COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
409 
prudent, if possible, to keep the boat afloat, one 1 82 ° - 
of the men was stationed in her for that purpose ; Sepk 12 * 
but, overpowered by fatigue, he fell asleep and the 
boat in a short time was left dry upon the mud ; the 
party on shore were continually disturbed during 
the night, by what was thought to be the rushing 
of alligators into the water beneath them, but 
the noise was probably occasioned by stones 
and lumps of mud falling into it as the tide 
ebbed ; a splash, however, that they heard on the 
opposite side was very likely an alligator, for they 
had seen one swimming as they pulled up the 
river. On hearing this, Mr. Roe became very 
much alarmed on account of the boat-keeper, but 
no pains to apprize him of his danger had any ef- 
fect: the only reply that could be got from him was, 
“ Damn the alligators,’’ and the next moment he 
was asleep again ; fortunately for him no alligator 
came near enough to make him repent his fool- 
hardy insensibility. 
The width of the stream at low water, which 
was quite salt, was not more than twenty-five 
feet. When the flood commenced, it came in so 
rapidly that the water rose five feet in ten mi- 
nutes : altogether it rose twenty -four feet; but 
drift-wood and dead branches of trees were 
noticed among the rocks, at least fourteen feet 
above the ordinary high-water mark, indicating, 
