[Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] by Phillip Parker King]@TWC D-Link book
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]

CHAPTER 4
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The group of islands to the eastward was observed to extend no farther to the southward than the bearing of North 88 degrees East, and beyond this was an open, boundless sea.

The station whence this bearing was taken was on the north-west trend of the point.
On their first landing Mr.Roe and Mr.Baskerville, with one of the boat's crew, ascended the summit and, whilst employed in looking round, heard the voices of natives among the trees about thirty yards off; but as they could not see them they very properly descended, and carried on their operations in the vicinity of the boat; they were onshore for two or three hours afterwards, but the natives did not make their appearance.
The foot-marks of men and boys were evident on the sand below the high-water mark, and the remains of fireplaces, and where the natives had been manufacturing spears, were of recent date.

The gentlemen brought off a few shells and some insects, among which was a beautiful sphynx; besides which one of the boat's crew caught a species of vampyrus, apparently similar to the flying fox of Port Jackson.

Of shells there was not a great variety; a chama (Tridacna gigas, Lam.) a pinna, and the trochus (caerulescens) of Dirk Hartog's Island; but at one of the fireplaces they found a very large voluta that seemed to have served the purpose of a water-vessel; it was fifteen inches long and ten inches in diameter.
The shores appear to abound with shellfish, although Dampier thought that shells hereabouts were scarce.

We could easily have completed our water at this point, but from the place appearing to be populous and, as the vessel could not be anchored sufficiently near the shore to have protected the boat's crews, it was feared that our work might be impeded by the natives.
The boat returned at ten o'clock while we were getting underweigh; but the wind being at South-East it was one o'clock before we weathered Point Cunningham, when the tide was urging us forward rapidly.


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