October 31.—­The rain of the night still continuing in the morning, and the tide not being sufficiently low to let us pass round the head, we did not set off so early as usual.  Dr. Harris and Mr. Evans had gone to bathe near the point, and within one hundred and fifty yards of the tent.  Mr. Evans had already bathed and had began to dress himself, when four natives, whom we recognised as being among those whom we had treated so kindly yesterday, made their appearance with their spears in their hands, in the attitude of throwing them from the cliffs above.  There was scarcely time to parley with them, when a spear was thrown at Mr. Evans, Dr. Harris having leaped down the rock into the sea, and escaped to the tent under its shelter.  The spear fortunately missed Mr. Evans, and he likewise escaped with the loss of his clothes, by following the doctor’s example.  On the alarm being given they were pursued, but they had disappeared among the brush on the hill.  This instance of their treachery redoubled our circumspection, and our situation here being favourable for their attacks, I determined to pass over the brow of the hill with the horses—­a road which from its extreme steepness, I had been willing to avoid by waiting for the tide; and orders were given to collect the horses and proceed on our route.  Whilst this was doing, and as I was sitting in the tent with Dr. Harris and Mr. Evans writing this Journal, a shower of spears from the height above was thrown at the tent, one of which passed directly over my shoulder, and entered the ground at my feet:  the others lodged around the tent, and among the people who were getting ready the baggage, but providentially without doing any harm.  We had stationed men to watch the hill, but the appearance of the natives and the flight of their spears was so instantaneous, that they had not time to alarm us.  To enable us therefore to proceed in safety it was necessary to clear the hill, which was soon done; for on our ascending that hill, they took their station on another more distant.  We travelled unmolested along the beach for upwards of twelve miles, when we halted for the evening on a small point of clear land, which at high water was an island.  Here we found ourselves secure:  we had however but just unladen, when three natives were seen coming along the beach from the side of Port Stephens.  We knew that the party which had behaved so treacherously had gone that way, and we suspected that these men were sent to see whether we were disposed to resent their conduct:  they appeared unarmed, each holding up a fish as a peace offering to us:  but when they were within three hundred yards of us, they stopped, and not receiving any encouragement from us to advance, after halting a few minutes, they returned with all speed along the beach to their companions.  I had determined if they had approached nearer to have made an example of them:  and for the future, never to suffer them to come near us at all.  I was very much surprised