266 THE NATIVES VERY TROUBLESOME. [CII. VI. 



The strong tall man was by far the most covetous, it 

 was almost impossible to keep him from our carts ; even 

 after all the others had been rather roughly pushed oft', and 

 had sat down. About sunset the tribe retired, but with de- 

 monstrations of their intention to visit us in the morning. 

 Meanwhile, I was thinking to explore the further course of 

 the river, with a few men and pack animals only, leaving 

 the bullocks and other men to refresh here, for our long 

 homeward journey. Rest, indeed, was most essential to 

 enable them to do this ; and as the natives were now gather- 

 ing around us, circumstances were not likely to mend in 

 either respect, by our travelling at a slow rate. The neces- 

 sity for separation, however, was obvious, if the survey was 

 to be continued farther ; but I determined to halt for two 

 days, preparatory to our setting out, during which time I 

 hoped by patient vigilance and firmness, to disappoint the 

 cupidity, and yet gratify the curiosity, of the natives, so as 

 to induce them to draw off", and leave us. 



Juli/ 10. — Early this morning, the blacks came up in in- 

 creased numbers, and we were forced to shove the tall fellow, 

 by the shoulders, from our stores. The old man, however, 

 managed to cut (with a knife which he had received from us 

 as a present) one of the tent ropes ; and because it was taken 

 from him, when he was making off" with it, he threw a fire-stick 

 at the tent. One strange native arrived, after many cooys, 

 from a distance ; whereupon the chief of the fishing-tribe 

 (whom we styled king Peter), led him to us, and introduced 

 him to my particular attention. The tribe also took great 

 interest in this introduction, and I, on our part, met the 

 stranger as favourably as I could, by sitting down opposite to 

 him in the midst of the tribe, to which king Peter had led 

 me. While I sat thus, under a dense group of bawling 

 savages, I perceived that the most loquacious and apparently 

 influential of all, was the female who came up to us on the 

 morning of the 8th, carrying a net. She was now all anima- 

 tion, and her finely shaped mouth, beautiful teeth, and well- 



