I this day again remarked a circumstance which had before this period elicited my attention; which was that we occasionally found fixed in the boughs of trees, at a considerable height from the ground, pieces of sandstone, nearly circular in form, about an inch and a half in thickness, and from four to five in diameter, so that they resembled small millstones. What was the object in thus fashioning and placing these stones I never could conceive, for they were generally in the least remarkable spots: they cannot point out burial places, for I have made such minute searches that in such a case I must have found some of the bones; neither can they indicate any peculiar route through the country, for two never occur near one another.
PREPARATION TO BUILD A BOAT.
On my return to the camp I found that the schooner had not yet arrived; I now began to fear that some accident had occurred, and made my preparations accordingly. The party was fully prepared to meet such a misfortune and, as we had the means of constructing a boat large enough to take us to Swan River, I felt more anxious for the safety of those in the vessel than for our own. That no time however might be lost I examined the neighbourhood of the encampment and found that within our immediate vicinity were plenty of trees well adapted for the purpose, which I marked, and had some of them felled.
CHAPTER 7. HANOVER BAY AND ITS VICINITY.
OCCUPATION AT THE CAMP.
During the absence of the schooner we had our attention fully engaged in forming a garden, collecting specimens, and building sheds for the stores. So difficult and rocky was the country we were in that I was employed for several days in finding a route by which unloaded horses could travel from the beach in Hanover Bay to the point where we were encamped, for the landing-place at the end of the ravine was so rocky as to be impracticable for that purpose. Mr. Walker at length discovered a pass in the cliffs, and by constructing a winding path in this he thought that we should be able to get loaded horses out of the valley. I feared that he was too sanguine, and therefore daily renewed my search in all directions. I travelled up the entire length of the ravine that we were encamped in but found that, even granting it was not flooded, we should find great difficulty in emerging by this route.
These circumstances made me resolve upon the return of the schooner to re-embark the stores, and land them again either upon a point I had fixed upon on the south bank of Prince Regent's River, or upon the neck of land I have before mentioned, which lay between Port George the Fourth and Hanover Bay; but I could not finally decide upon either of the points until the return of the vessel should enable me to examine the coast between Port George the Fourth and Camden Sound; for my party only consisted of nine men, of whom with the exception of three or four I knew nothing, and after what I had seen of the treacherous disposition of the natives I did not think, in my position, it would be prudent to absent myself from them for any length of time.
RETURN OF THE LYNHER.
Amidst such exciting and busy scenes, the time flew rapidly away until the 17th of January, when about 11 A.M. the report of a carronade came echoing up the valley. This was the preconcerted signal which was to announce to us that the vessel was safely at anchor in Hanover Bay. We were of course all anxiety to hear an account of their adventures, and to ascertain whether the horses were safe. I hastened directly to the landing-place, where I met Mr. Lushington and a party coming ashore from the schooner.