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, ete., 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 15 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. 
29th. 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. 
