ined them very carefully and then
proposed that we should go no farther, as he thought that the natives
must be very large men from their having such large huts. We however
pushed forward and, as I had none but good walkers with me, we made about
nine miles in two hours and a half: throughout the whole of this distance
we saw nothing that could be called a hill, the whole country being
evidently at times flooded up to the foot of a gently-rising land which
we distinguished to the eastward. We did not notice a single tree but
plenty of low prickly bushes, samphire, and a small plant somewhat
resembling the English heath. The weather was very hot, and at the end of
the nine miles we reached a saltwater inlet so broad and deep that we
could not cross it. We here halted and rested a little and then made our
way back to the boats.

APPROACH OF NATIVES.

I found Mr. Smith much better and, there being now nothing to delay us,
we started. When we had got about half a mile down the river we saw two
natives following us along the shore, jumping about in the most
extraordinary way, and, from their gesticulations and manner, evidently
ordering us to quit the coast. From the mountebank actions of these
fellows I guessed that they were two of the native sorcerers, who were
charming us away but, as I was not disposed to be so easily got rid of,
we pulled near the shore and lay upon our oars to give them an
opportunity of coming up to us.

ATTEMPT AT A CONFERENCE. INTERVIEW WITH NATIVES.

Upon this they mounted a little eminence, blew most furiously at us, and
performed other equally efficacious ceremonies. I however felt just as
well after we had been subjected to this dire sorcery as I did before;
and we continued to pull gently along the shore, still trying to induce
them to approach, which they at last did, having nothing but a
fishing-spear in their hands. To entice them towards us I had made Kaiber
strip himself and stand up in the boat; and now that they were near
enough to us I told him to call out to them and say that we were friends.
He hereupon shouted out, "Come in, come in; Mr. Grey sulky yu-a-da;" by
which he intended to say, "Come here, come here; Mr. Grey is not angry
with you." The two sorcerers, utterly confused by this mode of address,
committed more overt acts of witchcraft towards us than they had even
hitherto done; and Kaiber, turning round to me, said, "Weak ears have
they and wooden foreheads; they do not u