TERROR OF THE NATIVES. °2%3 



returned for them, and partly in her, partly swim- 

 ming, they gained the woods. Here they halted 

 while we landed on the sand spit, and four men 

 paddled the canoe out of the creek, keeping close 

 over to their side, and with every mark of trepida- 

 tion in their countenances. One or two still re- 

 mained on the other side, whom we endeavoured by 

 every means in our power to entice over. We called 

 to them in Erroobian words, which they did not seern 

 to understand, and they shouted words back, which 

 were equally incomprehensible to us. Captain Black- 

 wood told one of our men to wade into the water, 

 to see if one of them would meet him half-way. 

 Arrived at the edge of the water, our man very 

 naturally stripped off his shirt ; but as soon as they 

 saw that not only his face, but his whole body, was 

 white, they seemed struck with horror, and after a 

 ghastly stare, fled into the bush. 



We took advantage of this strip of sand to cook 

 our dinners, while Captain Blackwood was endea- 

 vouring to get the sun's meridian altitude : for this, 

 however, it turned out too cloudy. In the mean- 

 time I succeeded in adding a teal and a thick- 

 kneed plover to our stock of provisions, out of a 

 flock of birds on the beach. 



On our departure we saw another canoe coming 

 toward us from the westward, and seeing us go 

 away without doing them any injury, six or eight of 

 the first party likewise put off in their canoe, and 

 came towards us. We succeeded in inducing them 



