and hopped away; we
then tried to track it but soon lost its footsteps in the scrubby
vegetation of the gloomy forest,

It was the duty of the Cape man who accompanied me to mark a tree every
here and there by chipping the bark, so that the party might the next day
easily recognise the route which they had to pursue; upon looking back I
now perceived that he had neglected a very remarkable tree about twenty
or thirty yards behind us, and which stood close to the spot where I had
fired at the kangaroo. I desired him to go back and chip it, and then to
rejoin us; in the meantime I stood musing as to the best means of
avoiding the little rocky ravine in our front.

SUDDEN SURPRISE BY NATIVES.

Finding that the man remained absent longer than I had expected I called
loudly to him, but received no answer, and therefore passed round some
rocks which hid the tree from my view to look after him. Suddenly I saw
him close to me breathless and speechless with terror, and a native with
his spear fixed in a throwing-stick in full pursuit of him; immediately
numbers of other natives burst upon my sight; each tree, each rock,
seemed to give forth its black denizen, as if by enchantment.

A moment before, the most solemn silence pervaded these woods. We deemed
that not a human being moved within miles of us, and now they rang with
savage and ferocious yells, and fierce armed men crowded round us on
every side, bent on our destruction.

CONTEST WITH THEM. UNFORTUNATE RESULTS.

There was something very terrible in so complete and sudden a surprise.
Certain death appeared to stare us in the face: and, from the determined
and resolute air of our opponents, I immediately guessed that the man who
had first seen them, instead of boldly standing his ground, and calling
to Coles and myself for assistance, had at once, like a coward, run away;
thus giving the natives confidence in themselves, and a contempt for us:
and this conjecture I afterwards ascertained was perfectly true.

We were now fairly engaged for our lives; escape was impossible, and
surrender to such enemies out of the question.

As soon as I saw the natives around me I fired one barrel of my gun over
the head of him who was pursuing my dismayed attendant, hoping the report
would have checked his further career. He proved to be the tall man seen
at the camp, painted with white. My shot stopped him not: he still closed
on us and his spear whistled by my head; but, whilst he