Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/361

 our. station; but, finding the country as barren. and dreary as before, the evening Was spent in sotmding between the cutter and the western shore. The next morning we reached the farther end of the basin, and anchored under a remarkable range of hills; which, from their appearance, were called the. Bastion Hills; the latitude of this station is 15 �' 38" S. The gulf, which had now assumed the character of a river, trended to the S.W., and, at the distance of three or four miles, disappeared among some high land in that direction, 'In the evening, (since we had lately seen no appearance of sharks,) the people were allowed to bathe; but they had no sooner finished, and .every one on board, than an alligator swam' past the vessel. The appearance of this animal revived some hopes of our yet finding fresh water, and also that the gulf would terminate in .a river; the breadth here is about a mile and a 1.i and the rise of the tide about twenty. one feet: the ebb set at the rate of three knots per hour, and the water was very muddy; but at low tide, upon being tasted, it still retained its salthess., At daylight the next morning we were again under wei6h; .but, t!.. W'.md be!ng direc?y. ad.

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