Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/478

 so.. It has bee already stated, that. the. construc- at.--. tian of the Menna/d was mth.r hnrp,. so. thnt it was necessary to land every thing. before it. zould be safe to lay her-on theground: her. masts were therefore struck, and the sails, being. sent. on shore,, were suspended_to trees and con.erted into tents for the preservation of. our provisions and stores, and for habitations. for the ofi/cers- and crew. Our anchorage was four hundred yards distant frm the beach; which, since the vessel took the ground at low water,. was as near as we could pndently approach it, hut sufi/ciently close to protect our property from the natives until every thing was landed. None had as yet appeared, but, the country having been lately fired, and the impression of a man's foot having been noticei. on the sand when we landed in the momin, gave evident proofs that they were not far o/ 011 the beach were the rems/ns. of several huts; but. they did not appear W have been recently occupied:. in order, however,. to avoid surprise or loss,. the stores and provisions, that had been landed in the evening, were placed at.a distance from the grass and trees, and co- �ered. over with a sail: near th/s. pile our four- pounder. was planted, loaded with musquet balls, ready to be fired at a moment's warning.

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