Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/41

 provisions were dry, but not themselves; heard several native dogs during the night.

September 15th.—Raining hard and the baggage wet, as I commenced our march homewards, keeping a little to the southward of our outward track, walking very quick until noon, when we rested for a quarter of an hour; crossed two small streams running to the southward; passed on the left side of a high ridge we had gone over the day before, and found a marsh about a mile and a half long running E. & W. with a small stream to the E.S.E. which appeared to turn more to the southward. Fifteen minutes past 3 bivouaced, the men in a bark hut and the officers in one similar to the natives, but built by themselves; course W. twenty-three miles; wind N.W. with heavy rain. The men were very much fatigued, almost all their shoes worn out and their clothes much torn.

September 16th.—At half past 8 resumed our journey, walked quick, saw several kangaroo rats, passed a small stream running to the W.N.W., which we afterwards found took its course through the Darling range; half past 11 saw an opening to the westward; noon, found it to be the western range; rested for half an hour for the purpose of obtaining bearings, but owing to the density of the atmosphere and heavy rain, it was impossible, although Mr. Gilbert thought he saw Garden Island, and in the direction pointed out bore W.S.W.; descended the mountain in a valley with a stream running down it, about a mile to the southward of where we ascended at 2; three of the natives we had met before joined us and took us a short route to the tents, where we arrived about 3 o'clock very wet, and the remainder of the provisions much damaged.