320 SEARCH FOR FRESH WATER. Jan. 



" pozos de agua dulce but after a very fatiguing walk not 

 a drop of water could be found. I lay down on the top of a 

 hill, too tired and thirsty to move farther, seeing two lakes of 

 water, as we thought, about two miles off, but unable to 

 reach them. Mr. Darwin, more accustomed than the men, or 

 myself, to long excursions on shore, thought he could get to 

 the lakes, and went to try. We watched him anxiously from 

 the top of the hill,* saw him stoop down at the lake, but im- 

 mediately leave it and go on to another, that also he quitted 

 without delay, and we knew by his slow returning pace that 

 the apparent lakes were ' salinas.' We then had no alterna- 

 tive but to return, if we could, so descending to meet him at 

 one side of the height, we all turned eastward and trudged 

 along heavily enough. The day had been so hot that our 

 little stock of water was soon exhausted, and we were all 

 more or less laden with instruments, ammunition, or weapons. 

 About dusk I could move no farther, having foolishly carried 

 a heavy double-barrelled gun all day besides instruments, so, 

 choosing a place which could be found again, I sent the party 

 on and lay down to sleep ; one man, the most tired next to 

 myself, staying with me. A glass of water would have made 

 me quite fresh, but it was not to be had. After some hours, 

 two of my boat's crew returned with water, and we were 

 very soon revived. Towards morning we all got on board, 

 and no one suffered afterwards from the over-fatigue, except 

 Mr. Darwin, who had had no rest during the whole of that 

 thirsty day — now a matter of amusement, but at the time a 

 very serious affair. 



Sir Woodbine Parish intends to publish a description of 

 the Spanish settlements on these shores, in which no doubt 

 Viedma's, at Port San Julian, will have place. A full 

 account of it, in the original language, may be found in the 

 diary of Antonio de Viedma, published at Buenos Ay res, in 

 1837, by Don Pedro de Angelis. Finding no water near the 

 harbour except after rain, which is there rare, Viedma pitched 



* Named in the plan ' Thirsty Hill.' 



