•without m u ch d if f ic u lt y ; b u t ta p e r in g aw a y g ra d u a lly from the en*
tran ce to the en d , and te rm in a tin g in a fina ll w ick e red grate. I t was
b e tw e en fo r ty and f if ty fe e t in len g th ; on each fide th e earth was
th row n u p ; and th e w h o le w a s conftrudted o f w e ed s , ruffies, and
bram b le s ; bu t fo w e ll fe cu red , th a t an anima l o n ce w ith in it could no t
p o ffib ly liberate itfe lf. W e fup pofed th a t th e p r e y , be it beaft o r bird*
w a s hu n ted and d r iv en in to th is to il j and con c lu d ed , from fin d in g one
o f th em d e ftro y ed b y fire , th a t th e y fo r c e it to the grated end , w h e re it
is fo on k illed b y th e ir fpears. In one I faw a com m on rat, and in an*
o th e r th e feathers o f a quail.
B y th e fides o f la g o on s I h a v e met With h o le s w h ic h , on examining^
w e r e fo u n d e x c a v a te d fo r fome fpace, and th e ir m ou th s fo co v e red
o v e r w i th grafs, th a t a b ird o r b re a fi ftep p in g on it w o u ld in e v ita b ly
fa ll in , and from its depth be unab le to efcape.
In an e x cu r fio n to th e H aw k e fb u r y , w e fe ll in w i th a n ativ e and his
ch ild on th e b anks o f on e o f th e creeks o f that no ble r iv e r . W e had
C o le -b e w i th us, w h o en d eavou red , but in v a in , to b r in g h im to a con*
f e r e n c e ; h e lau n ch ed his can o e , and g o t aw a y as e x p e d it io u fly as h e
c o u ld , le a v in g beh in d h im a fp e c im en o f his fo od and th e d e lic a c y o f h is
f tom a c h ; a p ie ce o f w a te r -fo k en w o o d (part o f th e b ranch o f a tree)
fu l l o f h o le s , the lo d gm en t o f a la rge w o rm , named b y th em cah-bro,'
an d w h ic h th e y e x t r a i t and e a t ; b u t n o th in g cou ld be m ore o ffen fiv e
th an th e fmell o f b o th th e w o rm and its habitation. T h e r e is a t r ib e o f
n ativ e s d w e llin g in lan d , w h o , from th e c ircum ftan ce o f th e ir e a t in g
th e fe lo ath fom e w o rm s , are named C ah -b ro -g a l.
T h e y re fo r t at a ce rtain fea fon o f th e y e a r (the month o f A p r il ) to
th e la g o on s , w h e r e th e y fubfift on e e ls w h ic h th e y p ro cu re b y la y in g
h o llo w pieces o f tim b e r in to th e w a te r , in to w h ic h th e e e ls ’c re ep ,, and
are e a fily ta k en .
T h e fe w o o d natives alfo m ak e a pafte fo rm ed o f th e fe rn - ro o t and the
la rge and fmall ant b ruifed to g e th e r j in th e fe a fon th e y alfo add th e
e g g s o f th is in fe it .
No. V.
C O U R T S H I P A N D M A R R I A G E .
H O W w i ll th e refined ear o f g a lla n try b e w o u n d ed at r e a d in g an
ac co u n t o f th e cou rtfh ip o f thefe p eop le ! I h a v e faid th a t the re w a s a
d e lic a c y v ifib le in th e manners o f th e females. Is it n o t fh o c k in g th en
to th in k that the prelud e to lo v e in this c o u n t r y Ihould be v io len c e ? y e t
fu ch it is, and o f the m o ft brutal nature : the fe u n fo r tu n a te v i& im s o f
lu ft and c ru e lty (I can call th em b y n o b e tte r name) are, I believe,, a lw
a y s , fe le& e d from the w om e n o f a tr ibe different from th a t o f th e
m ales, .(for th e y o u g h t n o t to ,b e d ign ified w i th the title o f m en ,) and
w i th w h om th e y are at enm ity . S e c re fy is n e ce ffa r ily o b fe rv ed , and
th e p o o r w r e tch is fto len u p on - in th e ab fence o f h e r p ro te s to rs ; b e in g
fir lt ftup ified w i th b low s , inflidted w i th clubs o r w o o d en fw o rd s , on th e
h ead , b a ck , and Ihoulders, e v e r y one o f w h ic h is fo llow e d b y a ftream
o f b loo d , J h e is d ra gged th ro u g h th e w o o d s b y o n e a rm , w ith a p e r -
fe v e ran c e and v io len c e th a t one m ig h t fu p p o fe w o u ld difp lace it from
its f o c k e t ; th e lo v e r , o r ra the r th e ra v ifh e r , is regardlefs o f th e ftones
o r bro k en pieces of. trees w h ic h m a y lie in his ro u te , b e in g a n x io u s
o n ly to c o n v e y his p r iz e in fa fe ty to his o w n p a r ty , w h e re a fcene en-
fue s to o fh o c k in g to relate. T h is o u tra g e is n o t refented b y th e relations
o f th e fem a le , w h o o n ly retaliate b y a fim ila r ou tra ge w h en th e y
fin d it in th e ir p ow e r . T h is is fo co n ftan tly th e p rad tice am o n g th em ,
th a t e v en th e ch ild ren m ake it a gam e o r e x e r c i f e ; and I h a v e o ften ,
on h e a r in g the cries o f the g ir ls w ith w h om th e y w e r e p la y in g , ran o u t
o f m y h o u fe , th in k in g fom e m u rd e r w a s com m itted , b u t h a v e fo u n d
th e w h o le p a r ty .lau g h in g at m y miftake .
T h e w om en thus ra v ifh ed be com e th e ir w iv e s , are in corp o rated in to
th e tr ib e to w h ic h th e h u fb and b e lon g s , and b u t fe ld om q u it h im fo r
another.
M a n y o f th e m en w i th w h om w e w e r e acq u a in ted did n o t con fin e
th em fe lv e s to o n e w om an , B en -n il- lo n g , p re v io u s to his v ifit to E n g lan
d , w a s p offeffed o f tw o w iv e s , ( i f w iv e s th e y m a y be called,) b o th
1 4 liv in g