co?mTs o? AUST?tr? 319 af the plants that were. growing upon' it. Whilst ism,. meditating upon the propriety of landing so o? near to the natives, whose conduct we had al- ready some mason to suspect, a dog, which we' Ired before seen with them, came from behind a bush near the water's edge, and walked up to its knees in the water towards us; the boat was backed in, and we endeavoured to entice it wit_hin? attr reach by throwing some food; but the animal, upon discovering that we were strangers, be* ?me shy, and, after smelling about, ran back to- wards a bush about fifty yards off; from which the natives, who had all the time been concealed behind it, rushed out, and with loud shouts ran towards us: upon reaching the water's edge, they threw several stones, one of which nearly struck the boat; they then prepared their spears, when it was found necessary to deter them by firing a musquet over their heads; the noise of which had the desired effect; for, struck with a sudden panic at the report which echoed through the trees, they turned and fled; and, as they scam- pered off, two more bahs were fired over them, which, if possible, increased the rapidity of their tiight, until the trees concealed them from our view; after this we neither heard nor saw any thing more of them.
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