44 CAPT. WICKHAM ASCENDS THE VICTORIA. 



farther was therefore useless, especially as an 

 exploring expedition must pass up the river ; and 

 retracing our steps we reached the ship near mid- 

 night on the 20th. The intelligence of the success 

 of our cruise was received on board with an enthu- 

 siasm which explorers only can appreciate. Mr. 

 Fitzmaurice had not returned, which favoured my 

 surmises that he would find a river. 



October 21. — Mr. Forsyth having collected all 

 the necessary material for the survey near the ship, 

 we shifted our berth this afternoon into deeper 

 water, between the south end of Quoin Island and 

 another small islet to the south-west, which from 

 our operations on its south-eastern corner we called 

 Observation Island. The weather was very re- 

 markable in the evening — dark patches of clouds 

 appearing in the western horizon, from which vivid 

 lightnings flashed, and loud peals of thunder 

 roared. The frightened scream of the sea-birds 

 evinced how seldom nature puts on such an aspect 

 in this place. 



Before proceeding further with the ship, it was 

 necessary to feel our way with the boats. Whilst 

 this was going on. Captain Wickham determined on 

 pushing up the river in the gig to ascertain if it was 

 fresh sufficiently near to water the ship from, when 

 she had been taken as far up the Victoria as it was 

 possible. He left next morning on this more than 

 interesting trip. The same afternoon Mr. Fitz- 

 maurice returned, having, as we had suspected. 



