Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/97

 guishing their movements. After this they dis. appeared, and when we visited the island in the l,b. w. afternoon, we found that they had lef it: their shouting to us in the morning was therefore to inform us of their departure, and was probably intended to convey to us their farewell. Upon landing at the island, we directed our steps to their huts, which were of most miserable construction, being nothing more than a bush stuck in the ground, and forning only a very in- different shade. Here we found the presents, which had been given to our late captive, depo- sited carefully on the ground; but the bag, irmtend of having been opened at the mouth, was torn asunder near the seam at the bottom; a fishing line that had been given to him was also let be- hind, which surprised us the more because the native had one of his own making attached to his log, and therefore must have known its use. It appears that he only vehicle, by which these savages tramport their families and chattels across the water, is a log of wood; that which we had brought alongside with our captive friend was made of the stem of a mangrove tree; but as it was not long enough for the pur- pose, two or three short logs were neatly and even curiously joined together end to end, and So formed one piece t_hat was sufficient to carry

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