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.
