a mail and his wife. The natives very kindly took from their
hiding places some large and excellent fish, Mich as snappers;
and salmon, so called in this country, I presume,1 from their
scales! j These they laid whole on the fire, which was placed in
the middle o f the hut. As soon as one? side o f the* fish was done
they placed it on the other, opposite to where I sat, beginning
to eat while that was broiling* inviting me by signsit® follow
their example; which I and my companions readily did, being
both hungry and wet, it having rained very hard, and we-found
ourselves very comfortable. Situated as we were; I e®H<i not
avoid remarking to myself how easily nature was satisfied ^ tbe
only thing I wanted being salt.. The cariosity of these poor
people with respect to many things about tti was ve^y great ;
particularly in observing a head raised -in silver ontfee bbtt-end
of the jfistol stwek in my w a is tte lt j 'a a# aha in ihe tickings
noise of my watch, which th e women and children; wondered
mutefe at, mimicking it&nound as they held it nprin thek - e a ^ 4
Having sent my guide and his wife with the seaman to the
small hut, i and the soldier lay down to sleep With onr feet i6
the fire. One of the women was very ill during the; night, and
groaned much, being seined with spasms in her stomach, as I
afterwards understood; In the-'night-time- ther soldier.'was
wakened by one oftfae men, who requested h e would gd with him
to fetch some Water. On the former ( who Understood' the lain*
guage) asking him why he could not go alone, he wias answered',
“ You know me murrey jarrm, that isf much afraid. The sob
dier being unwilling to< stir,, asked, “ What he was afraid of?
The native said, “ of the B o g l e the term for the Evil Spirit,, or
Devil; which shews that superstition is very predominant
amongst them. As I wished- for some water, I desired the man
to get lip and bring me some, which he did in a small vessel
shaped
shapedljke j[ a panoe, made of bark, the native accompanying
him. sxn
..Wa-got up befqre d^-light,; and having taken one, of pup
hospitable friends for a guide, who was both more robust,, and
Stronger than the natives .are in general ip . this part of New
Holland,;, lie armed himself with a spear, and moved onwards
yrith us tdjl.-we came near to the banks pf a stream, which the
I t was b u t barely peep , of day, and
db^pGts were not easily distinguisbable^yet the native informed
me be;saw sopaebqdy on the opposite, side^. -As we proceeded.
On we sooja perceived a person walking by the river side* but
could ppt ascertain whether he was a native or not. Our guide,
however,„qn enquiry said, that is,jj‘|n o black fellow,” and that
he had a musket with him, Some of the. Convicts having
abouf this time absconded and taken with them the Norfolk
sloop, with an intention of leaving, tbe country,, were cast
ashore, but a short distance to the northward. They had been
daring enough to attack and seize a settler’s boat going, to the
Coal River; and as many of these people, were still out, I made
nqdoubrtbut he was one of them. The stream from the rain
which had fallen during the night, and the tide of flood being in,
as it was in- the vicinity of the sea, was become deeper and more
rapid than common, and had obstructed the fellow’s progress. I
called to ham, and asked who. he. was, and where he was going ?
He answered, that he had been Kangaroomg,.had lost his. way,
and was; almost starved. From the latter circumstance I was
certain he was one of the Convicts, and. therefore I desired him
to stop, as I was going over,, and would shew him the best place
to. cross at* which fee. had enquired for* While, we were stripping,
I desired the native, who* was; in* a state of nature, that,
if he saw the fellow attempt to get way, he* would! stop him, and
should he offer any resistance*, ttp spear him. The* river was so
*et 2 deep