further on, in order to get shelter; but being in want of water, and
seeing a place on the way where, though the boat could not land, a cask
might be obtained by swimming, the attempt was made, and Mr Bass went on
shore. Whilst getting off the cask, a surf arose further out than usual,
carried the boat before it to the beach, and left us there with our arms,
ammunition, clothes and provisions thoroughly drenched and partly
spoiled. The boat was emptied and launched again immediately; but it was
late in the afternoon before every thing was rafted off, and we proceeded
to the islets. It was not possible to land there; and we went on to two
larger isles lying near a projecting point of the main, which has four
hillocks upon it presenting the form of a double saddle, and proved to be
captain Cook's _Red Point_. The isles were inaccessible as the others;
and it being dark, we were constrained to pass a second night in Tom
Thumb, and dropped our stone anchor in 7 fathoms, under the lee of the
point.

The sea breeze, on the 27th, still opposed our return; and learning from
two Indians that no water could be procured at Red Point, we accepted
their offer of piloting us to a river which, they said, lay a few miles
further southward, and where not only fresh water was abundant, but also
fish and wild ducks. These men were natives of Botany Bay, whence it was
that we understood a little of their language, whilst that of some others
was altogether unintelligible. Their river proved to be nothing more than
a small stream, which descended from a lagoon under Hat Hill, and forced
a passage for itself through the beach; so that we entered it with
difficulty even in Tom Thumb. Our two conductors then quitted the boat to
walk along the sandy shore abreast, with eight or ten strange natives in
company.

After rowing a mile up the stream, and finding it to become more shallow,