250 LIBERTY ALLOWED. 



Two days' liberty was allowed to eacli watch, and 

 as, after we left the year previous, two whale-ships, 

 on the recommendation of our captain, had visited 

 the port, our advent created no surprise. Ships and 

 sailors had become fVimiliar sights, and the inhabitants 

 were not as ready to spend their money, or listen to 

 our yarns, as they were on our former visit. In the 

 town things had changed but little — no improve- 

 ments, no marriages, and no deaths during our ab- 

 sence. Therefore, as there was little either to interest 

 or divert us, a number of our crew who, during the 

 previous visit were enjoying themselves with rational 

 pleasures, in the absence of former novelties, flocked 

 to the groggeries and passed their time there. Apart 

 from the general jokes and antics of seamen, one 

 circumstance only, worthy of note, occurred ; that 

 was the mulcting of one of the publicans for 

 allowing two of our men to play cards in his 

 house ; their laws prohibiting card playing even for 

 amusement. 



On the 1st of February the barque Iowa came in 

 and gave liberty, so that there was quite a number 

 of us ashore for several days ; but after that we be- 

 came tired of listlessly walking through the sand, 

 and preferred remaining aboard the ship. 



On the 5th our men proceeded some ten miles up 

 the river to the village of Australind. On our w^ay up 

 we passed several grazing farms stocked with noble 

 cattle. Along the river thousands of birds were to be 

 seen, amongst which our pilot pointed out, as pecu- 

 liarly worthy of notice, the black and white swan. Ar- 

 riving at Australind we found ourselves in a beautiful 



