o f h e r face u n p le a fa n t; f e e h ad a ch ild at h e r b a ck , and w e w e r e told
came from th e fo u th fe o r e o f B o t a n y B a y . I th o u g h t th e o th e r
n ativ e s feemed to m ak e h e r an o b je c t o f th e ir m e r r im en t. In g en e ra l,
in d e ed a lm oft u n iv e r fa lly , th e lim b s o f th e fe p eo p le Were fm a ll; o f
moll; o f th em th e arms, le g s , and th ig h s w e r e th in , T h is , no d o u b t,
is o w in g to th e p o o rn e fs o f th e ir l iv in g , w h ic h is ch ie fly on f i l h ;
Otherwife th e finenefs o f th e clim a te , co -o p e ra tin g w i th th e e x e rc ife
w h ic h th e y ta k e , m ig h t h a v e rend ered th em m ore m u icu lar . T h o fe
w h o liv e on th e fea -coaft depend ’e n tir e ly on f ife fo r th e ir fu ften an ce ;
w h ile th e few w h o dw e ll in the w o o d s fu b fift on fu ch animals as th e y
can catch. T h e v e r y grea t la b o u r n e ce fla ry fo r ta k in g th e fe animals,
an d th e fcantinefs o f th e fu p p ly , 4 eep th e w o o d nativ es in as p o o r
a co n d ition as th e ir b re th ren on th e coaft. I t has be en rem a rk ed ,
th a t th e n ativ e s w h o have, be en m e t w i th in th e w o o d s had lo n g e r
arms, and. leg s th an th o fe w h o liv e d ab out us. T h i s m ig h t p ro c e ed
from th e ir b e in g com p e lled to c lim b th e trees after h o n e y and the-
fm a ll animals w h ic h re fo r t to th em , fu c h as th e f ly in g fq u ir re l and
q p o flum , w h ic h th e y effedt b y cu ttin g w i th th e ir Hone h atch e ts
n o tche s in th e ba rk o f th e tree o f a fuffic ient d epth and fiz e to re c e iv e
th e b a ll o f th e gre a t to e . T h e firft n o tch b e in g c u t, th e to e is placed
in i t ; and w h ile th e le ft arm embraces th e tre e , a fe con d -is cu t at a
c o n v en ien t d iftance to re c e iv e th e o th e r fo o t. B y this; m e th od th e y
afcend v e r y q u ic k , a lw a y s cutting, w i th th e r ig h t hand and: c lin g in g
w i th th e le ft , re ft in g th e w h o le w e ig h t o f th e b o d y on th e ba ll o t
eithe r fo ot.
In an e x cu r fio n to th e w e f tw a rd w i th a p a r ty , w e p a lled a tree ( o f
th e k in d named b y us th e w h ite g um , th e b a rk o f w h ic h is fo ft) th a t
w e ju d g e d to be ab ou t on e h u n d red and th ir ty fe e t in h e ig h t, and
w h ic h h ad be en n o tched b y th e n ativ e s at lea ft e ig h ty fe e t, b e fo re th e y
attained th e firft b ran ch w h e re it w a s l ik e ly th e y cou ld meet w i th a n y
rew a rd fo r fo m u ch toil.
T h e features o f m a n y o f the fe p eo p le w e r e fa r from u n p le a fin g ,
p a r t icu la r ly o f th e w om e n : in g en e ra l, th e b la c k b u f e y beards o f th e
m en , and th e b on e o r reed w h ic h th e y th ru ft th ro u g h the ca rtila ge o f
th e n o fe , tend ed to g iv e th em a d ifg u ft in g ap p e a ra n ce ; but in th e
w om e n , th a t fem in in e d e lic a c y w h ic h is to be fo u n d am o n g w h ite p e o -
7 p ie
p ie w a s to b e traced e v en u p on th e ir fable ch e ek s; and th o u g h en tire
ftrangers to th e com fo r ts and co n v en ien c ie s o f c lo th in g , y e t th e y
fo u g h t w i th a n ativ e m o d e fty to con ceal b y a ttitud e w h a t th e w a n t o f
co v e r in g w o u ld o th e rw ife h a v e re v ealed. T h e y h a v e o ften b ro u g h t
to m y re co lle c tio n ,
“ The bending ftatue which enchants the world,”
th o u g h it m u ft b e ow n e d th a t th e re fem b lan ce con fifted fo le ly in th e
p ofition .
B o th w om e n and m en ufe th e d ifg u ft in g p ra c tic e o f ru b b in g filh -o il
in to th e ir I k in s ; b u t th e y are com p e lled to th is as a g u a rd a g a in ft the
effedts o f th e air and o f m u fq u ito e s , and f l i e s ; fom e o f w h ic h are
la rg e , and bite o r ftin g w i th m u ch fe v e r ity . B u t th e o il, to g e th e r
w i th th e p e r fp ira tion from th e ir b od ies, p rod u c e s , in h o t w e a th e r , a
m o ft ho r r ib le ften ch . I h a v e feen fom e w i th th e entrails o f filh f r y in g
in th e b u rn in g fu n u p on th e ir heads, u n til th e oil ran d ow n o v e r th e ir
fo reh ead s . A remarkab le in ftan ce o n ce came u n d e r m y ob fe rv a tion o f
th e e a r ly ufe w h ic h th e y m ake o f th is cu rious u n gu en t. H a p p e n in g to
b e at C am p C o v e at a tim e w h e n th e fe p eo p le w e r e m u ch prefled w i th
h u n g e r , w e fo u n d in a miferable h u t a p o o r w r e tch ed h a lf- fta r v ed nat
iv e and tw o ch ild ren . T h e man w a s n e a r ly red uced to a fk e le to n ,
b u t the ch ild ren w e r e in be tte r co n d ition . W e g a v e th em fom e falted
b e e f and p o rk , and fom e b read , b u t th is th e y would- n o t to u ch . T h e
e ld e ft o f th e ch ild ren w a s a fem a le ; and a p ie ce o f fa t m eat b e in g
g iv e n to h e r , Ihe, inftead o f e a t in g it in ftan tly as w e exped ted , fq u e e zed
it b e tw e en h e r fingers un til Ihe had n e a r ly p re fled all th e fa t to a liq u id ;
w i th th is Ihe o iled o v e r h e r fa c e tw o o r th re e time s , and th en g a v e it to
the o th e r , a b o y ab out tw o y e a rs o f a g e , to do th e lik e . O u r w o n d e r
w a s n a tu ra lly e x c ited at fe e in g fu ch k n ow le d g e in ch ild ren fo y o u n g .
T o th e ir h a ir , b y means o f th e y e l lo w g um , th e y fa lle n th e fro n t teeth
o f th e k a n g o o ro o , and th e jaw -b o n e s o f la rg e f ilh , h um an te e th , pieces
o f w o o d , feathers o f b ird s , th e ta il o f th e d o g , and ce rta in bones taken
o u t o f th e head o f a f ilh , no t u n lik e h um an teeth. T h e natives w h o
in h ab it th e fo u th fe o r e o f B o ta n y B a y d iv id e th e h a ir into fmall p arce
ls , each o f w h ic h th e y m at to g e th e r w i th g um , and fo rm th em
in to