Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/89

 them very friendly, probably from the little intercourse they had evidently had with Europeans. After assisting us to load our horses, they accompanied us some distance, being at great pains to direct us on our journey. In the evening we bivouaced near the stream we had so much difficulty in crossing on the 5th instant, having effected to-day fifteen miles.

August14th.—Before commencing our journey this morning, we were visited by three natives, whom we recognised as having seen at Perth. This intercourse with the settlers seemed to have the effect of rendering them more familiar and even daring in their manners, for, on leaving our bivouac, and aacending a hill, they attempted to prevent our pursuing our course, on account, as we conjectured, of their women being near, but on our making a detour to the left, they joined us with apparent satisfaction. We this day accomplished fourteen miles in a westerly direction.

August 15th.—Thermometer at sunrise 46°. We left our bivouac at an early hour this morning, wishing if possible to reach the western base of Darling's Range before evening. We traversed a thickly wooded forest country, with a sandy surface, to the foot of that range, and were enabled before night-fall to reach the termination of our journey at Mr. Brockman's house, from which place we had been absent exactly a fortnight; but not before one of our horses became so exhausted, that he sank to the ground, in which situation we were obliged to leave him till the following morning.

GENERAL REMARKS.

In the course of this expedition we collected several specimens of the mineralogy of the country