surrender when called
to by the watchman while in the act of plundering a garden.

About the latter end of the month the natives adjusted some affairs of
honour in a convenient spot near the brick-fields. The people who live
about the south shore of Botany Bay brought with them a stranger of an
extraordinary appearance and character; even his name had something
extraordinary in the sound--Gome-boak. He had been several days on his
journey from the place where he lived, which was far to the southward. In
height he was not more than five feet two or three inches; but he was by
far the most muscular, square, and well-formed native we had ever seen.
He fought well; his spears were remarkably long, and he defended himself
with a shield that covered his whole body. We had the satisfaction of
seeing him engaged with some of our Sydney friends, and of observing that
neither their persons nor reputations suffered any thing in the contest.
When the fight was over, on our praising to them the martial talents of
this stranger, the strength and muscle of his arm, and the excellence of
his sight, they admitted the praise to be just (because when opposed to
them he had not gained the slightest advantage); but, unwilling that we
should think too highly of him, they assured us, with horror in their
countenances, that Gome-boak was a cannibal.*

[* Gome-boak, we learned, was afterwards killed among his own people in
some affair to the southward.]

March.] On the 1st of March the _Francis_ returned from Port Stephens.
Mr. Grimes reported, that he went into two fresh-water branches, up which
he rowed, until, at no very great distance from the entrance, he found
them terminate in a swamp. He described the land on each side to be low
and sandy, and had seen nothing while in this harbour which in his
opinion could render a second visit necessary. The natives were so very
unfriendly, that he made but few observations on them. He thought they
were a taller and a stouter race of people than those about this
settlement, and their language was entirely different. Their huts and
canoes were something larger than those which we had seen here; their
weapons were the same. They welcomed him on shore with a dance, joined
hand in hand, round a tree, to express perhaps their unanimity; but one
of them afterwards, drawing Mr. Grimes into the wood, poised a spear, and
was on the point of throwing it, when he was prevented by young Wilson,
who, having fo