Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0417
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[Page 417]
313
Septr. 1770. New Guinea
of the water we quickly however got out of the boat & waded ashore leaving two in her to take care of her we had no sooner landed than we saw the prints of naked feet upon the mud below High watermark which convincd us that the Indians were not far off tho we had seen yet no signs of any the nature of the countrey made it necessary for us to be very much upon our guard the close thick wood came down to within Less than 100 yards of the water & therefore so near might the Indians come without our seeing them & should they by numbers overpower us a retreat to the boat was impossible as she was so far from the shore we proceeded therefore with much caution looking carefully about us myself & the Dr looking for plants at the edge of the wood & the rest walking along the Beach in about 200 yards from our landing we came to a grove of Cocoa nut trees of a very small growth but well hung with fruit standing upon the banks of a small brook of brackish water