ndanus, which had been sucked, lay in every
direction, and small cockle shells were scattered on the beaches. I
sought in vain for the canoe which had landed here, nor did I find any
huts of the natives.

Before quitting the shore, a hatchet was made fast to the branch of a
tree, and set up conspicuously near the water side. We had scarcely
shoved off, when the party of Indians, sixteen in number, made their
appearance and called to us; but when the boat's head was turned toward
them, they ran away. On the south side of the entrance were four other
natives, who also ran at our approach; we therefore set up another
hatchet for them on the beach, and returned back to the ship.

These people were all naked; and in colour, as in every thing else,
seemed to have a perfect resemblance to the inhabitants of the east and
south coasts of Terra Australis. In Torres' Strait bows and arrows are
the offensive weapons; but here we saw spears only: each man had several
in his hand, and something which was supposed to be a throwing stick.

This small opening appears to be the _Coen River_ of the Dutch chart; but
the entrance is too small and shallow to admit any thing larger than
boats: its latitude is 12 deg. 13' south, and longitude 141 deg. 47' east; and
the variation of the compass, observed with the ship's head in the
magnetic meridian, was 4 deg. 36' east. The tide was running from south-west,
at ten in in the morning, and on entering the inlet it was found to be
setting in with considerable strength; at two in the afternoon the flood
was still running; and admitting that it would be high water an hour
afterwards, as seemed probable, the time would be _five hours and a half
after_ the moon passed the lower meridian; or an hour later than it had
_appeared_ to be at the Prince of Wales' Islands.

Lieutenant Fowler had got the ship under way, on the sea breeze setting
in, and stood off and on the entrance to Coen River, until our return at
three o'clock. We then steered south-westward along the shore; and soon
after sunset, anchored in 10 fathoms, nearly four miles from the land,
which extended from N. 38 deg. to S. 6 deg. E. and was still low and woody, and
fronted with a sandy beach.

A breeze came off the land at night, as usual, and the weather was dark
and squally. Early in the morning [MONDAY 8 NOVEMBER 1802] we steered
along the coast, with good soundings between 10 and 9 fathoms, muddy
bottom. A sandy point with two hill