Having emptied my bag I started again to commence the exploration of the valley we were in. It sloped first in a north-easterly and then in a nearly easterly direction; the river that ran through it was in some places almost dry, or was rather a chain of large ponds than a river, several of these ponds being more than a hundred yards across. I followed the valley down for about five miles in the direction of Prince Regent's River and found to my surprise that this part was by no means thinly inhabited by natives; still, as none of the traces I had yet seen were very recent, I trusted that we should not fall in with any considerable body. TRACES OF NATIVES. At length however I came upon a spot which a number of them appeared to have quitted only an hour or two before, and where they had been sitting under a large tree at the edge of one of these ponds; their recent fire had been first slaked with water and sand then thrown over it. I knew therefore that they had been disturbed, and most probably by my gun; but not before they had made a hearty meal of roasted fresh-water mussels (unios) and nuts of a kind which grew on a large shady tree in pods, like a tamarind pod, the kernel being contained in a shell, of which each pod held several, and the fruit tasting exactly like filberts. The spot was admirably suited for their purpose; their bark beds were placed under the shelter of this tree and only a few yards distant from the pond, which contained abundance of large unios. ATTACK OF NATIVES. I sat down under the nut tree to consider what was my best plan to adopt. From the signs around us the natives were evidently much more numerous than I had expected: in the event of anything happening to one of the three our return to the main party might be considerably impeded, if not altogether prevented; and although, from the superiority of our weapons over theirs, I entertained but little doubt as to the issue of any contest we might be forced into, the calls of humanity as well is of personal interest warned me to do my utmost to avoid an affray. RETURN TOWARDS HANOVER BAY.