100 CAPE MELVILLE. 



rugged-looking hill it is. We had hardly entered 

 the skirts of a small wood behind the beach, when 

 we heard the men in the boat calling to us, and 

 looking round, saw, on a rocky height not far on 

 our left hand, some natives watching us. We 

 accordingly returned, and climbed up the rocks 

 to go and speak to them. On seeing this they 

 retired to another ridge ; and on our again 

 advancing, to another hill. Whereupon we stood 

 still, and Captain Blackwood, advancing alone, 

 one or two of them then came forward, and 

 waved to him to put down his gun, which he 

 did, and they then put down their spears, but 

 did not come far away from them. As there were 

 six or eight of them, I did not like Captain Black- 

 wood's being unarmed among them, so giving 

 Mackay my gun, I advanced quietly, picking up 

 Captain Blackwood's gun as I went along, and they 

 at last allowed us to approach them with our 

 weapons. They were fine active fellows — tall, well- 

 limbed, upright, the hair short and curly, as also 

 the beard, no front teeth wanting, and the scars few 

 and small. They were smeared with broad bands 

 of brown or yellow ochre, both across the face and 

 body. They seemed gentle in their manners, pointed 

 to their mouths and down into the neighbouring 

 gullies, as if to intimate that there was water. I 

 gave them a necklace of glass beads, at which they 

 expressed great delight, and insisted on shewing us 



