1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 151 



so that they passed it, not in sleep, but in restless 

 wishes for the return of day. With the first dawn 

 they set out in search of game, and in a walk of many 

 miles, they saw four animals of the same kind, two 

 of which Mr. Banks's greyhound fairly chased, but 

 they threw him out at a great distance, by leaping 

 over the long thick grass, which prevented his run- 

 ning : this animal was observed not to run upon four 

 legs, but to bound or hop forward upon two, like the 

 Jerbiia, or Mas Jaculus. About noon, they returned 

 to the boat, and again proceeded up the river, which 

 was soon contracted into a fresh-water brook, where, 

 however, the tide rose to a considerable height : as 

 evening approached, it became low water, and it was 

 then so shallow that they were obliged to get out of 

 the boat and drag her along, till they could find a 

 place in which they might, with some hope of rest, 

 pass the night. Such a place at length offered, and 

 while they were getting the things out of the boat, 

 they observed a smoke at the distance of about a 

 furlong : as they did not doubt but that some of the 

 natives, with whom they had so long and earnestly 

 desired to become personally acquainted, were about 

 the fire, three of the party went immediately towards 

 it, hoping that so small a number would not put them 

 to flight : when they came up to the place, however, 

 they found it deserted, and therefore they conjec- 

 tured, that before they had discovered the Indians, 

 the Indians had discovered them. They found the 

 fire still burning, in the hollow of an old tree that 

 was become touch-wood, and several branches of 

 trees newly broken down, with which children ap- 

 peared to have been playing : they observed also 

 many footsteps upon the sand, below high-water mark, 

 which were certain indications that the Indians had 

 been recently upon the spot. Several houses were 

 found at a little distance, and some ovens dug in the 

 ground, in the same manner as those of Otaheite, in 

 which victuals appeared to have been dressed since 



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