They Were Not Deficient In Making Out Our Signs, And We Were
Easy Able To Understand From Their Motions What They Would Be At.
From
there being but little food for them on the beaches here, and their being
clothed in the skins
Of the oppossums, I presume they are Bush natives,
the women, I forgot to mention, appeared to be middling well shaped, and
good-looking children, they were, however, always at some distance.
"Mr. Bowen and the people having joined the boat came on board. Observed
all the remainder of the day they retired back into the woods and about 6
P.M. dous'd their fire at once although it must have covered an acre of
ground. At 4 A.M. a light wind sprung up at east, got our kedge hove
short, loosed sails and hove up - made sail for Elizabeth's Cove..."
"Tuesday, 5th January. Winds from south-east to east with cloudy weather.
At quarter past 1 P.M. Cape Shank bore north-east by north 9 miles. Kept
running down along the land steering west and west by north in order to
traverse the whole of this land, found it impossible to survey any part
of the coast as yet from the numerous native fires which covered this low
shore in one volume of smoke. At 3 P.M.* (* i.e. 3 P.M. on January 4th by
the civil reckoning. See above note.) we saw ahead land bearing
west-north-west distant 12 miles, and an opening in the land that had the
appearance of a harbour north-west 10 or 12 miles, bore away for this
last it having the appearance of fine steady weather...Accordingly kept
standing down for this entrance which every minute from its appearance
made us sure it was a good harbour.* (* The entrance to Port Phillip;
Murray returned here January 30th.) At 5 P.M. saw a small island in the
entrance and observed that between it and the main lay a reef...the 1st
Mate and the the Boatswain's Mate at the masthead looking out. At this
time I suppose we were within 1 1/2 miles of the entrance...and I
perceived that the sea broke short and was withal heavy - hove the lead
and found only 10 fathoms water...Astonished at this, I hauled our wind
and called out to them at the masthead to know if they saw any danger,
but none was seen. I bore away and deepened into 11 fathoms when Mr.
Bowen called out "Rocks ahead," immediately hauled our wind and stood
off...going often to the masthead I saw that the reef did nearly stretch
across the whole way, but inside saw a sheet of smooth water of great
extent. From the wind blowing dead on this shore, I was obliged to haul
off to clear the land, but with a determination to overhaul it as no
doubt it has a channel into it and is apparently a fine harbour of large
extent.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 62 of 170
Words from 31980 to 32482
of 88304
