COASTS OF AUSTRALIA, 
37 
sand shewed they were not far off ; but on the jsai. 
evening of the 7th, the surgeon, accompanied by 
Dr, Armstrong of the Dick, landed in that ves- 
sel’s gig, and, whilst amusing themselves among 
the trees, and the boat’s crew incautiously wan- 
dering away from the boat, the natives came 
down, and would have carried off all the boat’s 
furniture, and every thing in her, had they not 
been disturbed by the return of one of the sailors 
with a musquet. They succeeded, however, in 
making a prize of a new boat-cloak, and the 
boat-hook, and one of them had nearly succeeded 
in carrying off an oar, but upon being fired at, 
dropped his booty and scampered off. This 
trifling loss was deservedly sustained by our 
gentlemen, for they were well aware how sud- 
denly the natives have always appeared, and 
how mischievously they had on those occasions 
conducted themselves : they were also cautioned, 
when they went on shore to be upon their guard, 
and it was fortunate for them that nothing more 
serious occurred. 
At daylight, the 8th, the San Antonio rejoined s. 
us from Sims Island, and at eleven o’clock w^e 
left the bay, and passed to the eastward of New 
Year’s Island: the Dick and ourselves then 
steered to the westward along the coast, while 
the San Antonio steered a north-west course, and 
