wly'. of tlle water at a diftance from each other, it chofe ra-
ther to leap from ftone to ftone, than to pafs through the
water; and we faw feveral of them pafs entirely over puddles
in this manner, till they came to dry ground, and then
leap away.
In the afternoon we renewed our fearch after frefh water,
but without fuccefs; and therefore I determined to make my
flay here but fhort | however, having obferved from an eminence
that the inlet penetrated a confiderable way into the
country, I determined to trace it in the morning.
Wednef. 30. .At fun-rife I went afliore, and climbing a confiderable hill,
I took .a view of the coaft and the iflands that lie off it, with
their bearings, having an azimuth compafs with me for
that purpofe; but 1 obferved that the needle differed very
•confiderably in its pofition, even to thirty degrees, in fome
..places more, in others lefs; and once I found it differ from
itfelf no lefs than two points in the diftance of fourteen feet.
I took up fome of the loofe ftones that lay upon the ground,
and applied them to the needle, but they produced no effeft;
and I therefore concluded that there was iron ore in the hills,
of which I had remarked other indications both here, and in
the neighbouring parts. After I had made my obfervations
upon the hill, I proceeded with Dr. Solander up the inlet; I
fet out with the firft of the flood, and long before high-
water I had advanced above eight leagues. Its breadth thus
far was from two to five miles, upon a S. W. by S. direction;
but here it opened every way, and formed a large lake,
which to the N. W. communicated with the fea; and I not
only faw the fea in this direction, but found the tide of
flood coming ftrongly in from that point: I alfo obferved an
-arm of this lake extending to the eaftward, and it is not improbable
that it may communicate with the fea in the bottom
of the bay, which lies to the weftward of Cape Town- 177°-
fhend. On the fouth fide of the lake is a ridge of high hills ■ May'
which 1 was very defirous to climb; but it being high-water, Wcdnef' 3
and the day far fpent, I was afraid of being bewildered
among the llioals in the night, efpecially as the weather was
dark and rainy; and therefore I made the belt of my way to
the fhip. In this excurfion I faw only two people, and they
were at a diftance; they followed the boat along the fhore 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
diftance. 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 afliore were
alfo rambling about. Mr. Banks and his party found their
courfe obftrudted by a fwamp, covered with mangroves,
which however they refolved to pafs ; the mud was almoft
knee deep, yet they refolutely went on ; but before they got
half way, they repented of their undertaking: the bottom
was covered with branches of trees interwoven with each
other, fometimes they kept their footing upon them, fome-
times their feet flipt through, and fometimes they were fo-
entangled among them, that they were forced to free them-
iclves by groping in the mud and llime with their hands. In-
about an hour however they croffed it, and judged it might
be about a quarter of a mile over. After a fhort walk they,
came up to a place where there had been four fmall fires,
and near them fome fliells and bones of fifti, that had been,
roafted: they found alfo heaps of grafs laid together, where
four or five people appeared to have flept. The Second.
Lieutenant, Mr. Gore, who was at another place, faw a little
water lying in the bottom of a gully, and near it the track,
of a large animal: fome buftards were:alfo feen, but none