E. O. Ke Angha, where we had left our brig;
and it was only under a promise of making a
speedy return, and remaining longer with
them, that our savage friends would suffer us
to leave them. We expected to reach the
Kiddy Kiddy River before night; but in this
we were disappointed. It at length became
quite dark; and the ebb tide making against
us, rendered further advance impossible. We
had to seek some place of shelter for the
night, and not a hut was visible. While we
were debating on what was best to be done,
we observed a light from the shore, and made
for i t ; but it being low water, our boat stuck
fast in the slime long before we reached the
banks: we were, consequently, obliged to
wade knee deep through the slippery mud.
We soon discovered a party of women sitting
round a fire made in the midst of the swamp.
They had come here for the purpose of procuring
shell-fish j and as they are never very
fastidious about shelter or dry beds, they had
determined (according to their usual custom)
to pass the night where they had been occupied
during the day. This sort of bivouac I
found excessively uncomfortable. The moment
we were seated, the water began to ooze
out an inch or two all round us. We sought
in vain for a dry place, for we were enveloped
in darkness, and surrounded by rushes and
flags six or seven feet high j but being very
much fatigued, we slept, notwithstanding the
misery of a wet bed, with a cloud of fog for
curtains. I did not wake till one of the
women gave me a good shake, and informed
me that the day was well up. They had prepared
us a breakfast of hot shell-fish, which
they had caught the preceding day, and they
all seemed delighted by our eating heartily
of them. As we had some biscuits in our
boat, we sent for them, and gave our “ fair
founders of the feast ” a share ; and we were
all very sociable and merry. When we left
them, as it was again low water, the women
carried us to our boat, and took their leave of
us amidst peals of laughter. This was another
proof to me that the English are quite
safe, though travelling unguarded, amongst
these people.
About nine the next morning we reached