November 12.—­I sent the overseer this morning to communicate with the cutter, and to request the master to fill up as much water as he could, preparatory to our moving onwards to Fowler’s Bay.  In the evening the overseer returned, accompanied by Mr. Scott, to acquaint me that the water near Point Peter was a considerable distance from the vessel; and that it would be impracticable to fill up all the casks, with no other means than they had at command.

I took the sun’s altitude, at noon, for latitude; but the day was windy, and the mercury shook so much that I could not depend upon the observation within three or four miles.  It gave nearly 32 degrees 10 seconds S. which I thought too much to the northward.  The sun set by compass W. 24 1/2 degrees S.

November 13.—­Guided by the natives, we moved onward through a densely scrubby country, and were again obliged to keep the men with axes constantly at work, in advance of the drays to clear the road.  Our progress was necessarily slow, and the work very harassing to the horses; fortunately the stage was not a very long one, and in fourteen miles we reached “Berinyana gaippe,” a small hole dug by the natives, amongst the sand hummocks of the coast, a little north of Point Bell.  By enlarging this a little, we procured water in great abundance and of excellent quality.  Our course had been generally west by south; and from our camp, the eastern extreme of Point Bell, bore S. 28 degrees W., and the centre of the “Purdies Islands” E. 49 degrees S.

November 14.—­Upon moving on this morning, we were obliged to keep more to the north to avoid some salt lakes and low swamps near the coast.  The natives still accompanied us through a very sandy and scrubby country to a watering place among some sand hills, which they called “Wademar gaippe.”  Here we encamped early, after a stage of ten miles, and were enabled to procure abundance of good water, at a depth of about four feet below the surface.

There was a large sheet of salt water near our camp which seemed to be an inlet of the sea, and after a hasty dinner I walked down to examine it.  The water generally appeared shallow, but in some places it was very deep; after tracing it for five miles, and going round one end of it, I found no junction with the sea, though the fragments of shells and other marine remains, clearly shewed that there must have been a junction at no very remote period.  The sand hummocks between the lake and the sea being very high, I ascended them to take bearings, and then returning to the lake halted, with the black boy who had accompanied me, to bathe, and rest ourselves.  The weather was most intensely hot, and our walk had been long and fatiguing, amongst sand hills under a noonday sun.  We fully appreciated the luxury of a swim, and especially as we were lucky enough to find a hole of fresh water on the edge of the lake, to slake our parching thirst.  Ducks, teal, and pigeons were numerous, and the recent traces of natives apparent everywhere.  It was after sunset when we returned, tired and weary, to our camp.