96 
DENSE SCRUB. 
miles through the same sterile country, and then 
observing a watercourse coming from the hills, I 
became apprehensive I should experience some diffi- 
culty in crossing it near the ranges, from their 
rocky and precipitous character, and at once turned 
more southerly to keep between the sea and a salt 
lake, into which the stream emptied itself. After 
getting nearly half round the lake, our progress was 
impeded by a dense and most difficult scrub of the 
Eucalyptus dumosa. Upon entering it we found 
the scrub large and strong, and growing very close 
together, whilst the fallen trees, dead wood, and 
sticks lying about in every direction, to the height 
of a man’s breast, rendered our passage difficult and 
dangerous to the horses in the extreme. Indeed, 
when we were in the midst of it, the poor animals 
suffered so much, and progressed so little, that I 
feared we should hardly get them either through it 
or back again. By dint of great labour and perse- 
verance we passed through a mile of it, and then 
emerging upon the beach followed it for a short 
distance, until steep rocky hills coming nearly 
bluff into the sea, obliged us to turn up under 
them, and encamp for the night not far from the 
lake. Here our horses procured tolerable grass, 
whilst we obtained a little fresh water for ourselves 
among the hollows of the rocks. 
Our stage had been about thirteen miles, and our 
position was S. 30° E. from East Mount Barren, 
the hills under which we were encamped being con- 
