Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/217

 each ocnipyipg a separate cell formed by partitions of a spongy substance; in taste the leaf resembles grass, though it is rather more glutinous. Thus much notice (undue perhaps) I took of this small herb, from its resemblance to clover, and an idea inspired by that resemblance that it might afford good pasturage. The native we had just left, recognised none of the words we had acquired from the natives of Augusta; he seemed, indeed, so much alarmed (for he evinced fear by hiding the child he had with him), that I should conclude him quite a stranger to the sight of an Buropean. Edwards was much tired at 12 o'clock, and on that account we halted for about an hour, though we were only waiting the presence of water to commence our dinner; half a mile beyond this we came to a stream, on the banks of which we dined; four miles more ended our day's march, and a comfortable bivouac we had, free from wind and rain. The land we had now passed was nearly all heavily timbered; a whitish soil was common. We procured no game, though there was plenty of Kangaroo; our dogs wanted scent and swiftness. The fruit I have mentioned in a former Journal occurred often in the hills, generally near water; the whole party ate it freely, and found the acid refreshing.

The first part of the next day's march was over a country clean burnt, the land generally good but rocky, often and heavily timbered; white soil was frequent in the plains. We passed two small water courses tending to the southward and eastward; after this the country seemed to grow flat and swampy. We passed some large spaces on which the swamp oak prevailed without underwood; the soil was a rich red loam, rather stiff.