At the end of our stage, we came to a chain of shallow lagoons, which were slightly connected by a hollow.  Many of them were dry; and fearing that, if we proceeded much farther, we should not find water, I encamped on one of them, containing a shallow pool; it was surrounded by a narrow belt of small tea trees, with stiff broad lanceolate leaves.  As the water occupied only the lower part of this basin, I deposited our luggage in the upper part.  Mr. Roper and Mr. Calvert made their tent within the belt of trees, with its opening towards the packs; whilst Mr. Gilbert and Murphy constructed theirs amongst the little trees, with its entrance from the camp.  Mr. Phillips’s was, as usual, far from the others, and at the opposite side of the water.  Our fire place was made outside of the trees, on the banks.  Brown had shot six Leptotarsis Eytoni, (whistling ducks) and four teals, which gave us a good dinner; during which, the principal topic of conversation was our probable distance from the sea coast, as it was here that we first found broken sea shells, of the genus Cytherea.  After dinner, Messrs. Roper and Calvert retired to their tent, and Mr. Gilbert, John, and Brown, were platting palm leaves to make a hat, and I stood musing near their fire place, looking at their work, and occasionally joining in their conversation.  Mr. Gilbert was congratulating himself upon having succeeded in learning to plat; and, when he had nearly completed a yard, he retired with John to their tent.  This was about 7 o’clock; and I stretched myself upon the ground as usual, at a little distance from the fire, and fell into a dose, from which I was suddenly roused by a loud noise, and a call for help from Calvert and Roper.  Natives had suddenly attacked us.  They had doubtless watched our movements during the afternoon, and marked the position of the different tents; and, as soon as it was dark, sneaked upon us, and threw a shower of spears at the tents of Calvert, Roper, and Gilbert, and a few at that of Phillips, and also one or two towards the fire.  Charley and Brown called for caps, which I hastened to find, and, as soon as they were provided, they discharged their guns into the crowd of the natives, who instantly fled, leaving Roper and Calvert pierced with several spears, and severely beaten by their waddies.  Several of these spears were barbed, and could not be extracted without difficulty.  I had to force one through the arm of Roper, to break off the barb; and to cut another out of the groin of Mr. Calvert.  John Murphy had succeeded in getting out of the tent, and concealing himself behind a tree, whence he fired at the natives, and severely wounded one of them, before Brown had discharged his gun.  Not seeing Mr. Gilbert, I asked for him, when Charley told me that our unfortunate companion was no more!  He had come out of his tent with his gun, shot, and powder, and handed them to him, when he instantly dropped down dead.  Upon receiving this afflicting intelligence, I hastened to the spot, and found Charley’s account too true.  He was lying on the ground at a little distance from our fire, and, upon examining him, I soon found, to my sorrow, that every sign of life had disappeared.  The body was, however, still warm, and I opened the veins of both arms, as well as the temporal artery, but in vain; the stream of life had stopped, and he was numbered with the dead.