Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/231

] during the night, drove both hips from their anchors and ran them aground in the mud. They, however, uffered no damage, and were eaily et again afloat. It was urpriing that they hould have thought themelves ecure with one mall anchor, but jut moored in a muddy bottom, as this ort of bottom affords very little hold till the anchor be unk to a coniderable depth.

We only waited for a favourable wind to leave the harbour. During the whole day it was contrary, and in the night time it blew with great violence. Dauribeau, however, although we had ran aground only the night before, thought it ufficient to moor a ingle cablet; but his opinion was over-ruled by the ret of the officers, who knew, from experience, the neceity of holding by the large anchor.

During our abode at the Cape of Van Diemen we had only een the natives at at a coniderable ditance; thoe who had oberved us having always fled with great precipitation. Some of them left behind them their houeheld utenils, which gave us a very imperfect pecimen of their indutry. Thee were bakets, clumily contructed of the reeds known by the name of juncus acutus, and drinking veels, made of a large piece of fucus palmatus, cut into a circular form, and moulded into the hape of a pure. We never found any weapons