266 AUSTRALIA CHAP, xi 



at them, whereupon the elder threw one more lance and 

 ran away, as did the other. We went up to the houses, in 

 one of which we found the children hidden behind the shield, 

 and a piece of bark. 



We were conscious, from the distance the people had 

 been from us when we fired, that the shot could have done 

 them no material harm ; we therefore resolved to leave the 

 children upon the spot without even opening their shelter ; 

 we therefore threw into the house to them some beads, 

 ribbons, cloth, etc., as presents, and went away. We, how- 

 ever, thought it no improper measure to take away with us 

 all the lances which we could find about the houses, amount- 

 ing in number to forty or fifty. They varied in length from 

 6 to 1 5 feet. Both those which were thrown at us, and all 

 we found, except one, had four prongs headed with very sharp 

 fish bones, which were besmeared with a greenish-coloured 

 gum, that at first gave me some suspicion of poison. 



The people were blacker than any we have seen on the 

 voyage, though by no means negroes ; their beards were 

 thick and bushy, and they seemed to have a redundancy of 

 hair upon those parts of the body where it commonly grows. 

 The hair of their heads was bushy and thick, but by no 

 means woolly like that of a negro. They were of a common 

 size, lean, and seemed active and nimble ; their voices were 

 coarse and strong. Upon examining the lances we had taken 

 from them, we found that most of them had been used in 

 striking fish ; at least we concluded so from the seaweed 

 which was found stuck in among the four prongs. 



At night many moving lights were seen at different 

 parts of the bay ; such we had been used to see at the 

 Islands, from hence we supposed that the people here strike 

 fish in the same manner. 



29^. The fishing fires, as we supposed them to be, were 

 seen during the greater part of the night. In the morning 

 we went ashore at the houses, but found not the least good 

 effect from our presents yesterday. No signs of people 

 were to be seen ; and in the house where the children were 

 yesterday, was left everything which we had thrown to them. 



