STATION PEAK. 289 



The singular sloping treeless sides of the Bara- 

 bul hills, and the declivities of the valley of the 

 Marabul river, bear a striking resemblance to many 

 parts of Eastern Patagonia. They appear as if 

 they had just emerged from the sea, which had as 

 it were scooped out their hollows and smoothed their 

 sides. A remarkable high round hill, perfectly 

 bare of trees, and called by the natives Moriac, 

 bore W.^ S. six miles from where we stood. On our 

 return we met some of the natives ; they were the 

 first I had seen of the aborigines of this part of the 

 continent, and were certainly a finer race than the 

 people on the western coasts. They complained of 

 the white men bringing animals into their country 

 that scare away the kangaroo, and destroy the 

 roots which at certain seasons of the year form part 

 of their sustenance. This, Mr. Smith told me, was 

 a very general complaint. 



I spent a very pleasant evening at Captain Fyans' 

 comfortable quarters, in the course of which 

 arrangements were made for next day's journey to 

 Station Peak, Mr. Smith kindly offering to lend me 

 a horse and to accompany me. 



January 3. — We started for Station Peak very 

 early. The morning air had a delightfully bracing 

 effect ; and the grass glittered with a copious fall of 

 dew. The first five miles of road lay over a high down, 

 with pretty patches of woodland interspersed ; and 

 the remaining ten over a low plain that stretches to 

 the foot of the peak. Six miles from the latter we 



VOL. I. U 



