Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/229

] Towards cloe of evening we found ourelves on the borders of the leer lake. The woods that urrounded it did not permit us to follow it dry-hod in all its windings: the water through which we had to wade was, fortunately, not very deep. Notwithtanding the darknes of the night, I dicovered a new pecies of retio, which I had never een before.

This lake, though it is connected with the ea at high water, does not abound with fih. Some of the crew of the Eperance had been here, with their nets, but caught nothing.

Having reached the ea-hore, we had till a coniderable part of our march before us. It was night, and the thick clouds increaed its obcurity. Sometimes we were obliged to pas over large blocks of rounded tones wahed by the urge. We groped our way along the hore, at the hazard of falling into the ea, and it was with great difficulty that we were able to upport ourelves on our feet amongt the wet tones, that were rendered till more lippery by being covered with fucus and other marine productions.

A great number of phophoric animalcules, of different izes, were driven on hore by the waves, and afforded us the only light we had to direct our teps.

At length we arrived at the place where the tents