( | p p i ) {
species.of sassafras, whiehawas.'discoyenedJ*by- my. second mate*
in cutting the other wood. We had ferial Mad&bf’ this las# ©ft
board, and found it alike in flavour, and, ncfe doiMbt,', in Quality,
with the-sassafras in .^^jmont^e^heie^at hoflaW/ I must'not
omit doing justiceto the diligence*and talents of theyoung man
I jiavesjust medtioMed, whoseuse and value 1 have experienced
on-man ƒ occasions..
Ohour wayr<down theriver we stopped a#fhe* place where We
had passed .the . preceding night, and- found our ifile^sM‘1 burn-
ing. ;-To this .spot we gave,, the name eCp^e-'^alfway
being half-way up.-fe^e -fiver, and the. place where we found the
conveniency of watering. As to the hut we erected, I corutefoi
plate with pleasure-the surprize it must - give the natives that
shall hit-upon it, and the seasonable shelter it>rhay ■ afford'.seine
of them as it. did us.
On1 Our return to. Churchill's Island, I found my people had
cleared the spot 1 had laid out for a garden, and• thattkief e'-was
nothing wantingibut to-prCpare the ground to TceeiimisucSf'seeds-
as I'should chuse to - plant. And here wetwere unddraa- difficulty
which, it was no easy matter to remedy, for we had
neither hoe> nor spade with us. I t is trae, 1 had brmighf-out
thedatter implements for gardening with me from England, by
the advice of my friend Captain Schank,who; foresaw-the oCcal.
sion we, should havedfor them, and-they were-delivered, amongst
other, things, into his Majesty’s storehouse, from whence,' from
whatever principle of eeconomy andtgood management, it was
not easy to draw any thing .out again; jk
However, we were in possession of a coal-shovhl, .which,
though it was thin, and much, worn, served the purpose,fhe soil
being, as I have already observed,, exceedingly lightvand easy
to work : indeed, a spade was much .wanted in another respect,
which was digging for water, an experiment I was desirous of
making,
m m 1
inaki'ng^^d*1 which I found-Opald n'of well be made^with, a coal-
^h6j^?|f'TMerei®ap|iehfed anOthef ^pMpf , of my*■ being provided
with implements which I shOudd^havcOpe,fe^fo'i^for, andr ppuld
no>|\avail ’ mysfd<{$ b#eaufe' they were disposed <jfurn* the samp
m a n n e r . t h e garde^ utmisjl,Sf bad bepn, I- brought out
traps*, of all sotts'-ah'd- „sjues-,5 from the man-trap t0! theiJfnoh^e-
tra p ; and'%^ftaiffly had5OOlasion forgone ofMkd middle 'size
ofth|®m than oh dceountof an inOffllfflir which-'I now pro-
‘ceed-'to relate.’-
>My men,iwhb‘slept on the*ground which-thbytliacUcfoared for
a garden,1--infa -hut which fhey^had1 buil^rfotf«%he 6cCaSi'Qrf,' in-
-formed^ rft^s?#h'^fe one ©f their comrades- waS'a^aliened^'Oiit of his
f s ^ e e p ' a n i m a l , that* seemed .-tb/ibe1” gnawing^ his; hair,
wkfohahe had mri-ven dway, but -a§ it Whs^dark he coiild> hot observe
its shape or figure. He supposed it to: be the Bandicoot
rat, -an animal that Seldom appears by day-light; and. it being
well known that the ‘Colony was infosted#with suchverU&n, and
remarked^ severaldburrows 'in different places1- of cthik
island, I was inclined-to give into theta.
gi^#-. this noctuimal visitor a suitable ^reception, ■ seh|t on
board1 for adog-ofthe English breed,' which we had brought,out
’with us fromi Sydney. This, dog remained with ,;*the. people on
the' island5, %hd]M‘^mey -reported tb hie, was- one night/engaged
with/^neianimal apparently o f equal-strength, for it brought
him,to -the 'gfbuhd, and 'made-Him howl, till- at^lehgtjiuhescaped.*
into the wood. ' Still no one was able to give any account of,
it, the darkneSs-1 being great,-and* the animal eseapinguinhurt.
The dog had re c e iv e s ’®1116 scratches* about his nbsjje,! but 'being
of jtjie.stag-hound kind could not possibly/have been mastered
byis© insignificant an animal as a Bandicdot r a t; however, had
we had the good fortune of-having then with\ usdohe -'of the
traps, which were so, snugly lodged* 'in his MajestyV.'stdreua>t
! * Sydney,