No signs of natives were observed, unless the country, having been lately fired, might indicate their having been in these parts; but, from the very rugged nature of the hills, it is not probable they frequent the neighbourhood of the river.
Kangaroos' tracks were seen and a small opossum observed skipping about the rocks. On our return down the river we landed on several parts where the depth of the gullies and the verdure of the trees indicated a probability of our finding fresh water, but in vain; not a drop was obtained.
On returning we were left by the ebbing tide upon a bank of mud; being however near low water, we had only to exercise our patience for two hours. We reached the vessel by eleven o'clock at night.
Mr. Roe did not return until sunset of the following day from his examination of the river which falls into the bottom of the port. When he left the cutter he pulled to a hill at the entrance of the river, which had been pointed out to him as probably affording an easy ascent and from which he would obtain a commanding view of the country to guide his proceedings. From this elevation the country around appeared to be very stony and barren, although he fancied there was some approach towards improvement; the banks of the river were low and lined with mangroves and intersected by many small saltwater inlets extending through the low country to the foot of the back hills; at low water the shore is fronted by a bank of mud, ten or twelve yards wide, and so soft as to prevent landing. Whilst he was employed at the summit of the hill in taking bearings, twelve natives with two dogs made their appearance on the opposite shore which was separated from the hill on which Mr. Roe landed by a soft mud flat. The natives attempted to cross to him, shouting loudly as they advanced, but when halfway over they desisted and slowly returned. When Mr. Roe descended he perceived several fresh prints of the human foot on the mud, from which he supposed that there were already some natives upon the island. There were several large fires burning in various directions and one was kindled by the natives on the opposite bank.*
(*Footnote. The natives of this part were seen by Tasman, according to the following note of Burgomaster Witsen, as published in Mr. Dalrymple's Papua. "In 14 degrees 58 minutes South, longitude 138 degrees 59 minutes (about 125 degrees East) the people are savage, and go naked: none can understand them.")
A snake about seven feet long was the only animal our party saw, but the dung of the kangaroo was as usual plentifully spread in all directions.
From this station, which was seven miles from the mouth, they followed the course of the river, first on an easterly direction for ten miles, and then it took a sudden turn to the southward and trended alternately South by East and South by West for fifteen miles; at this part the river was upwards of seventy yards wide; the banks were lined with mangroves but the rocks rose precipitously behind them to the height of three hundred feet. Here our party landed to pass the night, and before dark Mr. Roe and his companion Mr. Cunningham with one of the boat's crew climbed the ridge over their heads but encountered much difficulty before they reached the summit, from which they could discover nothing but ridges beyond ridges of rocky wooded hills, precisely similar to what they were upon. One higher than the rest was discerned about ten miles off to the eastward. No signs of human beings were noticed.
The top of the hill was strewed about with ant-hills constructed of dry dusty sand, and this was the only substance that could be called soil; but notwithstanding all this sterility there were trees of the eucalyptus family growing from twenty to forty feet high; and one was measured whose diameter was as much as eighteen inches.
The rocks are of sandstone, in nearly horizontal strata, coated with a crust of crystallized quartz and coloured by a ferruginous oxide.
On their return to the tent they made preparations to pass the night; and as it was prudent, if possible, to keep the boat afloat, one of the men was stationed in her for that purpose; but, overpowered by fatigue, he fell asleep and the boat in a short time was left dry upon the mud; the party on shore were continually disturbed during the night by what was thought to be the rushing of alligators into the water beneath them, but the noise was probably occasioned by stones and lumps of mud falling into it as the tide ebbed; a splash, however, that they heard on the opposite side was very likely an alligator, for they had seen one swimming as they pulled up the river. On hearing this Mr. Roe became very much alarmed on account of the boat-keeper, but no pains to apprize him of his danger had any effect: the only reply that could be got from him was, "Damn the alligators," and the next moment he was asleep again; fortunately for him no alligator came near enough to make him repent his foolhardy insensibility.