Nothing but absolute necessity could however have induced me to take such a step, for the place was rocky and difficult of access, with a heavy surf breaking on the beach.

The rain fell in torrents during the greater part of the evening, and the men spent the time in searching for oysters and shellfish with which to appease their hunger.

The rain which had fallen during the last two days had a very injurious effect upon some of us, for, our clothes having been lost with the other things which were swept away from the depot during the hurricane of the first of March, we were very insufficiently clad.
DIRK HARTOG'S ISLAND.
March 29.
The weather this morning being very foul I occupied myself in making a survey of a portion of Dirk Hartog's Island, which is of a very barren nature, though rather better than either Bernier or Dorre Islands, but for many years to come it must be utterly useless.

It looks exactly like a Scottish heath; and I have no doubt whatever that water would be found by digging on it; but as we could have obtained plenty from large holes in the rocks we did not make the attempt.

Whilst I was occupied in this examination of the island the wind shifted suddenly to the north-west and I hurried back to the party in order not to lose so favourable an opportunity.
On arriving at the boats I found that the water had not been completed, nor had three days' provisions (such as they were) been cooked, although I had left orders when I went away that these necessary preparations for our moving should immediately be made; this gave me another reason to suspect that, during my temporary absence from the party, discipline was now altogether neglected, and indeed treated as an unnecessary restraint under existing circumstances.