ICO 
DETAINED BY THE WIND. 
practicable communication with the ocean, and whether the 
country in the neighbourhood of the coast corresponded 
with that immediately behind our camp, or kept up its sandy 
and sterile character to the very verge of the sea. As I 
have already said, my hopes on the first of these points were 
considerably damped, but I could not help anticipating a 
favourable change in the latter, since its features had so 
entirely changed. 
The greatest difficulty against which we had at present 
to contend was the wind ; and I dreaded the exertion it 
would call for, to make head against it ; or the men were 
so much reduced that I felt convinced they were inadequate 
to any violent or prolonged effort. It still blew fresh at 8 
p. m., but at that time it began to moderate. It may be 
imagined that I listened to its subdued gusts with extreme 
anxiety. It did not wholly abate until after 2 a. m., when 
it gradually declined, and about 3 a light breeze sprung up 
from the N.E. 
We had again placed sticks to ascertain with more preci- 
sion the rise of tide, and found it to be the same as in the 
river. In the stillness of the night too we thought we heard 
the roaring of the sea, but I was myself uncertain upon 
the point, as the wind might have caused the sound. 
From the top of the hill from which we had obtained 
our first view of the lake, I observed the waves breaking 
upon the distant head-land, and enveloping the cliff in 
spray; so that, independent of the clearness of the hori- 
zon beyond it, I was further led to conclude that there 
