232 ^ LADY spencer's farms. 



a snaffle bit in his mouth. The sameness of the 

 trees in this part being very great it is difficult to 

 hold a direct course ; and if, after having chosen 

 one to steer by, my attention happened to be taken 

 off by a kangaroo starting up, I was always obliged 

 to refer to the compass. 



We made the Hay a mile or two above Ungerup ; 

 it is there a small tortuous rivulet, with rich grassy 

 banks, overhung by wide shady trees. The valley 

 is narrow, sloping gently up on either side. If I 

 had been pleased with the good piece of land just 

 left, 1 was still more so with this ; the mould was 

 rich and fine : I did not believe there was land of 

 such quality near the Sound. 



In passing another of Lady Spencer's farms, seven 

 miles farther down the same river, we were glad to 

 pocket a large piece of damper for our evening meal, 

 which we made at our old bivouac near the Great 

 Plain, where we found the native under the break- 

 wind, which he had covered with another bough or 

 two. Next evening we got into Albany, and on the 

 morning of the 15 th the Beagle was running out of 

 King George's Sound. 



It was resolved that we should touch at South 

 Australia, to secure a good meridian distance by 

 short stages between Swan River and Sydney, Ac- 

 cordingly, on the morning of the 27th, we entered 

 Investigator Strait, having been detained by strong 

 easterly winds about a hundred and fifty miles to 

 the westward of Kangaroo Island. Whilst con- 



