APPEARANCE OF NATIVES. 
97 
nected with that range. Most properly had it been 
called Mount Barren, for a more wretched arid- 
looking country never existed than that around it. 
The Mount Barren ranges are of quartz or reddish 
micaceous slate, the rocks project in sharp rugged 
masses, and the strata are all perpendicular. 
June 28. — Upon getting up this morning we saw 
the smoke of native fires along the margin of the 
lake, at less than a mile from us. They had already 
noticed our fire, and called out repeatedly to us, 
but as I did not wish to come into communication 
with them at all, I did not reply. Soon afterwards 
we saw them in the midst of the lake carrying 
boughs, and apparently fishing. Three miles from 
the lake we crossed a small salt stream, and a mile 
further another. Four miles beyond the latter we 
came to a very deep narrow salt lake, swarming with 
swans, pelicans, and ducks. As the passage between 
the lake and the sea appeared to be scrubby, and 
very similar to that we had found so much difficulty 
in passing yesterday, I turned to the north-west to 
head it inland ; but had not proceeded far before I 
found our progress stopped by a large salt-water 
stream, which joined the lake, and whose course 
was through steep precipitous ravines. By follow- 
ing the river upwards I came to a place where we 
could descend into its basin, and as the water there, 
though brackish, was still drinkable, I halted for 
the night after a stage of fourteen miles. The 
horses were a good deal tired with the rough hilly 
VOL. II. 
H 
