Being still under the impression that Cape York was higher up, I steered west, and soon found myself in a very unpleasant region.

We explored almost every bay and inlet we came across, but of course always with the same disheartening result.
Sometimes we would come near being stranded on a sandbank, and would have to jump overboard and push our craft into deeper water.

At others, she would be almost swamped in a rough sea, but still we stuck to our task, and after passing Goulbourn Island we followed the coast.

Then we struck north until we got among a group of islands, and came to Croker Island, which goes direct north and south.

Day after day we kept doggedly on, hugging the shore very closely, going in and out of every bay, and visiting almost every island, yet never seeing a single human being.