Page:Extracts from the letters and journals of George Fletcher Moore.djvu/136

 110 seizing his gun, went off to reconnoitre, and soon returned in great glee, with the agreeable intelligence that at a short distance there was a swamp, and water of course, not ten yards off. Made a famous dinner of ducks, and slept on the ground all night—and slept well.

6th.—Conjecturing that this is probably identical with the Swan River, we advanced over a hilly and barren country, and again heard the natives. After crossing a very rocky district, the country changed its character, and we suddenly found ourselves on a promontory, abruptly sinking into a large and beautiful valley.

This view elevated our spirits again; "Worcestershire," cried one; "Shropshire," cried another; "Kilkenny for ever," roared out Sheridan. Headlong we rushed into the valley, through grass to the horses' knees, hoping to find the river; but this valley proved to be only an extensive swamp of soil not so good as it appeared at a distance from the point of our bivouack. We, however, had the satisfaction of observing symptoms of cows, which appeared to have gone further into the interior. We examined our charts, and felt confident that the Avon and the Swan are identical.

After a march of five miles across the swamp, and over a bare and sandy soil, and having reached our N.N.W. limit, we turned east, and crossed a flat sandy tract, surrounded by hills;