Correspondence — N'orth Coast of Australia 195 



cepting (at Bob's recommendation) a youth called ' Smike' as pilot and inter- 

 preter, we sailed for the gulf at daylight on the morning of the 19th July. The 

 winds being light we did not arrive off Port Essington till II p.m. 



"We weighed from Port 'Essington at daylight on the 20th of July, and next 

 morning were about 12 miles S. W. from Mounts Bidwell and Roe, the only 

 really salient features of the whole coast-line of the northern territory. Smike 

 at first pointed out Greenhill Sound as Endyalgoot, but afterwards said it was 

 a small distance inside, and advised us to go through the narrow strait dividing 

 Greenhill Sound from the main, informing us that there were a number of 

 ' stones ' to the southward. We accordingly worked through the straits, having 

 a flood-stream in our favour, running about three knots, and as much as 19 

 fathoms between the reefs. The channel was about half a mile wide and 4 

 miles long. As we advanced Smike changed the locality of Endyalgoot 

 from the May-day Islands to some other site not then visible, and increased the 

 size of M'Kinlay's boat to a vessel the size of the ' Beatrice,' with other stories 

 which made us begin to doubt him altogether. However, I meant to visit 

 Endyalgoot and judge for myself; but at 5 p.m. the vessel was in only two 

 fathoms mud, so we came to. At low water we were aground in the mud. The 

 real Endyalgoot was now in sight, so after moving the vessel into deeper water 

 to the north-westward I left on the morning of the 22d July, and taking 

 Smike in the boat with me, pulled down to that island, which we did not 

 reach till nearly 5 p.m., having had the whole of the ebb stream to pull against 

 and very little wind. Smike went into the bush to find the natives, and we 

 made ourselves snug for the night after supper, pulling about half a mile off 

 shore to escape the mosquitoes, which were very thick on shore. 



"At daylight next morning Smike made his appearance in company with a 

 number of natives, some of whom were wearing portions of his clothing, he 

 himself coming back to us stripped. His story now was that M'Kinlay had 

 gone back to the Alligator River after leaving word with these natives that I 

 was to follow him on to that place, and on my asking one of the natives to re- 

 peat my name he gave it at once, ' Cappen Howard,' but I believe he had 

 been well schooled by Smike. I had been along the beach and carefully ex- 

 amined it above high-water mark for more than a mile and could not find any 

 traces of white men, although Smike declared that Mr M'Kinlay had landed 

 at the very spot we did, and shot lots of birds, also that he had only one g;un 

 among the party. 



"Whilst at breakfast Smike contradicted himself and altered his story so often 

 that I began to think we had come all this way for nothing, and resolved to 

 proceed to Adam Bay first, calling in at the East Alligator. Having a breeze 

 up to nearly 9 a.m. we reached the vessel at noon, and as Smike refused to 

 go any further with us we landed him that afternoon on the beach at the back 

 of Port Essington. Our people here were also unsuccessful in getting any 

 buffaloes, only seeing two and never getting a shot. 



"Endyalgoot seems a fine island, about 8 miles long, east and west, and 2 or 3 

 broad ; its eastern end is not filled in Captain King's chart. The water appears 

 very shoal off its east side. It is wooded like the shores of Mount Norris Bay, 

 the land having much the same appearance, with several red cliffs along its 

 south side. We reached the entrance of the East Alligator River on the 25th, 

 when we came to in four fathoms. The whole coast line from the Coburg 

 Isthmus to the Alligator River is low and partly fronted with mangroves, and 

 the three-fathom line is 2 or 3 miles from shore. We found the river of less 

 depth than we had expected. I tried to effect a landing at noon to get the lati- 

 tude, but was unable to do so in consequence of the depth of the mud at low 

 water. Alligators are very numerous on the banks. At 2 P.M. weighed with 

 the first of the flood, and the wind being light, drifted up the river broadside on, 

 the vessel being quite unmanageable, the depth 12 feet, until we passed the 

 mouth of a large creek, which joins the river from the northward, when the 

 depth increased to 3 or 4 fathoms, and we were able to steer the vessel. As 

 the river narrowed, the force of the tide stream increased to between 4 and 5 

 knots, and we had to furl sails, and keep her as nearly as possible in the centre 

 of the stream. At 6.30, it being then quite dark, we heard a great roaring 

 a head, as of water rushing over a reef of rocks,- so we came to at once in bk 



