VOYAGE OF THE "PANDORA" 107 



cag of good water, which we emptied in a minute, and then sent if back to be filled 

 again. They, however, would not bring it the second time, but put it down on 

 the beach and made signs to us to come on shore for it. This we declined, as we 

 observed the women and children running and supplying the men with bows and 

 arrows. In a few minutes, they let fly a shower of arrows amongst the thick of us. 

 Luckily, we had not a man wounded ; but an arrow fell between the Captain and 

 Third Lieutenant and went through the boat's thwart and stuck in it. We 

 immediately discharged a volley of muskets at them, which put them to flight. 

 There were, however, none of them killed. We now abandoned all hopes of refresh- 

 ment here. This island lies contiguous to Mountainous Island [Mount Adolphus 

 Island. R. L. J.]. It may be observed that the channel through the reef is better 

 than any hitherto known. 1 We ascertained the latitudes with the greatest accuracy 

 and exactness." 



The writer goes on to advise the Government to plant pines 

 and coco-nut palms as landmarks. 



CAPTAIN EDWARDS 



" I steered for an island called by Lieutenant Bligh Mountainous Island, and 

 when joined by the boats [2nd September] ran into a bay of that island [$rd September, 

 MOUNT ADOLPHUS ISLAND. R. L. J.], where we saw INDIANS on the beach. The 

 water was shoal, and the Indians waded off to the boats. I gave them some presents 

 and made them sensible that we were in want of water. They brought us a vessel 

 filled with water, which had been given them for the purpose, and they returned to fill 

 it again. They used many signs to signify they wished us to land, but we declined 

 their invitation from motives of prudence. 



" Just as a person was entering the water with the second vessel of water, an 

 arrow was discharged at us by another person, which struck my boat on the quarter, 

 and perceiving that they were collecting bows and arrows, a volley of small arms 

 was fired at them, which put them to flight. I did not think proper to land and get 

 water by force, as land was seen at that time in different directions, which by 

 appearance was likely to produce that article, and which I flattered myself we might 

 be able to procure without being drove to that extremity. I therefore ran close 

 along the shore of this island and landed at different places at some distance from 

 the former situation. I also landed at another island near it, which I called PLUM 

 ISLAND [Thomson's footnote : ' TREE ISLAND.' Possibly LITTLE ADOLPHUS ISLAND. 

 R. L. J.], from its producing a species of that fruit, but we were unsuccessful in 

 finding the article we were in search of and in so much want of. 



" In the evening [^rd September] we steered for the islands which we supposed 

 were those called by Captain Cook the PRINCE OF WALES ISLANDS, and before midnight 

 came to a grapnel . . . near one of these islands, in a large sound formed by several 

 of the surrounding islands, to several of which we gave names, and called the sound 

 SANDWICH SouND. 2 It is fit for the reception of ships, having from 5 to 7 fathoms of 

 water. There is plenty of wood on most of the islands, and by digging we found 

 very good water [in the morning of <\.th September. R. L. J.] on the flat part of a 

 large island which I called LAFORY'S ISLAND [Basil Thomson's Note : HORN ISLAND], 

 situated on the larboard hand as we entered the sound from the eastward. We saw 

 a burying-place and several wolves [Basil Thomson's Note : ' Dingoes '] near the 

 watering-place, but we saw no natives. Here we filled our several vessels with water 

 and made two canvas bags, in which we also put water, but with this assistance we 

 had barely the means to take a gallon of water for each man in the boats. We sent 



1 Evidently an interpolation, being practically a quotation from the Captain's log, 

 which Mr. Hamilton probably saw at Batavia. R. L. T. 



a Basil Thomson's Note : " Now called Prince of Wales Channel. It is the best 

 channel through Torres Straits, and if Edwards' narrative had been published, his 

 discovery would doubtless have been perpetuated in his name." 



