tent, one of which passed directly over my shoulder, and entered the
ground at my feet: the others lodged around the tent, and among the
people who were getting ready the baggage, but providentially without
doing any harm. We had stationed men to watch the hill, but the
appearance of the natives and the flight of their spears was so
instantaneous, that they had not time to alarm us. To enable us therefore
to proceed in safety it was necessary to clear the hill, which was soon
done; for on our ascending that hill, they took their station on another
more distant. We travelled unmolested along the beach for upwards of
twelve miles, when we halted for the evening on a small point of clear
land, which at high water was an island. Here we found ourselves secure:
we had however but just unladen, when three natives were seen coming
along the beach from the side of Port Stephens. We knew that the party
which had behaved so treacherously had gone that way, and we suspected
that these men were sent to see whether we were disposed to resent their
conduct: they appeared unarmed, each holding up a fish as a peace
offering to us: but when they were within three hundred yards of us, they
stopped, and not receiving any encouragement from us to advance,
after halting a few minutes, they returned with all speed along
the beach to their companions. I had determined if they had approached
nearer to have made an example of them: and for the future, never to
suffer them to come near us at all. I was very much surprised to
find that Blackhead proved to be an island, with a good passage, at
least a mile and a half wide, between it and the main. There appears
excellent anchorage and shelter under it, and indeed it seems a far
better and more convenient roadstead than Port Stephens, being safe
from all winds, with a passage either from north or south. The relative
positions of the points and islands on this part of the coast, by no
means correspond with, nor does the longitude of Port Stephens
agree with that assigned to Sugarloaf Point by Captain Flinders, who