108 MORE NATIVES. 



side of the hill was low and level, covered with 

 short thick wood, with many bare sandy spaces 

 towards the sea, round which were mangroves. 

 Some low, level-topped hills swept round this flat, a 

 few miles back, and at the back of Lloyd's Bay, but 

 there was nothing pleasing or inviting in the aspect of 

 the country. The natives wanted us very much to go 

 down the hill into the woody plain beyond it, and 

 "coeyed" frequently in that direction. These 

 coeys were shortly answered, and we heard voices 

 approaching the foot of the hill, though we could 

 see no one for the trees. At half-past nine Yule 

 had taken his observations for the longitude, but 

 wished to stay and take the latitude at noon. On 

 second thoughts, however, we judged it best to 

 return to the boats and take that on the beach. 

 While the instruments were being packed up, 

 another young black fellow, unarmed, suddenly 

 joined us from below, and we saw four or five more 

 walking towards the boats across a little open plain 

 on the other side the scrubby gully, by the side of 

 which we had come up. The three with us, after 

 saying something very earnestly, immediately ran 

 down, and in a very short space of time we saw 

 them all in the water round the boats. The instru- 

 ments being packed up, we hurried down, but Yule 

 was so lame, and the descent so rough that his 

 progress was necessarily slow. When about half way 

 down, hearing some shouting below, I ran forward 

 to a projecting rock, and saw that the natives had 



