Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/100

 access, and the travelling good; during our walk ve passed a party of natives sitting round a fire; they did not appear to take any notice of us, and we did not disturb them. We walked to-day eighteen mileS, over a country which, from the time we ascended the hills, after having proceeded five miles from the river, contained, occasional patches of good soil.

November 6th.—We were unfortunately detained this morning by the two horses belonging to Mr. Clarkson straying during the night; leaving him what provisions we could spare, we proceeded on our journey at 7 o'clock, and travelled over a more hilly apd mountainous country than we had lately done. Fourteen miles from our bivouac, we arrived at the valley of the Helena, to which we descended down a deep and precipitous hill; we crossed it at a place where it was running W.N.W.; we walked to-day seventeen miles.

November 7th.— We experienced more difficulties, and encountered more obstructions this morning than we had yet met with, owing to numbers of fallen trees. At the distance of eight miles from last night's bivouac, we arrived at the height immediately overlooking the plain; from this distance we were clearly able to distinguish, through a telescope, the jetty and houses at Perth, and had an extensive sea view, embracing Garden Island and its neighbouring isles; we also observed a large and open lagoon, bearing S.W. at the apparent distance of seven miles. After an estimated journey of fourteen miles from the foot of the hills, we reached Perth in the evening, and found then that the Lieutenant Governor had arrived there a week before us.