Apparent obstruction of the channel.

It was near sunset, the men were tired, and I was looking out for a convenient place at which to rest, intending to punish these natives if they provoked me, or annoyed the men.  We had not seen any of them for some time, when Hopkinson, who was standing in the bow of the boat, informed me that they had thrown boughs across the river to prevent our passage.  I was exceedingly indignant at this, and pushed on, intending to force the barrier.  On our nearer approach, a solitary black was observed standing close to the river, and abreast of the impediment which I imagined they had raised to our further progress.  I threatened to shoot this man, and pointed to the branches that stretched right across the stream.  The poor fellow uttered not a word, but, putting his hand behind him, pulled out a tomahawk from his belt, and held it towards me, by way of claiming our acquaintance; and any anger was soon entirely appeased by discovering that the natives had been merely setting a net across the river which these branches supported.  We, consequently, hung back, until they had drawn it, and then passed on.

Manoeuvres of the natives to rob the boat at night.

The black to whom I had spoken so roughly, cut across a bight of the river, and walking down to the side of the water with a branch in his hand, in mark of confidence, presented me with a fishing net.  We were highly pleased at the frank conduct of this black, and a convenient place offering itself, we landed and pitched our tents.  Our friend, who was about forty, brought his two wives, and a young man, to us:  and at length the other blacks mustered courage to approach; but those who had followed us from the last camp, kept on the other side of the river.  On pretence of being different families, they separated into small bodies, and formed a regular cordon round our camp.  We foresaw that this was a manoeuvre, but, in hopes that if I forgave the past they would desist from further attempts, M’Leay took great pains in conciliating them, and treated them with great kindness.  We gave each family some fire and same presents, and walked together to them by turns, to show that we had equal confidence in all.  Our friend had posted himself immediately behind our tents, at twenty yards distance, with his little family, and kept altogether aloof from the other natives.  Having made our round of visits, and examined the various modes the women had of netting, M’Leay and I went into our tent.