COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
333 
by the whole mob, which had now increased to 1819. 
forty or fifty people: all the men were armed Oct. 24 . 
with cresses, and two amongst them had swords 
and spears ; but there was no appearance of hos- 
tility, or of any unfriendly disposition towards 
us. When they saw' our empty barica in the boat, 
they intimated by signs that we might fill it, and 
Mr. Bed well and Mr. Cunningham accordingly 
accompanied one of our people to the well to take 
advantage of their offer; for a few gallons of 
water were now of great importance to us. 
We then took a friendly leave of these island- 
ers, under the full expectation on their part of our 
returning in the morning with rupees and powder 
to barter with their commodities; whereas I had 
quite determined to leave the bay the moment 
that the day dawned. 
The two following modes of proceeding were 
now only left to us ; viz., either to beat back to Coe- 
pang, which bore E.b.N. 120 miles, or to bear 
up and pass through the straits of Lombock or 
Allas, and go to Madura or Sourabaya for water, 
of which, on a reduced allowance, we had enough 
on board for fifteen days. 
To do the first would probably take a week or 
ten days, even if favoured by the wind. At 
Coepang we could procure every thing we wanted ; 
and the only arguments against such a measure 
