In returning down the river, they were called to by a man on the west side, who had a spear in his hand; but two women and several children being behind argued rather against any premeditated hostility.  The women and children retired on their approaching the shore; but they were observed to be peeping at them from behind the bushes.  This man made great exclamations for the musket to be laid down, calling out ’woo-rah, woo-rah,’ as others had done, and seemed pleased when it was complied with; but he could not have heard many particulars of their weapons, for, on pointing a musket toward him to try the experiment, he did not appear to be sensible of the danger to himself in that case.  As he did not choose to quit his spear, and the sun was descending, they did not land, but backed in near enough to throw him a yarn stocking, which they showed him was to be worn as a cap with a tail to it, and then parted good friends.

Monday the 22nd was passed in getting the sloop into the river, which with some difficulty was accomplished, having to find out a channel through an infinity of shoals, some of which were covered with mangroves.  Finding a proper place to lay the sloop on shore, Mr. Flinders took the necessary measures; and on Thursday the 25th, having completely stopped the leak, by filling up the seam with oakum, nailing the plank to afresh, and covering the whole with tarred canvas and sheet lead, he re-stowed his vessel, which had been cleared of every thing, a few tons of ballast excepted, and was again in a condition to prosecute his intended excursion to the Glass-House peaks.

In a spare interval of a few hours before high water, (the day he laid the sloop ashore) he attempted to get some swans, but met with none that could not fly.  He saw several large fish, or animals that came up to the surface of the water to blow, in the manner of a porpoise, or rather of a seal, for they did not spout, nor had they any dorsal fin.  The head also strongly resembled the bluff-nosed hair seal, but their size was greater than any which Mr. Flinders had seen before.  He fired three musket balls into one, and Bong-ree threw a spear into another; but they sunk, and were not seen again.  These animals, which perhaps might be sea lions, were not observed any where but in this river.

Not finding any fresh water wherewith to fill up their casks, they had dug a hole in a low situation about a hundred yards inland.  The first spit consisted of vegetable earth, mixed with a large portion of black sand; the three following feet were composed of different layers of sand, and then they came to the hardened black clay of which the rocks on some parts of the banks were formed.  Here the water began to ooze in at the sides of the hole, which in the course of thirty-six hours was filled, but with very thick water.  Luckily there was not any occasion to use it; for one of the people, incautiously straying into the wood, met with a hole of very good water, at which they completed their stock.