of the Sand Pit River, opposite the south end of Maria Island. The dogs of the Natives made a great noise, howling the whole night, while Mr. Walpole and his party were concealed, at a short distance, not wishing to attempt taking any of the tribe until morning. No noise being heard near daylight, it was supposed the Natives had taken the alarm and gone in the night, and, in consequence, Mr. Walpole advanced to the first hut, where he very unexpectedly saw five Blacks all fast asleep, under some blankets, with their dogs. He seized hold of one of the largest of the five, which awakening the party, they endeavoured to make their escape. The man, whose feet he had hold of, made a violent effort to escape, and darted through the back of the hut, carrying Mr. Walpole with him, into the gully or creek behind. Here he again tried to make his escape by twisting his legs and biting, and would have succeeded, had Mr. Walpole not drawn a small dagger from his belt, and inflicted a slight wound, which so frightened him, that he was secured. The other taken was a boy of about fifteen years of age, and appears to be the son of a chief, from the ornaments upon his body, cut with flints or some sharp instrument into the skin. Two others were shot by the party in making their escape into the scrub, on the edge of which their huts were placed. This hut had been fixed as a vidette or outpost to a very numerous tribe encamped in the scrub, who took the alarm on the firing, and made a precipitate retreat, leaving a great number of spears and waddies behind, and baskets of their women. It is supposed that the tribe amounted in all to near 70 individuals. The boy, when taken, wished them to let him go, as he said, 'There are plenty more Black fellows in the scrub,' pointing to it. None of them have yet succeeded in forcing their way across the Line, although many attempts have been made upon the Cordon, in different places, in all which they have been repulsed and driven back. In one of these attempts, the sentry was speared in two places, and they again tried to force their way yesterday, at the same spot, which is a favourite crossing place of the Blacks over the Prosser's River."
The name of the man so caught was Nichay Manick; he was recognised as the one who had previously speared horses belonging to the Van Diemen's Land Company, at Emu Bay.
