OBSTACLES FROM THE WEATHER. 117 



The morning of the 10th presented an aspect little 

 more favourable than that of the previous day ; it blew 

 hard with a blinding snow-diift, but we disliked to 

 remain idle, and set off at about 8 a.m. Mahkatzan 

 had consented, upon the consideration of certain 

 rewards, to lend his train of dogs, and our equipages 

 were now pretty well furnished. Mooldooyah had 

 four, Yaneenga three, and each of ourselves five. 



Knowing this immediate part of the coast suffi- 

 ciently well already, it was not intended to go right 

 round it, but to cut across to a village at some 

 distance to the eastward ; and we proceeded with 

 this view for a time in very great discomfort, the fine 

 fiercely driven snow blowing directly in our faces 

 and nearly blinding us : just when about to branch 

 off to the westward of a range of hills near the sea, 

 Mooldooyah, who had several times shown signs of 

 disinclination to proceed, stopped suddenly, and 

 acquainted us with his opinion, that it was folly to 

 persevere in face of such obstacles ; and that he could 

 by no means feel assured that we shoidd not miss the 

 right direction to om^ destination, which was far off, 

 and that in this case the dogs, and even ourselves, 

 might perish. 



There was no refuting such arguments ; he knew 

 all about the matter — we nothing ; so, of com-se, we 



