Journey to Coffin Bay

July 9th, 1841.
With Harvey, Barnet and McEllister, accompanied by Kunamunko* and Ngulga to Coffin Bay, where, according to Kunamunko, there are two whale ships. We stayed overnight in Yurendo* on the northern side of the bay. The following morning we expected to see the ships, so we saddled [the horses] early. After we had ridden a few ( 086 ) miles, we met three natives, who accompanied us to the place where the ships were supposed to be. But how disappointed we were when we saw them on the opposite side of the bay, at least 40 miles away from us. We immediately turned back, undecided whether we should return home or ride around the extensive bay; Finally we decided on the last one. Murgalta*, one of the three natives mentioned above, and Ngulga, accompanied us, while Murgalta remained behind with the two others. Murgalta told us that his friend Nummalta* was on the south side of the bay and that we could spend the night with him. However, when we had covered about ten miles on the south side, we came across a Krik [Creek] running several miles inland, on the opposite side of which were the friends of our companion. Now several people, especially McEllister, thought it advisable to turn back, because the destination of our journey still seemed very distant and our supply of provisions was almost completely exhausted. So we spent the night nearby at a native well called Ngaaralatta*. Here we considered that at least the ships were now closer to us than Port Lincoln, and so we decided to move forward again next morning.

( 087 ) After an hour or two we met Murgalta's friends, but they were far more numerous than I had expected. When we had almost reached their campsite, he tried to keep me still and let him go ahead, but on the whole he was very rude and imperious, so that I didn't trust him and followed closely behind him. When the original inhabitants suddenly saw us appear, they seemed to be in no small amount of consternation; at least we heard them calling to each other and saw them running quickly together. We stopped with our companion for a few moments in order not to frighten the women and children, who seemed to be hiding during this short time, then between ten and twenty strong adult men came around us, including Nummalta, who called himself "Kappler" after my former servant. Some of them were very intrusive and didn't want to let us ride any further, but instead told us to go back. Finally [I] said that we wanted to go, even though they didn't accompany us, which seemed to particularly anger our companion from the previous day; at least the other travelers told me that he had swung a bottle at my back as if he wanted to hit me with it. At last I was able to get Nummalta to accompany us to the ship in Puyundo*. However ( 088 ) [they] did not let us go unguarded, but sent about five men after us for a mile or two, probably to see whether we had any intention with their wives. For precisely this reason, I believe, they tried to prevent us from continuing our journey. The place where the original inhabitants were camped is called Nganki*, located on a small peninsula. From here Nummalta soon led us inland over steep sand hills and deep grassy grounds to