determined us to penetrate farther into the foreſt, with a reſolution to paſs the night there. We walked for the ſpace of an hour towards the ſouth-eaſt, over a very rugged path, before we arrived at a large plain that extended as far as the ſea-ſhore. A beautiful ſpecies of the mimoſa grew here, with long oval leaves, and generally about twenty-five or thirty feet in height.
Night compelled us to look out for a place of ſhelter. We could not have recourſe to the cavities burnt in large trees by the natives, as we were too far diſtant from them: we therefore conſtructed a hut of branches, which we had lopped from the trees with a pole-axe that one of our company carried with him for his deſence. The hardneſs of the ground was meliorated with a bed of fern, of a ſpecies very nearly reſembling the polypodium dichotomum.
Being cloſe to the ſhore, we had a very extenſive proſpect, but obſerved no ſigns of the natives being near us. We kindled a fire as the weather was very ſharp.
We were not altogether eaſy with reſpect to our means of ſubſiſtence; for when we leſt the ſhip we had furniſhed ourſelves with but one day's proviſions; but as ſailors are uſed always to take ſome ſea-biſcuit with them when they go on a journey, thoſe who accompanied us were ſtill
provided
