Their Method Of Testifying Dislike To Any Place Is Singular:
They point to
the spot they are upon, and all around it, crying 'weeree, weeree' (bad)
and immediately after mention the name of any other place to which
they are attached (Rose Hill or Sydney for instance), adding to it
'budyeree, budyeree' (good).
Nor was their preference in the present case
the result of caprice, for they assigned very substantial reasons
for such predilection: "At Rose Hill," said they, "are potatoes, cabbages,
pumpkins, turnips, fish and wine; here are nothing but rocks and water."
These comparisons constantly ended with the question of "Where's Rose Hill?
Where?" on which they would throw up their hands and utter a sound to denote
distance, which it is impossible to convey an idea of upon paper.
Thursday, April 14th, 1791. We started early and reached the river in about
two hours and a half. The intermediate country, except for the last half mile,
was a continued bed of stones, which were in some places so thick and
close together that they looked like a pavement formed by art. When we got off
the stones, we came upon the coarse river sand beforementioned.
Here we began to trace upward. We had not proceeded far when we saw
several canoes on the river. Our natives made us immediately lie down
among the reeds, while they gave their countrymen the signal of approach.
After much calling, finding that they did not come, we continued our progress
until it was again interrupted by a creek, over which we threw a tree
and passed upon it.
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