BUT DECEIVE US AT LAST. 



261 



hammock nettings to speak to them, and after a last 

 endeavour to sell a bunch of ketai, and get every 

 thing he thought he possibly could of us, he stepped 

 into the main chains, whence he very quietly dropped 

 into the water, and got on board his canoe. It was 

 now evident the old rogue never intended to go with 

 us, and that all his assurances were merely intended 

 to detain us, in order to get the greatest possible 

 quantity of " sapara" and <k nipa" for himself and 

 his followers. 



They all seemed to regard Dowdee with con- 

 siderable horror, and said the people of Dowdee 

 would kill them ; making signs, by biting their 

 arms, as if they would also eat them afterwards. 



Captain Blackwood now resolved we should make 

 one more effort by ourselves on the coast of New 

 Guinea, to get news of our missing boats. For this 

 purpose he determined to lighten the Prince George 

 and trim her upon an even keel, and take her into 

 an inlet in the bight that had not yet been examined, 

 and search some of the houses, to see if any frag- 

 ments of the boats, gear, clothes, or other matters 

 could be found ; and endeavour, either by friendship 

 or force, to communicate with some of the inhabi- 

 tants, and try to get some information from them. 



On standing towards Bramble Key, of which 1 

 had now learnt the native name (Caedha), we met 

 the Prince George with two casks of fresh eggs on 

 board, and this day and the next she was prepared, 

 as we ran down to the north, for her excursion over 

 the mud flats. 



