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.

To make a spear must be a work of many weeks' duration, when the
imperfect implements at the natives' disposal are taken into
consideration. In the first place, his missile must be perfectly
straight, and of the hardest wood; and no bough, however large, would
fulfil these requirements, so it must be cut out bodily from the stem
of an iron-bark tree, and the nearer the heart he can manage to get,
the better will be his weapon. His sole tool with which to attack a
giant iron-bark is a miserable tomahawk, or hatchet, made of stone, but
little superior to the rude Celtic flint axe-heads, that may be seen in
any antiquarian's collection. These are of a very hard stone,
frequently of a greenish hue, and resembling jade; and, having been
rubbed smooth, are fitted with a handle on the same principle that a
blacksmith in England twists a hazel wand round a cold chisel. The
head, and the portion of the handle which embraces it, then receive a
plentiful coating of bees'-wax, and the weapon is ready for use. Fancy
having to chop out a solid piece of wood, nine feet long, and of
considerable depth, from a standing tree, with an i