160 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1819. 
Jan. 25. 
that by the time that we had dug two wells to 
receive the water which was flowing over the 
beach, they had become very inquisitive, and 
made no hesitation in searching our pockets, and 
asking for every thing they saw. One of the 
men, upon being detected in the act of pilfering 
a piece of white paper from Mr. Cunningham’s 
specimen box, immediately dropped it, and drew 
back, much alarmed for fear of punishment, and 
also ashamed of having been discovered; but 
after a few angry looks from us, the paper was 
given to him, and peace was soon restored. 
Our dog, being a subject of much alarm, was 
fastened to the stern of our boat ; a circumstance 
which prevented their curiosity from extending 
itself in that direction, and thus our arms were 
kept in convenient readiness without their know- 
ledge. 
As soon as our boats were loaded, and we had 
embarked, the natives retired to a bush ; behind 
which we observed the heads of several children 
and young women. As many as sixteen were 
counted ; so that this tribe, or family, might be 
composed of from twenty-five to thirty persons, 
of which we only saw six who were grown men. 
They were stouter and better proportioned than 
the natives of New South Wales ; and, unlike 
them, their hair was woolly : the only covering in 
