Summary of the Visit , hy J. Walker. 51 



to ramble about on shore to our heart's content. After the 

 monotony of the wretchedly sterile and featureless coasts of 

 North-west Australia, where we had spent the previous six 

 months, the aspect of this little island was most picturesque 

 and pleasing. The Bay is enclosed on either hand by hills 

 of remarkable steepness and bold serrated outline, rising 

 abruptly from the water's edge to a height of from 600 to 

 2000 feet; while from high-water mark (and even from below 

 this, if the dense growth of mangrove which fringes the shore 

 in many parts is taken into account) these hills are clothed 

 with a dense unbroken forest of the most vivid green, but 

 apparently not consisting of very large trees. On the northern 

 side of the Bay the fine volcanic peak rises to a height of 

 more than 4000 feet, emitting a constant stream of white 

 smoke from a large depression near its somewhat truncated 

 summit. The upper half of the mountain is bare of forest 

 growth, and is seamed with huge rents and landslips, while 

 bright yellow patches of sulphur can be readily made out near 

 the top. Small quantities of this substance, in a finely crys- 

 tallized state, are occasionally brought down for export by 

 the natives. Even they do not appear to ascend the moun- 

 tain very often, and during the stay of the ' Penguin ' none 

 of our people mustered up sufficient energy to attempt to 

 reach the summit. The ascent is represented by the inhabi- 

 tants as being very laborious, and not to be accomplished in a 

 single day. From the steepness and rugged nature of the 

 slopes of the mountain, and the dense and tangled nature of 

 the almost trackless forest which clothed its lower half, I can 

 readily imagine that this is the case. The volcano appears 

 to have remained in its present quiescent state for many years 

 past. 



We found it a matter of no small difficulty to penetrate for 

 any distance into the forest, as there were scarcely any paths 

 except in the immediate neighbourhood of the villages, and 

 prickly rattans and thorny bushes rendered the dense under- 

 growth almost impassable. The shores of the Bay afford 

 somewhat easier walking, and on its north side, at the junc- 

 tion of the sandy beach with the rocks just above high-water 

 mark, are innumerable little springs and trickles of perfectly 

 fresh and pure, but almost boiling water. Some of the 

 larger springs are even utilized by the natives to cook their 

 food, and in none of them can the hand be held even for an 

 instant. In several places, indeed, the volume of hot water 

 flowing over the sand is so great that it is by no means 

 pleasant to walk over, even in thick boots. A beautiful clear 

 stream falls into the head of the Bay, and flows down a 



4* 



