THE INTERIOR OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 215 



A serious difficulty was now at length forced upon me about our 

 worn-out horses, amongst whom so many shoes were deficient, and so 

 much foofsoreness and exhaustion prevailed : they were not easily got 

 on, and I began to fear they would knock up before I could satisfac- 

 torily complete the examination of this rough and rugged country. 

 Not a spare nail remained for securing even those shoes which were 

 loose; and the sharp rocks chipped off large pieces of some of the 

 hoofs. To abandon our search for coal at this most interesting period 

 of it was not for a moment to be thought of or endured, and we de- 

 ' termined at all hazards to persevere in researches which now appeared 

 so likely to be crowned with success. Choosing the smoothest way 

 that could be found among the sharp rocks, we resumed our descent of 

 the river on the 27th, watered the horses at a pool not quite so salt as 

 those higher up, and in two miles from our camp passed the mouth of 

 the main branch, coming from W. by N,, in a valley half a mile wide, 

 with steep cliffy banks. The river itself wound through an interme- 

 diate flat of gi-ass and rushes, and was at this time running slowly be- 

 tween large pools ; but the presence of samphire seemed to indicate that 

 the water is not at all times fit for use. On the authority of our na- 

 tive, this main branch comes from Jeer-a-mungup, where we had seen 

 so much good country on the 22nd of October last, thirty miles to the 

 W. by N., the whole of which space he also said was well grassed, and 

 fit for good stock-runs. Up to this time we had been in the geological 

 formation previously noticed, of granite on one side of the valley and 

 perpendicular cliffs from fifty to one hundred feet high on the other. 

 Half a mile lower down we passed the mouth of a steep cliffy valley, 

 with a watercourse in it coming from the north ; and being then on 

 the high ground, obseiTcd the tracks of three horses and a pony, sup- 

 posed to have belonged to our indefatigable botanist, Mr. James Drum- 

 mond, who was known to have been recently in this part of the coun- 

 try, prosecuting his favourite pursuit. Avoiding the cliffy bed of the 

 river in this part for Uvo miles and a half, our travelling was improved, 

 and we were then abreast of another steep valley from the north, half 

 a mile wide, and of the same sandstone formation as the others. 



Taking again to the river's bed at this part, we were cheered by the 

 sight of shales cropping out on its left bank, and in the bed found a 

 small piece of undoubted surface-coal. Halting the party, further 

 .,^„-«i, : ,i;«i«i., ^.wio iiT^aarrls. and nil former toils and suffer- 



