The dark colour of the water on the other side of this line of
communication induced me to stand round the sandbank; when, as was
expected, we entered a deep channel leading towards the most distant
parts of the bight, which afterwards turned out to be the mouth of a
river. The sandbank was called Haul-round Islet and the island Entrance
Island. In passing between the latter and a reef on the western side of
the channel, about half or three-quarters of a mile from the shore, we
had fourteen fathoms mud; after which it gradually decreased in depth;
having reached the mouth of the river we anchored in three fathoms about
four miles within Entrance Island. The remainder of the day, which was
far advanced, was spent in making preparations for our examination of the
river; at low water the tide had fallen ten feet and the cutter took the
ground; but as it was on soft mud it was of little consequence.

August 5.

The following morning as soon as the ebb tide ceased I left the cutter in
a boat, accompanied by Messrs. Bedwell and Cunningham, and proceeded up
the river. The banks on either side were, for ten or twelve miles, so
thickly and impenetrably lined with very large mangroves as to defy all
attempts of landing; above this these trees were less abundant and the
banks were occasionally clear from fifty to two hundred yards in extent;
however the view thus obtained did not impress us with any flattering
idea of the country at the back. On passing the second open bank we
observed a canoe hauled up on the shore, and at a little distance farther
we saw another; these were the first indications we had observed of the
presence of natives, excepting the large fires that were burning a little
way in from the banks.

At the next open bank on the eastern side we put ashore to give the
boat's crew an opportunity of getting their dinner, and as we landed I
discharged my fowling-piece at some birds; upon ascending the bank we
found that the report of the gun had alarmed four natives, two of whom
were females with children on their backs; they were retreating in haste
towards a smoke, the fire of which was concealed from us by high grass:
as soon as they reached the fire they stopped and began to call out in
loud shrill tones, when they were soon surrounded by twenty-five natives
who immediately commenced hallooing and shouting to us in a menacing way;
after some consultation two of them advanced armed with spears; upon
which I ordere