In passing the easternmost of the outer
isles, the shrill voices of natives were heard calling to us, and Bundell
returned their shout, but it was some time before we could discern them
on account of the very rugged nature of the island: at last three Indians
were observed standing upon the rocks near the summit of the island but,
as the tide was running out with great strength, we were soon out of
hearing.

Soon after one o'clock the brig was anchored at about half a mile off the
sandy beach in Hanover Bay, in eight fathoms (half flood) muddy bottom.
The boats were immediately hoisted out and sent up the river, but the
tide was ebbing and the difficulty of filling the casks so great that,
after great labour, we only procured a puncheon of water. The launch was
moored without the rocky bed of the river, while the jolly-boat conveyed
the baricas to her as they were filled, but even the latter could not get
within three hundred yards of the water, so that the people had to carry
the baricas over the rugged bed of the river for that distance, which
made the work laborious and slow; still however it was much less
distressing than the fatigue of watering from the cascade in Prince
Regent's River. At night a successful haul of the seine supplied our
people with abundance of fish, among which were mullets weighing from
three to five pounds; cavallos, whitings, silver fish, breams, and two
species of guard-fish.

August 7.

While our people were employed the next morning in washing the decks,
they heard at a distance the voices of natives; at eight o'clock they
were again heard and at ten o'clock they were close by; shortly
afterwards three, of whom one was a woman, were seen standing on the
rocks waving their arms. Being curious to communicate with the
inhabitants of this part of the coast, since we had not seen any between
this and Vansittart Bay, a party consisting of the surgeon, Mr. Bedwell,
Mr. Baskerville, and myself, went on shore to the place where the natives
were seated waiting for us. Bundell, who generally accompanied us on
these occasions divested of his clothes, stood up in the bow of the boat,
and, as we approached the shore, made signs of friendship, which the
natives returned, and appeared quite unconcerned at our approach. On
landing we climbed the rocks on which the two men were standing, when we
found that the woman had walked away: upon our approach they retired a
few paces and evidently eyed us in a d