These he never would suffer to go out of his hands after he once laid hold of them; whereas many other articles he would lay carelessly down any where, and at last leave them behind him.

As soon as I could get quit of them, they were conducted into the gun-room, where I left them, and set out with two boats to examine the head of the bay; myself in one, accompanied by Mr Forster and Mr Hodges, and Lieutenant Cooper in the other.  We proceeded up the south side, and without meeting with any thing remarkable, got to the head of the bay by sun-set; where we took up our lodging for the night, at the first place we could land upon; for the flats hindered us from getting quite to the head.

At day-light in the morning, I took two men in the small boat, and with Mr Forster went to take a view of the flat land at the head of the bay, near to where we spent the night.  We landed on one side, and ordered the boat to meet us on the other side; but had not been long on shore before we saw some ducks, which, by their creeping through the bushes, we got a shot at, and killed one.  The moment we had fired, the natives, whom we had not discovered before, set up a most hideous noise in two or three places close by us.  We hallooed in our turn; and, at the same time, retired to our boat, which was full half a mile off.  The natives kept up their clamouring noise, but did not follow us.  Indeed we found afterwards that they could not, because of a branch of the river between us and them, nor did we find their numbers answerable to the noise they made.  As soon as we got to our boat, and found that there was a river that would admit us, I rowed in, and was soon after joined by Mr Cooper in the other boat.  With this reinforcement I proceeded up the river, shooting wild ducks, of which there were great numbers; as we went along, now and then hearing the natives in the woods.  At length two appeared on the banks of the river, a man and a woman; and the latter kept waving something white in her hand, as a sign of friendship.  Mr Cooper being near them, I called to him to land, as I wanted to take the advantage of the tide to get as high up as possible, which did not much exceed half a mile, when I was stopped by the strength of the stream and great stones which lay in the bed of the river.

On my return, I found that as Mr Cooper did not land when the natives expected him, they had retired into the woods, but two others now appeared on the opposite bank.  I endeavoured to have an interview with them, but this I could not effect.  For as I approached the shore, they always retired farther into the woods, which were so thick as to cover them from our sight.  The falling tide obliged me to retire out of the river to the place where we had spent the night.  There we breakfasted, and afterwards embarked, in order to return on board; but, just as we were going, we saw two men on the opposite shore, hallooing to us, which induced me to row over to them.  I landed with two others, unarmed; the two natives standing about 100 yards from the water-side, with each a spear in his hand.  When we three advanced, they retired; but stood when I advanced alone.