NATIVES BECOME TROUBLESOME. 193 
deserted by them. Why they did not attack us, I know 
not, for they had certainly every disposition to do so, and 
had their shorter weapons with them, which, in so confined 
a space as that on which we were, would have been more 
fatal than their spears. 
They left us, however; and a flight of red-crested cocka- 
toos happening to settle on a plain near the river, I crossed 
in the boat in order to shoot one. The plain was upon the 
proper left bank of the Murray. The natives had passed 
over to the right. As the one channel was too shallow 
for the boat, when we again pursued our journey we were 
obliged to pull round to the left side of the island. A little 
above it the river makes a bend to the left, and the ancde 
at this bend was occupied by a large shoal, one point of 
which rested on the upper part of the island, and the 
other touched the proper right bank of the river. Thus 
a narrow channel, (not broader indeed than was neces- 
sary for the play of our oars,) alone remained for us to pass 
up against a strong current. On turning round the lower 
part of the island, we observed that the natives occupied 
the whole extent of the shoal, and speckled it over like 
skirmishers. Many of them had their spears, and their 
attention was evidently directed to us. — As we neared the 
shoal, the most forward of them pressed close to the edge of 
the deep water, so much so that our oars struck their 
legs. Still this did not induce them to retire. I kept my 
eye on an elderly man who stood one of the most forward, 
VOL. II. 0 
