20th July.
The forge, stores, and other additional supplies having been landed, and
the party set to work shoeing horses, repairing saddle-bags, etc., I
proceeded with Mr. Walcott and Mr. Angel in the boat to make a rough
survey of the coves on the western side of the bay, with a view to
selecting a suitable spot from which to re-embark the horses on our
return from the next trip, as it would be too late in the season by that
time to venture the trip overland to Champion Bay. I found that a good
anchorage existed, with three fathoms at low water, one mile off the
little cove from which the ship had been watered, and is approachable at
all times, except in strong east or south-east gales, when a heavy swell
sets in across the bay, rendering a landing unsafe. The fresh water runs
down a rocky gully at the north-west corner of the cove, at the north end
of a small patch of sandy beach, and the supply appears tolerably
abundant; it is, however, rather difficult of access towards the end of
the dry season, as the water has then to be carried over the rocks in
small baracas fifty or sixty yards to the boats, but from the setting in
of the rains to the end of August it runs down strongly at high-water
mark. I walked back overland to the camp with Mr. Walcott, the distance
being about four miles, heading by the way another deep cove, the margin
of which was lined with a broad belt of mangroves.
21st to 28th July.
Was fully taken up in shoeing horses, making spare shoes, refitting and
packing stores, etc., ready for our trip to the eastward, my own time
being principally taken up in roughly plotting the country already
explored, so as to secure all the information obtained, in the event of
any accident occurring to my field-books.
29th July.
Everything being in readiness for our departure, I gave Captain Dixon
instructions to wait for us in the bay to the 10th December, and in the
event of our not then returning, Mr. Walcott would land one of the ship's
iron tanks, and bury in it a quantity of stores, at a spot already agreed
upon; the Dolphin would then proceed to Fremantle. It blew so fresh all
the morning that I could not land until 3 p.m., when we quickly saddled
up and proceeded three miles to a waterhole up in the volcanic hills, as
it was probable we should have a very long day's march tomorrow without
water. As we had now only nineteen horses, and one of these so low in
condition as not to be able to carry a load, we could only take with us
eighty-seven days' rations, at the rate of one pound of flour, seven
ounces of meat, and four ounces of sugar per man per diem; we were,
however, well provided with ammunition, and thirty spare sets of
horse-shoes, with nails sufficient for at least two removes, the horses
themselves being shod at starting with extra strong shoes tipped with
steel. We had now only seven saddle-horses, so that one of the party was
always on foot by turns of an hour each. It had been originally intended
that the Dolphin should proceed to Roebuck Bay and meet us there; but it
was now so late in the season that I did not deem it prudent to run the
risk of removing her to an unknown anchorage, where it was possible we
might not be able to reach, and thus lay ourselves open to the
probability of a very embarrassing uncertainty. The result proved we had
adopted the right course. Bivouac.