secured there.

"The soil in the neighbourhood of the settlement being exceedingly good,
gardens were cleared and laid out, and soon produced all kinds of
vegetables. In our stock we were rather unfortunate, for of six sheep
that were landed for the purpose of breeding, five died, supposed from
the effect produced by eating some pernicious herb in the woods: pigs,
ducks, and fowls seemed however in a fair way of doing well, and had
increased considerably since they were landed; but great inconvenience
was experienced for want of some horses or draught oxen, which would not
only have materially expedited the work in hand, but would have spared
the men much laborious fatigue and exposure to the effects of a vertical
sun: all difficulties and obstacles were however met and overcome with
the greatest zeal and perseverance, and the works proceeded with such
spirit and alacrity, that we were enabled to sail for Bombay on the 13th
of November, without exposing the new settlement either to the jealousy
of the Malays, or the mischievous attack of the natives. No traces of the
former people were observed at this place, nor any of the trepang that
would be their sole inducement for visiting it. Not one native made his
appearance before the early part of November when, as if by signal, a
party of about eighteen on each shore communicated with us on the same
day and were very friendly, although exceedingly suspicious and timid.
They would not venture within the line of the outer hut and always came
armed, but laid aside their spears and clubs whenever friendly signs were
made. On the second day of their visit I was greatly astonished to see
amongst them a young man of about twenty years of age, not darker in
colour than a Chinese but with perfect Malay features and like all the
rest entirely naked: he had daubed himself all over with soot and grease,
to appear like the others, but the difference was plainly perceptible. On
perceiving that he was the object of our conversation, a certain archness
and lively expression came over his countenance, which a native
Australian would have strained his features in vain to have produced. The
natives appeared to be very fond of him. It seems probable that he must
have been kidnapped when very young, or found while astray in the woods.*

(*Footnote. At our visit to this place in 1818 and during our
communication with the natives a boy of the above description was noticed
among them; he was broug