Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/100

 4 SURVE' Ol THE IqTERTROPICAL m& was asked for and granted by signs, for the resf F,., of our party to approach. The chief who had been attired as above-mentioned was thought by �Mr. Cunningham to be one of those who waded inW the water to receive the presents from him  preceding evening: he was very inquis/- tire about our clothes, and expressed the greatest astonishment at every thing he not/ced about us. He ridiculed our repugnance to partake of a piece of the raw ut of a turtle wh/ch he offered to us, and to expose our folly, ate a piece, which he appeared to think a dainty, although it was quite fetid from putrefaction. Our attempts to collect a vocabulary of the/r language were quite unsuc- cessful. An axe, some chisels, and other tools were given to them, but they expressed no plea- sure in receiving the presents, or astonishment at their effect. On our making signs for water, they all simultaneously pointed to an island bear- ing N.E. fwm the one on which we were. We now prepared to embark, and walked to- wards the boat accompan/ed by these fr.endly savages, hand in hand; but as they drew nigh, a water-spaniel belong/ng to me leapt out of the bot and began to bark, which alarmed them so much that some of them ran off, and kept aloof until we began to play with and caress the do�

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