590 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



in the canoe, who were likely to have brought some fish, and who 

 were, he asserted, " all very good men." 



On getting down to the beach again, Billy and his friend of 

 the morning came panting up with some of the canoe's crew. 

 They renewed the offer to bring fish, and we sent them off promising 

 to give them tobacco if they brought fish, but repeating the caution 

 that only two were to come, and to come unarmed. Billy pro- 

 tested his sincerity in the words, " No gammon gammon no 

 good." 



Half a mile after we had descended to the beach (low sand-hills 

 extending inland for some distance, with a few patches of mangrove 

 at half-tide) we reached a third-magnitude creek, whose mouth 

 bore W. 10 N. from the larger HANNIBAL ISLAND. 



For about 4 miles further we kept the beach by low sand-hills 

 which stretched a long way inland. 



After 2 miles more, by low sand-hills on the top of low sand- 

 stone shelves, we rounded a point of the latter, where I thought 

 of camping. Four or five BLACKS were seen coming up behind WITH 

 SPEARS, and we went back to meet them. They offered us one 

 fish. Before coming up they had dropped their spears, which we 

 found. They were not fish-spears one of them, with a long iron 

 barb, I was destined to become better acquainted with before 

 long. 



As we had repeatedly warned Billy that he and his companions 

 were not to bring spears, we could no longer doubt that they 

 meant mischief. We sent them away for the last time, warning 

 them that we would fire on them if they again approached, and 

 as the place did not afford a good camp for defence we moved on. 



Two miles farther we rounded a sandstone promontory [HUNTER 

 POINT] and crossed a somewhat boggy creek of the second or third 

 magnitude, afterwards named CAMISADE CREEK. The blacks, who 

 probably expected to find us thrown into disorder by the boggy 

 creek, were now seen coming up behind, about fifteen strong, armed 

 with spears, evidently with hostile intent. We got as near as we 

 could (about 150 yards) and fired. Unfortunately we missed 

 them, and the blacks fled. 



We camped on the north side of the creek on an open sand-patch, 

 well grassed and separated from a scrub by the backwaters of the 

 creek. The camp bore W. 33 S. from HALFWAY ISLAND, and NW. 

 from the outermost island of the HANNIBAL GROUP. (CAMP 57.) 



I have been blamed in some quarters for a want of firmness 

 in not having shot some of the blacks on the first appearance of 

 TREACHERY ; and it is easy to see that an opportunity of striking 

 terror and inspiring respect occurred when the two natives were 

 found hidden in the grass. I refrained from taking advantage 

 of that opportunity, simply in the hope that the affair might be 

 got over without bloodshed, and from a disinclination to commence 



