Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/147

 COASTS OP AUST!ALIA. $ and as was expected, we were assailed by a ss. shower ot  spears and stones from the natives, Apr  who were concealed behind the mangroves. Happily, however, we received no damage, al- though the spears and stones* fell about us very thickly, aud several of the former struck the boat. A volley of musketry was fired into the mangToves, but we could not ascertain wlether any of the balls took effect, since we could not see our assailants. A wound from one of their � stone-lieaded weapons, from our want of surgical knowledge, must in such a climate have proved fatal, and we considered our escape truly pro- vidential. As soon as we were out of the reach of their spears, which they continued to throw until it was of no use, we hoisted the sl, and steered round the shores of the bay. We had not proceeded far, before their canoe was ob- served secured to the beach by a smoll rope, which offered so good an opportunity of punish- ing these savages for their treacherous attack, that we landed and brought it away; and upon examining its contents, we found not only their dubs, but also a large quantity of bivalve shell- fh, (arca scapha ? *) so that we had not only t. 55, f. 54. o Digitized bS, Goog[c
 * LAM,WCK. tom. v]. part I. p. 42, CIISMN, CoNca. 7. p. 01.

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