COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
119 
low inundated land behind the mangroves, joined 1818. 
the main stream at intervals on both sides ; but May 26 . 
they were not interesting enough in their appear- 
ance to detain us. We returned to the cutter 
at night, and the next day shifted our birth 26. 
to an anchorage close to the shore on the north 
side of the entrance, for the purpose of wooding, 
where the trees were so convenient and close 
at hand, that we completed our stock before 
dark. 
During the evening, whilst we were occupied at 
the wooding-place, a party of natives were ob- 
served running towards us along the beach on 
the south side without the port, apparently re- 
turning from a hunting excursion, for the woods 
on the south side of the bay had been on fire for 
the last two days. As they approached, they re- 
tired behind the beach among the trees, and, upon 
their reaching the opposite side of the entrance, 
crept upon their hands and knees behind the 
bushes, where they remained, as they thought, 
concealed until the evening. A little before dark 
they were observed to creep out and range them- 
selves upon the beach, as if meditating upon 
their plans for the night, but by this time it 
was so dark that we could not see what they 
afterwards did ; in order to deter them from ap- 
proaching us, a musquet was fired over their 
