Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/101

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

?OAffl? O1? AuffrltALIA. 4? and when they recovered their ?ht, they were ,sis. highly amused with his swimming after some v?. pieces of wood that were thrown into the water. Boongareo was of course the object of thoir greatest attention: the fashion in which his body was sero'red was tho subject of particular remark ? and when he pointed at the sea, to shew them whence he came, they set up a shout of admi- ration and surprise. We now took leave of these friendly Indians, and went throu? the ceremony of shaking each other by the hand, a mode of taking leave they appeared perfectly to understand. No Women made their appearance, but there was every res, son to believe that they were close at hand, for several natives were seen from the cutter con- eealed close to us, armed with spears ready to repel any attack we might have made, and to defend the women and children of their tribe. The boat was then steered towards the island to which the natives had directed us; but as we pulled along its shore in search of a landing-place, a party of twenty or thirty Indians were observed descending the rocky hills towards the beach, with an evident intention of preventing our going ashore; and upon our pnlllng into a small bight, where there was some appearance of a stream of water, they threatened us with spears and stones;