INTERVIEW WITH NATIVES. 27 



with many small stunted grass-trees. Several 

 water-courses traversed the plain, but they were all 

 dry. In about five miles from our camp we came 

 on a small channel full of salt water, and presently 

 after on the edge of a large mangrove swamp. 

 Crossing, with some difficulty, a channel where we 

 sank more than knee deep in mud, we got on a bank 

 beyond it about a hundred feet in height, but could 

 not see far from the closeness of the trees. Satis- 

 fied, however, from the salt water and the large 

 mangrove tracts, that it was the head of Shoalwater 

 Bay we had struck out upon, we returned. Some 

 fine showers of rain now fell, in some degree cooling 

 and refreshing the hot close woods. Taking a 

 slightly different route from that we had come in by, 

 we struck out on the native path about a mile to the 

 northward of our camp. On coming within sight of 

 this we saw a lot of dark, naked figures come troop- 

 ing over the mount through the trees, and occupy 

 the opening in the mangroves which led to it, as if 

 to dispute our passage. We immediately halted, 

 not without a passing apprehension that they had 

 murdered our two men, and destroyed the boat. 

 Captain Blackwood, giving me his gun, went forward 

 unarmed with a green bough in his hand, sat down 

 on the ground, and practised all the ceremonies 

 which we had been informed were expressive of 

 friendship. None of these blacks would come 

 forward, however, but kept under the shelter of the 

 bushes with much shouting and jabbering from one 



