302 FRIENDLY NATIVEa Friendship offered and accepted. Key to nauve character Friendly natives. Inland tribes. 1788 one appeared; and ihe next morning, tbougii fifty Ganoes ware 9 July, drawn up on the beachy «re could not find a single person, bnt^ oa our return, keeping for some time near the sea-coast, we came to a cove where a number of the natives were assembled, I believe more than what belonged to that particular spot. Though we were A surprise, within ten yards when we first discovered each other, I had barely time to order the party to halt before numbers appeared in arms, and the foremost of them, as he advanced, made signs for as to retire ; but up<m my going up to him, making signs of friendship, he gave his spear to another, and in less than three minutes we were surrounded by two hundred and twelve men. Numbers of women and children were at a small distance, and^ whether hj their superiority of numbers, for we were only twelve, or from their not being accustomed to act with treachery, the moment the friendship I offered was accepted on their side they joined us, most of them laying down their spears and stone hatchets with the greatest confidence, and afterwards brought down some of their women to receive the little articles we had to give them« I saw nothing to induce me to believe these people had been con- cerned in the murder which had been committed. We parted on friendly terms, and I was now more than ever convinced of the necessity of placing confidence in these people as the only meaais of avoiding a dispute. Had I gone up to them with all the padrty, though only twelve, or hesitated a moment, a lance would have been thrown, and it would have been impossible to have avoided a dispute. Here we saw the first stream of fresh water I haye seen in this country, but the cove is open to the sea. When 'the natives saw we were going on towards the next cove, one of them, an old man, made signs to let him go first, and as soon as we were at the top of the hill he called out, holding up both his hands (a sign of friend- ship) to the people in the next cove, giving them to understand that we were friends. We did not go to that cove, but saw about forty men, so that unless these people had assembled on some par- ticular occasion, the inhabitants are still more numerous than I had imagined. I have before had the honor of observing to your Lorrd- ship that we had traced the natives thirty miles inland, and this morning, in crossing the hills between Botany Bay and Port Jackson, we saw smoke on the top of Landsdowic Hill, so that I think there cannot be any doubt of there being inhabitants fifty miles inland. Digitized by Google
