326 AUSTRALIA TO SAVU ISLAND CHAP, XIV 
away, and was no longer perceived. All the latter part of 
the day we had calms or light winds all round the compass, 
the weather at the same time being most intolerably hot. 
3rd. We stood right in-shore, and at half-past eight had 
less than three fathoms water five or six miles from the 
shore. The captain, Dr. Solander, and I, with the boat’s 
crew and my servants, consisting in all of twelve men, well 
armed, rowed directly towards the shore, but could not get 
nearer than about 200 yards on account of the shallowness 
of the water. We quickly, however, got out of the boat, and 
waded ashore, leaving two men to take care of her. We 
had no sooner landed than we saw the print of naked feet 
upon the mud below high-water mark, which convinced us 
that the Indians were not far off, though we had yet seen 
no signs of any. The nature of the country made it necessary 
for us to be very much upon our guard. The close, thick 
wood came down to within less than 100 yards of the water, 
and so near therefore might the Indians come without our 
seeing them, and should they by numbers overpower us, a re- 
treat to the boat would be impossible, as she was so far from 
the shore. We proceeded, therefore, with much caution, 
looking carefully about us, the doctor and I looking for 
plants at the edge of the wood, and the rest walking along 
the beach. 
About 200 yards from our landing, we came to a grove 
of cocoanut trees of very small growth, but well hung 
with fruit, standing upon the banks of a small brook 
of brackish water. Near them was a small shed, hardly 
half covered with cocoanut leaves, in and about which were 
numberless cocoanut shells, some quite fresh. We stayed 
under these trees some time, admiring and wishing for the 
fruit, but as none of us could climb, it was impossible to 
get even one, so we left them, and proceeded in search of 
anything else which might occur. We soon found plantains 
and a single bread-fruit tree, but neither of these had any 
fruit upon them, so we proceeded, and had got about a quarter 
of a mile from the boat when three Indians suddenly rushed 
out of the woods, with a hideous shout, about a hundred 
