrubs here are divers sorts, but none above ten feet high : their bodies about three foot about, and five or six foot high before you come to the branches, which are bushy and composed of small twigs there sj^read- ing abroad, tho' thick set and full of leaves, which were mostly long and narrow. The colour of the leaves was on one side whitish, and on the other green ; and the bark of the trees was generally of the same colour with the leaves, of a pale green. Some of these trees were sweet scented and reddish within the bark, like sassafras, but redder. Most of the trees and shrubs had at this time either blos- soms or berries on them. The blossoms of the different sort of trees were of several colours, as red, white, yellow, etc., but mostly blue ; and these generally smelt very sweet