174 THE VICTOEIAN NATURALIST. 



this time was slackening, and started back for Franklin Sound. 

 A few minutes after we noticed a shoal of Mackerel being pursued 

 by Porpoises. It was interesting to watch the cunning manner in 

 which the porpoises swam round and round, much after the 

 fashionof a dog shepherding sheep, so as to keep the shoal together, 

 while at frequent intervals one would dash in for a mouthful, re- 

 suming its original position immediately in roundingupagain. Little 

 wind and slow sailing was again experienced on our return. When 

 we approached the bar we became very anxious ; the wind had 

 almost died away, but after considerable difficulty, not unattended 

 with danger, we succeeded in getting through the rip, or the "pot- 

 boil," as it is locally called. We had to take to rowing in turns 

 with a long oar. At intervals the blind rollers would rise and 

 approach us in a most threatening manner, striking terror into the 

 hearts of some of the party, and causing the boat to sway about 

 in a most uncomfortable fashion, while the boom bobbed over the 

 heads of the oarsmen in such a manner as to cause them to 

 wonder whether the halyards were sufficiently strong to bear the 

 jolting strain. However, we got across without further mishap. 

 Soon after, as the wind had failed altogether and the tide was 

 against us, we anchored in the fairway for the night. 



22ND November. — Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning, at 

 the first faint streaks of dawn, the wind and the tide changed in 

 our favour. Taking advantage of this we weigh anchor at once 

 and spin up the Sound with a free sheet. We enjoy being on 

 deck before sunrise. However, the morn is chilly, and the 

 mountain forms, cloud-capped, on either hand look cold, but the 

 fragrant scent from inland shrubs wafted across the Sound is most 

 delightful and invigorating. At a glorious sunrise the favourable 

 wind slackens ; nevertheless we are able to make our camping 

 quarters at Trousers Point m time for breakfast, thus ending an 

 adventurous trip of five days to Babel Islands. 



23RD November. — About 7 a.m. three of us started to ascend 

 Strzelecki Peak, which was, as the crow flies, three miles from our 

 camp, and its clearly cut granite crown is 2,550 feet above sea 

 level. Our course lay through loose sand, thorny scrub, ti-tree, and 

 a swamp through which we had to wade, flushing some duck while 

 doing so. More ti-tree followed, and another belt of scrub with 

 its branches all laid the wrong way. We here encountered our 

 first snake, basking on some ti-tree. Arriving at the foot of a large 

 hill we found we had to proceed round until we came to a gully, 

 which we ascended, and after some difficulty gained the top of an 

 apparent ridge of about 1,500 feet; this, we expected, would lead 

 us with little difficulty to the Peak. We found, however, that we 

 had to descend some 300 feet, and cross over a fern gully to 

 another hill. We encountered some magnificent growths on 

 the way across — lichen, mosses, &c., growing in great luxuriance. 



