98 AFFRAY WITH NATIVES. 



the neAvs^and communicated with the owner^who was 

 to send a larg'er vessel to pick it up and convey it at 

 once to the China market.* An inferior kind of sandal 

 wood^ the produce of Exocarpos latifolia (hut w^hich 

 afterwards turned out to be useless)^ w^as met with 

 in several localities^ — as the Percy Isles, Repulse 

 Bay^ Cape Upstart^ Palm Islands^ &c. At this 

 last place they had much friendly intercourse w ith 

 the natives^ who were liberally treated with pre- 

 sents. It is supposed that the sig-ht of so many 

 valuable articles had excited the cupidity of these 

 savages^ for^ one morning*^ at half-past three o'clock^ 

 a party came off in '^ larg-e canoes with outrig'g-ers/' 

 and boarded the cutter when all hands w^ere below. 

 Their first act was to throw into the cabin and 

 down the fore hatchway some lighted bark^ and 

 w^hen the master and one of the crew rushed on 

 deck in a state of confusion, they w^ere instantly 

 knocked on the head with boomerang's and rendered 

 insensible. At this crisis^ had it not been for the 

 successful courag'e of the mate^ who cleared the 

 deck wdth a sword^ and allowed the remainder of 

 the crew to come up to his assistance^ the natives 

 would probably have obtained possession of the 



* In 1847 nearly 1000 tons of this wood, procured chiefly from 

 New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, &c. were exported from Syd- 

 ney to China, where it is burnt with other incense in the temples. 

 The sandal-wood trade in these islands gives employment to about 

 six small vessels, belonging to Sydney. In China it reahzes 

 about ^30 per ton. 



