COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
317 
As soon as our approach was discovered, the 1819. 
women took their baskets and moveables and Oct. 5. 
hurried away with the children, whilst the men 
seized their spears to protect their retreat ; but as 
our object was not to alarm these poor savages, 
we pulled over to the opposite shore, which was 
about sixty yards across, and landed : Mr. Cun- 
ningham and I then ascended a steep hill that 
rose immediately from the shore, the summit of 
which promised to afford us a prospect of the 
surrounding land. The view, however, from this 
eminence, although extensive, did not answer my 
expectation: alow country, of an arid and barren 
appearance, extended to the southward ; the 
northern part of the land, on which we were, 
appeared to be that described by the French as 
Bougainville Island, but it was now clearly and 
distinctly ascertained to be a peninsula: our 
view to the north-west was intercepted by higher 
hills than those we were upon. After taking all 
the bearings that the confined prospect permitted, 
without having very materially improved my 
knowledge of the surrounding country, I began 
to think of returning to the boat, and, on looking 
towards the natives, perceived that they had left 
the tree, and were standing about fifty yards far- 
ther back, attentively engaged in consultation, and 
in watching our movements : besides their spears 
