256 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1819. The following morning, as soon as the ebb tide 
Aug. 5. ceased, I left the cutter in a boat, accompanied j 
by Messrs. Bedwell and Cunningham, and pro- 
ceeded up the river. The banks on either side 
were, for ten or twelve miles, so thickly and im- 
penetrably lined with very large mangroves as j 
to defy all attempts of landing ; above this these 
trees were less abundant, and the banks were 
occasionally clear from fifty to two hundred yards 
in extent ; however, the view thus obtained did not 
impress us with any flattering idea of the country 
at the back. On passing the second open bank, 
we observed a canoe hauled up on the shore, 
and at a little distance farther we saw another ; 
these were the first indications we had observed 
of the presence of natives, excepting the large 
fires that were burning a little way in from the 
banks. 
At the next open bank on the eastern side, we 
put ashore to give the boat’s crew an opportunity 
of getting their dinner, and, as we landed, I dis- 
charged my fowling-piece at some birds ; upon 
ascending the bank, we found that the report of 
the gun had alarmed four natives, two of whom 
were females with children on their backs ; they 
were retreating in haste towards a smoke, the fire 
of which was concealed from us by high grass : 
as soon as they reached the fire, they stopped and 
