When Placed In The Water, The Portion
Amidships, Which Represented The Gunwale, Was Not Four Inches Above The
Surface, And
So frail that no European could have got into it without a
capsize, though the black fellows are so naturally
Endued with the laws of
equilibrium that they can stand upright in these tiny craft, and even spear
and haul on board large fish.
We slept in the hold of the 'Daylight' that night, after making all
arrangements for a start at early dawn. We trusted that the Cleveland Bay
party would have performed their portion of the task, and thoroughly
overhauled the southern part of the island, and fully expected to fall in
with them on the following day.
Our road lay through most abominable country - stony, precipitous, and in
places covered with dense vegetation. The traces of blacks were abundant,
and we could travel but a short distance without falling in with some of
the numerous camping-places. In many of these, the fires were still
smouldering, but the inhabitants had cleared out, most probably warned by
those whom the whale-boat had intercepted. Each camp was subjected to a
rigid scrutiny, but without revealing anything European, except fragments
of bottles, to which we attached no importance, for they were probably
flung over-board by some passing vessel, and carried ashore by the tide.
These are highly valued by the blacks, who do not use them for carrying
water, but break them, and scrape down their spears with the fragments.
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