STATEMENT OF DR. VALLACK. 245 



we mig-ht be away for three hours or more^ and that 

 we should fire a gun on our return^ which was to 

 be answered by them. 



Jackey was now head and leading- man in every 

 sense of the word^ and away we went in a westerly 

 direction^ for about, say, five or six miles ; Jackey 

 telling' us to look out behind and all about for the 

 blacks. After proceeding* some four miles of the 

 distance, we came to a creek where we stopped for 

 a few minutes , Jackey was evidently tired, not 

 recovered, and could not walk fast, and althoug-h we 

 went off at first at a g'ood pace, Jackey was g'etting" 

 lame, and had been obliged to sit down three times 

 on the journey. About two miles beyond this creek 

 Jackey got up into a tree, and returned, saying, he 

 could see the mountain near which the camp was, 

 but that it was a long way off, that we could not 

 get there to-night, but that we must camp in the 

 bush, and get there to-morrow. It here became 

 necessary to pause. The ship was left with two 

 hands only in her, anchored in shallow water, and the 

 Captain said promptly that he could not proceed 

 farther without great risk of losing the ship, either 

 fi'om its coming on to blow, or that natives may 

 attack her in their canoes ; (here I may say what 

 has been omitted, viz., that in the early part of the 

 mornino- we saw and examined a canoe close to 

 where we first landed, and found part of a cloak in 

 it, which Jackey immediately pronounced as belong- 

 ing- to the white men at the camp) and it was 



