552 HISTORY OF 



seemed to revive by the trips which the vessel 

 made in tacking occasionally towards the shore. 



The intricacy of the channels proved a great 

 impediment to their progress, but they could 

 not get out of the river in one tide, so were 

 obliged to anchor about a mile short of the en- 

 trance : 18 swans were procured in this river. 



Soon after anchoring, Lieut. Flinders took 

 some of his people with axes on shore to cut a 

 log of the pine for the workmen at Port Jackson 

 to ascertain the kind and value of the wood. 

 There was a house and several natives near the 

 place, with whom Bong-ree was talking to when 

 the tree fell, the crash and report of which 

 startled them, and probably assisted in giving 

 them a high idea of their visitors. These peo- 

 ple were still averse to the appearance of a mus- 

 ket. The worthy native. Bong-ree, made them 

 a present of one of his spears, and a thro wing- 

 stick, of which he shewed them the use, for 

 they appeared to be wholly ignorant of the lat- 

 ter, and their weapons of the former kind were 

 inferior to his. 



Bad weather detained Lieut. Flinders hen 

 two days, during which they were occasionally 

 visited by the natives, who came down upoi 

 both sides of the river, and entertained them 

 M'ith singing and dancing : their singing, in- 

 deed, could not be distinctly heard, beini 

 nearly lost in the wind. 



While lying here, Lieut. Flinders had an ap- 

 portunity of observing their manner of fishin 

 which was perfectly novel even to his compa- 



