i R : y
oaS"' It would now remain to fay fomething of the human fpecies, the inhabi-
> ■ tants of this country ; ■ but as we were not fo fortunate to procure an interview
with any one of them, all that can be advanced on this Tubject
mull be founded on conjeSure or nearly fo, and'confequently very liable
to error : it may, however, not be unacceptable to: ftate fuch eircum-
ftances as, on the fpot, occurred to our obfervation.
The natives appeared to be a wandering people, who fometimes
' made their excurlions individually, at other times in confiderable parties ;'
this was apparent by their habitations being found lingle and alone, as
well as compofing tolerably large villages.
Belides the village I vifited, Mr. Broughton difcovered another about
two miles diftant from it, of nearly the fame magnitude ; but it appeared
to be of a much later date, as all the huts had been recently built,
and feemed to have been very lately inhabited. It was fituated in a
. fwamp, which might probably have been preferred to a higher and
firmer land for the convenience o f water. One or two huts of a larger
fize were here alfo obferved; the reft were precifely _ of the fame de-
fcription with thole in the neighbourhood. The larger trees in the
vicinity of both villages, had been hollowed out by fire, fufficiently to
afford the Ihelter thefe people feemed to require. Upon ftones placed in the
infide of thefe hollow trees fires had been made, which proved that they
had been ufed as habitations, either for the inferior of the party, which
would argue a further degree o f fubordination amongft them, or for thofe
who were too indolent to build themfelves the wattled huts before de-
fcribed. No one fpecies of furniture or' utehfil was difcovered in any
(o f the houfes ; the only implements feen, were pieces of fticks intended
as fpears, rudely wrought, and the operation of manual labour upon
them but flightlydifcernible. f The bark was ftripped off, and the thick-
eft end, after having been burnt in the; fire, was fcraped and reduced to
a blunt point, on one of which fome blood was found (till. adhering.
Deftitute (as they feemed) of the means, and totally ignorant of every
mode of embarkation, it is not likely that they place much dependence
on marine productions for their fubfiftence ; yet it was evident from the
wears on the Ihores, | and from the mouths o f the brooks near the villages
being