Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/179

 COASTS o' AUSTitALA. 119 low tnundatod land behind the mangrovos, joined lSla the main stream at intervals on both sides; but ,y . they were not interestin enough in their appear- anco to detain us. We returned to the cutter at night, and the next day shifted our birth . to an anchorage close to the shore on the north s/de af the entrance, for the purpose of woocling, where the trees were so convenient and close at hand, that we completed our stock before dark. Durin the evenil, whilst we were occupied at the wooding-place, a party of natives were ob- served running towards us along the beach on the south side without the port, apparently re- turning from a hunting excursion, for the woods an the south side of the bay had been on fire for the last two days. As they approached, they* re- tired behind the beach amor the trees, and, upon their reachin the opposite side of the entrance, crept upon their hands and knees behind the bushes, where they remained, as they thought, eoncealed until the evening. A little before dark they were observed to creep out and rane thong- selves upon the beach, as if meditating upon their plans for the night, but by this time it was so dark that we could not see what they afterwards did; in order to deter them from ap- proaching us, a musquet was fired ever their

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