the fea is calm, and that the fame weather which enables
them to vifit the iflands, makes the air welcome even while
they lleep.
The only furniture belonging to thefe houfes that fell under
our obfervation, is a kind o f oblong veflel made o f bark,
by the Ample contrivance of tying up the two ends with a
withy, which not being cut off ferves for a handle; thefe
we imagined were ufed as buckets to fetch water from the
fpring, which may be fuppofed fometimes to be at a confide-
rable diftance. They have however a fmall bag, about the lize
of a moderate cabbage-net, which is made by laying threads
loop within loop, fomewhat in the manner of knitting ufed
by our ladies to make purfes. This bag the man carries loofe
upon his back by a fmall firing which pafles over his head;
it generally contains a lump or two of paint and refin, fome
filh-hooks and lines, a fhell or two, out of which their hooks
are made, a few points of darts, and their ufual ornaments,
which includes the whole worldly treafure of the richefi
man among them.
Their filh-hooks are very neatly made, and fome of them
are exceedingly fmall. For ftriking turtle they have a peg
of wood which is about a foot long, and very well bearded;
this fits into a focket at the end of a ftaff of light wood, about
as thick as a man's wrift, and about feven or eight feet long:
to the ftaff is tied one end o f a loofe line about three or four
fathom long, the other end of which is fattened to the peg.
Toftrike the turtle, the peg is fixed into theffocket, and when
it has entered his; body, and is retained there by the barb,
the ftaff flies off and ferves for a float to trace their vidtim in
the water j it aflifls alfp to tire him, tiil they can overtake
him with their canoes, and haul him alhore. One of thefe
pegs, as I have mentioned already,. we found buried in the
body
body of a turtle, which had healed up over it. Their lines
are from the thicknefs of a half inch rope to the finenefs of
a hair, and are made of fome vegetable fubftance, but what
in particular we had no opportunity to learn.
177°.
Auguft.
Their food is chiefly fifli, though they fometimes contrive
to kill the kanguroo, and even birds of various kinds; not-
withftanding they are fo fhy that we found it difficult to get
within reach of them with a fowling-piece. The only vegetable
that can be confidered as an article of food is the yam
yet doubtlefs they eat the feveral fruits which have been
mentioned among other productions of the country; and indeed
we faw the fhells and hulls of feveral of them lying
about the places where they had kindled their fire.
They do not appear to eat any animal food raw; but having
no veflel in which water can be boiled, they either broil
it upon the coals, or bake it in a hole by the help of hot
fiones, in the fame manner as is pradtifed by the inhabitants,
of the iflands in the South Seas.
Whether they are acquainted with any plant that has an
intoxicating quality, we do not know; but we obferved
that feveral of them held leaves of fome fort conftantly in
their mouths, as an European does tobacco, and an Eaft Indian
betele: we never faw the plant, but when they took it
from their mouths at our requeft; poflibly it might be a
fpecies of the betele, but whatever it was, it had no effect
upon the teeth or the lips.
As they have no nets, they catch fifli only by ftriking, or
with a hook and line, except fuch as they find in the hollows
of the rocks, and fhoals, which are dry at half ebb.
Their manner of hunting we had no opportunity to fee;
but we conjectured by the notches which they had every
V ol. IIL G g where