164 
SHORES 01 THE HAKE. 
most remarkable. On a nearer approach, the phantom 
disappeared, and a clear and open sea again presented itself 
to our view. The fact was, that the refractive power upon 
the coast had elevated the sand hillocks above their true 
position, since we satisfactorily ascertained that they alone 
separated the lake from the ocean, and that they alone 
could have produced the semblance we noticed. It is 
a singular fact, that this very hillock was the one which 
Capt. Barker ascended whilst carrying on the survey of the 
south coast, and immediately previous to his tragical death. 
It was not without difficulty that we succeeded in landing 
on the western shore ; but we did, at length, succeed, and 
prepared our dinners. The shore was low, but above the 
reach of all floods ; the soil was rich, and superficially sandy. 
It was covered with high grasses, and abounded inkangaroos ; 
within the space of a few yards we found five or six, but 
they were immediately lost to us and to the dogs in the 
luxuriance of the vegetation amidst which they were feeding. 
As soon as we had finished our meal, we once more em- 
barked, and stood along the shore to the S.W., but the 
lake was so shoal, that I was every moment apprehensive 
we should ground. I ran across, therefore, to the south, 
towards a low flat that had just appeared above the line of 
the horizon, in hope that, in sounding, we should have 
found the channel, but there either was none, or else it 
was so narrow that we passed over it between the heaves 
of the lead. At this time, the western shore was quite dis- 
tinct, and the scenery was beautiful. 
