The Hills Were Slaty And Barren,
With A Few Small Cypresses:
In fact, I have seen them grow on no other
spots so frequently as on those stony hills.
The boats arrived about two
o'clock.
May 5. - Proceeded down the river, ascended the eminence mentioned
yesterday, and from the top of a cypress tree a very distant view of the
whole country was obtained: the opening through which the river
apparently runs bore S. 75 1/2 W.; the country to the south and
south-west extremely low. A range of hills, lying nearly east and west,
bounded the level tract on the other side of the river; these hills and
two or three detached hammocks excepted, there was nothing to break the
uniformity of the scene.
The country was in general poor, with partial tracts of better ground;
the hills were slaty, and covered as well as the levels with small
eucalypti, cypresses, and casuarinas. About a mile from this place we
fell in with a small tribe of natives, consisting of eight men; their
women we did not see. They did not appear any way alarmed at the sight
of us, but came boldly up: they were covered with cloaks made of opossum
skins; their faces daubed with a red and yellow pigment, with neatly
worked nets bound round their hair: the front tooth in the upper row was
wanting in them all: they were unarmed, having nothing with them but
their stone hatchets. It appeared from their conduct that they had
either seen or heard of white people before, and were anxious to depart,
accompanying the motion of going with a wave of their hand.
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