While the prahus were pulling towards shore, a man stood up in one of them, with a thick bamboo in his hand, out of which he threw something that appeared to me to be ashes.[47] When the boats approached them they also threw water up in the air, and showed their teeth like enraged dogs. My interpreter assured me that these people were so inhuman as to devour their prisoners taken in war, which appeared probable enough, if we may judge from the above grimaces. The huts of these negroes, which are scattered along the beach, are low and open on all sides, the roof being composed of palm leaves. The soil around the village was white sand, on which many large trees grew, many _carwarinas_ being among them. A small river ran into a bay immediately opposite to our anchorage. On going on shore we were as unsuccessful as on the water, in our attempts to communicate with these shy people, as they always fled on our approach, and climbed into the trees at a distance. To judge from the number of houses and men that we saw, the coast hereabouts must be very populous. We saw at a distance some other houses, which appeared to be much larger than those on the beach. Some bones, probably those of buffaloes, were met with, but not the least trace of agriculture, arts or civilization. I was sorry, nevertheless, at not being able to communicate with the natives, for the next morning I continued my voyage, it being tolerably certain that all endeavours to make friends with them would be fruitless. Shortly after our departure we suddenly struck soundings in two and a half fathoms, having had from ten to fifteen fathoms immediately before. We continued for several successive days standing along shore, as close as we could with safety, without finding a spot in which we could anchor within a convenient distance of the shore. During the nights we had bad weather, the rain continually pouring down; and the swell from the southward increasing every day.