COASTS OP AUSTRALIA. 
371 
caution of burning the grass off round the tent, i82o. 
their advance was received with unconcern: the Jul y 31 - 
rapidity and fierceness, however, with which they 
approached, made me fear that the sparks might 
set fire to the tent, upon which the instruments 
were moved to the waters’ edge, and the tent 
pulled down ; but, had not the grass been pre- 
viously cleared away, we could not have saved 
any article, from the rapidity with which the 
flames spread through that which had been left 
standing, and which was not more than ten yards 
from the tent. 
Three days after the visit from the natives, Mr. Aug-. 2. 
Bedwell and Mr. Hunter proceeded to examine 
among the mangroves, at the back of the har- 
bour, for a communication with some fresh water 
ponds which we had discovered the day before ; 
but they returned in the afternoon without suc- 
cess. They had penetrated up two or three 
openings in the mangroves ; in one of which was 
found a canoe, similar to that described by the 
wood-cut at page 22 5 : it was hollowed out of the 
trunk of the zrythrina , and was furnished with an 
outrigger. A turtle-peg was found in it, which 
Mr. Hunter brought away ; it measured seven- 
teen inches in length, and was in other respects 
similar to that used by the natives of Rocking- 
ham Bay. (See the wood-cut at page 245.) On 
2 B 2 
