Nov. 9, 1857.] 
NORTH AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 
11 
night, going about two knots ; but such was the strength of the 
current, that at daybreak we were barely able to weather the island. 
The breeze freshened during the day, and our boat, which was not 
more than 18 feet long, taking in much water, we were obliged to 
run for shelter, and reached a rocky islet to leeward of M‘Clure 
Island about 10 p.m. 
On the 25th, after an attempt to work to windward, we landed 
on the island, and spent the rest of the day in filling the open seams 
and stretching round the gunwales a couple of inflatable canvas 
tubes which the Captain had made for me. I found on the east or 
weather side of the island a plank of a Malay proa and several 
bamboo poles set upright in hollows of the rocks, most likely as 
signals of distress. 
On the 26th we weighed at daylight and steered to the south-east 
with a fine breeze, falling away to calms, with squalls and heavy 
showers at night, against which we had no shelter, nor, from the 
room occupied by our water-cask and provisions, any convenient 
place to sleep. 
On the 27th Mr. Phibbs was ill, and at night, finding that we could 
not stem the current, I anchored in three fathoms blue mud and 
shells, some miles from Sims Island. Next day I put into a small 
cove on the west side of Sims Island, and remained all day ; Mr. 
Graham being attacked with a recurrence of fever and ague, from 
which he suffered periodically during the rest of the voyage. 
On the 29 th we worked through between the north and south 
Goulburn Islands ; from the former of which three natives came off 
in a canoe of hollowed wood, and kept alongside, though we had a 
good breeze for single reefed sails. They managed their little craft 
with great skill, standing up in her with perfect ease, striking off 
the head of a rising sea with their paddles as a cricketer stops a 
ball, and baling out the water that entered with a large shell. One 
of them had a long pole, in which he inserted loosely an iron spike 
with a line attached to it, and stood up to spear a turtle, which, 
however, dived too soon. He spoke some words of English, as 
“ Tobaceo, me want him;” “Smoke him pipe;” “ Berry good ;” 
and, I thought, asked whether we were American. He told us 
there was water in the south island, and that his wife and 
piccaninnies were there. He gave a junk of turtle in exchange 
for some tobacco and a knife, and, when we tacked, ran along the 
shore with his “ piccaninnies,” waiting for us, in hope that we 
would land whenever the boat headed toward the shore. At night 
we landed on the north island to cook our supper, which illness 
prevented our enjoying. 
