Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/465

 COA9TS O AUiTI!ALIA0 403. landed in maw/ parts on search o/fresh water,, but were on all occasions unsuccessful. At the end of this reach the river, for such it now lared to be, gradually narrowed, and wound with a more serpentine course under the base of, the hills, which still continued to be rugged and steep;'but the banks were now thickly line// by man. groves, whereas in the first or sea reach they are formed prindpally of large rounded. masses of rock that had been detached from the summits of the over-hanging hills by the effect of the cascades, some of which must have fallen from a height of 900 feet without interruption in their descent. During the rainy season it wsuld be dangerous to expose a vessel to the strength of the freshes in this river. At the distance of six miles fi:om the end of the first reach, we arrived at the termination of the river, where its width was not more than twenty-five yards. Here its bed was blocked up by large water.worn masses of sand-stone, and, as the 'boat could not proceed farther, we landed to await the turn of the tide. About a mile below this part we had unex. peCtedly found a spring of fresh water bubbling up among the mangroves, and yielding a very considerable quantity: whilst we were examin- ing it, the tide was nearly up, so that we had 2D2