inch
long, and in shape not unlike a kidney potato;* it seemed clear, judging
from the native value of the commodities thus rashly abandoned, that our
arrival had rather taken by surprise these untutored children of the
wilderness: we saw nothing of them till we had reembarked, when (four or
five only in number) they returned to the beach; and we could perceive
that our foot tracks, upon which they appeared to hold an animated
debate, had, to say the least, mightily puzzled them. I ascended the
highest point of the island in the afternoon, and from thence looked over
several miles of densely wooded country, but offering no appearance of
land to the eastward of South-South-East. We gazed with indescribable
delight upon the wide expanse of open water which lay before us in that
direction, and already anticipated the discovery of some vast inlet,
terminating in the mouth of a magnificent river, upon the exploration of
which our imagination was already busily engaged; nor for the moment did
the thought, or rather the recollection of the fact, that Captain King
had seen land (by refraction) in that quarter, serve to damp our ardour.
When it made its way, and perseveringly insisted upon engaging a certain
share of my attention, its presence only added an additional motive to my
previous determination to set the question at rest by personal
examination, and in the interim, to look immediately before sunrise (when
the atmosphere within the tropics is always clear) for the very sight I
should have been most disappointed to have beheld. During the afternoon I
shot over the island, and enjoyed some very fair sport; especially with
the pheasant-cuckoo,** and quail, large and small, which were numerous:
several birds not unlike the so-called crow of the Swan River colonists
were seen. We found no fresh water, but in addition to the abundance of
game, the presence of the natives, proves the island to be not wholly
destitute of this first requisite of life. The thermometer at 3 P.M., was
100 degrees in the shade, while the unnatural calm that reigned around
gave the experienced seaman plain warning of some disturbance at hand.

(*Footnote. This esculent appeared to resemble the warran, or yam, used
for food by the native inhabitants north of Swan River.)

(**Footnote. Centropus phasianellus. Gould.)

A HEAVY SQUALL.

Just before sunset these anxious anticipations proved correct: a mass of
broad edged white clouds rose rapidly in t