Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/34

24 thick woods, that our path was extremely slippery, as well as difficult.

The day was considerably advanced, when we arrived at the summit of a mountain, from which we perceived the whole extent of a long valley, which we had still to cross, before we could reach the foot of the mountains, which we had set out to visit. The intermediate space appeared to be about eighteen miles; and this space was occupied by forests, as thick as those through which we had just penetrated. It was to be apprehended, that it would take us upwards of two days, to reach the end of our intended journey; even if we were not retarded by extensive marshes, or other obstacles, which we could not possibly foresee. It would require nearly as long a time to return; and from this calculation, our provision would be expended three days before the termination of our journey. These forests in the mean time afforded nothing that could contribute to our subsistence; and consequently we were obliged to relinquish our design.

The great chain of mountains appeared to stretch from the north-east to the south-west, through a vast extent of country.

In the forests we had just traversed, we found the same kind of stones which we had already met with towards South Cape. Seeing this Cape south