them; the evening being very cold and
stormy. Piper, who at first seemed much disposed to make friends of these
people, had found that his endeavours to conciliate strange natives were
as usual in vain, and was now going about sword in hand, while three of
the strangers seemed desirous to assuage his anger by telling him a long
yarn. The other, who was the old man, was casting a covetous eye on all
things around the camp. When I went out they retired to the group, but
long after it had become quite dark there they still sat, having scarcely
any fire and evidently bent on mischief.

EFFECT OF FIREWORKS, ETC.

I really was not sorry then to find that they still continued, for I had
made arrangements for having a little amusement in that case, although
their object in lingering there was nothing less than to kill us when
asleep. Accordingly at a given signal Burnett suddenly sallied forth
wearing a gilt mask and holding in his hand a blue light with which he
fired a rocket.* Two men concealed behind the boat-carriage bellowed
hideously through speaking trumpets, while all the others shouted and
discharged their carabines in the air. Burnett marched solemnly towards
the astonished natives who were seen through the gloom but for an instant
as they made their escape and disappeared forever; leaving behind them
however rough-shaped heavy clubs which they had made there in the dark
with the new tomahawks we had given them, and which clubs were doubtless
made for the sole purpose of beating out our brains as soon as we fell
asleep. Thus their savage thirst for our blood only afforded us some
hearty laughing. Such an instance of ingratitude was to me however a
subject of painful reflection. The clubs made in the dark, during a very
cold night, with the tomahawks I had given them, enabled me to understand
better what the intentions of the natives had been in other similar
cases; and I was at length convinced that no kindness had the slightest
effect in altering the disposition and savage desire of these wild men to
kill white strangers on their first coming among them. That Australia can
never be explored with safety except by very powerful parties will
probably be proved by the treacherous murder of many brave white men.**

(*Footnote. The use of these masks, which I on several occasions
displayed with success, was first suggested to me by Sir John Jamison.)

(**Footnote. A distressing instance of this hostility towards the whi