Thirsty Sound. 77 
Cape Townfhend. On the fouth fide of the lake is a ridge of. 
high hills which I was very defirous to climb ; but it being 
high water, and the day far fpent, I was afraid of being be- 
wildered among the Ihoals in the night, efpecially as the wea- 
ther was dark and rainy ; and therefore I made the bed of my 
way to the fnip. In this excurdon I faw only two people, and 
they were at a didance; they followed the boat along the 
Ihore a good way, but the tide running ftrongly in my favour, 
I. could not prudently wait -for them ; I faw however feveral 
fires in one direction, and fmoke in another, but they alfo 
were at a ciilance. While I was tracing the inlet with Dr.' 
Solander, Mr. Banks was endeavouring to penetrate into the 
country, where feveral of the people, who had leave to go " 
alhore, were alfo rambling about. Mr. Banks and his party 
found their courfe obdrudted by a fwamp, covered with man- ' 
groves, which however they refolved to pafs ; the mud was 
almoil knee deep, yet they refolutely went on ; but before" 
they got half way, they repented of their undertaking ; the 
bottom w'as covered with branches of trees, interwoven with 
each other, fometimes they kept their footing upon them, 
fometimes their feet dipt through, and fometimes they were 
fo entangled among them, that they were forced to free them- 
felves by groping in the mud and dime with their hands. In. 
about an hour however they eroded it, and judged it might be 
about a quarter of a mile over. After a Ihort walk they came 
op to a place where there had been four fmall fires, and near 
them fome Ihells and bones of fifh, that had been roaded 
they found alfo heaps of grafs laid together, where four or five 
people appeared to have dept. The Second Lieutenant, Mr, 
Gore, who was at another place, itW a little water lying in 
the bottom of a gully, and near it the track of a large animal : 
fonie budards were alfo feen, but none of them diot, nor any 
otjier bird except a few of the beautiful loriquets, which we 
had feen in Botany Bay. Mr. Gore, and one of the midihip- 
mfn, who were in different places, laid that they had heard 
thef voices of Indians near them, but had feen none : the coun- 
try d n general appeared faridy and barren, and being dellitute 
of fredt water, it cannot be fuppofed to have any fettled in- 
habitants. The deep gullies, which were worn by torrents 
from the hills, prove, that at certain feafons the rains here 
are very copious and heavy. 
The inlet in which the Ihip lay I called Thirsty Sound, 
becaufe it afforded us no fr’dh water. It lies in latitude 22 ; 
10 S. and ionguu.de 210 : i -8 W. ; and may be known by 3 
group of final! lfiands lying under the fhore, from two to five 
leagues diiiant, in the direction of N. W. and by another 
group of ill inds that .ie right before it, between three and four 
leagues out at lea* Over each of the points that form the en- 
G 3, trance 
