THE INTERIOIl OF WESTERN AtSTRALIA, 121 



after mucli scrambling and climbing, was found to issue from a small 

 deep cavern in the mountain, so defended by thicket and tangle as to 

 be scarcely approachable. It was quite dry, and the spade produced 

 lower down only a very small quantity of brackish water, of a yellow 

 colour. That water was somewhere in the neighbourhood there ap- 

 "peared little doubt, by several natives' fires having started up at little 

 more than a mile from us ; and we were discussing a place for beating 

 up their quarters, when Lee and Bob returned from their excursion 

 round the Eange, with the joyful news they had found a splendid run 

 of excellent water near its north-east extremity, with grass in the same 

 neighbourhood. Eeloading, we lost no time in proceeding to the spot ; 

 and I had once more the gratification of encamping in a situation 

 where the horses could recruit their exhausted energies, and prepare 

 for the remainder of their journey. No sight could have been more 

 welcome to us at the moment than this beautiful run of pure, cool, fresh 

 water cascading down from the highest part of the range immediately 

 above, and forming various lodgments in small clear pools, in which 

 several of our poor horses immersed nearly their entire heads. 



Although the feed hereabouts was neither first-rate nor abundant, I 

 felt it necessary to remain four days to recruit and refit, and had the satis- 

 faction to find our stud improve rapidly in spirit, although not much 

 in appearance. The rest was of most essential service, not only to 

 their w^eary limbs, but to their sore backs, in the constant attention to 



which neither time nor labour was spared. Every effort was made to 

 emedy the defects in our pony pack-saddles, to make them fit the 

 horses better; but we could effect little real good in this respect, beyond 

 fresh arranging their padding. Our saddle-bags were also in so di- 

 lapidated a state, that we were almost at our wits' ends for devising 

 the means of making them hold together. 



While these operations were in progress, 1 lost no opportunity of col- 

 lecting materials for my survey of the country, adding to the collections 

 in geology, botany, etc., and making as many astronomical observations 

 as our limited stay and the state of the heavens would permit. The 

 result of the latter showed that, by four different stars, a lofty flat-topped 

 peak, near the N.E, end of the range under which we had encamped, 

 was in latitude 33^ 27' 15'' S., and longitude by chart 123^ 24' E. ; the 

 variation of the magnetic needle, by means of nine azimuths, 2° 40' W. 

 On ascending the peak, this section of the range was found to consist 



a 



VOL. VI. 



