stralia would be a fine land indeed.

Why is there so little water? Because there is so little rain. Sometimes
for two years together, there are no heavy showers, and the grass
withers, and the trees turn brown, and the air is filled with dust. I
believe the reason of the want of rain is--that the mountains are not
high; for high mountains draw the clouds together. There are no mountains
as high as the Alps of Europe; the highest are only half as high.[13]

THE NATIVES.--The savages of Australia have neither god, nor king. Some
heathen countries are full of idols, but there are no idols in the wilds
of Australia. No,--like the beasts which perish, these savages live from
day to day without prayer, or praise, delighting only in eating and
drinking, hunting and dancing.

Most men build some kind of houses; but these savages are satisfied with
putting a few boughs together, as a shelter from the storm. There is just
room in one of these shelters for a man to creep into it, and lie down to
sleep. They do not wish to learn to build better huts, for as they are
always running about from place to place, they do not think it worth
while to build better.

A native was once sitting in the corner of a white man's hut, and looking
as if he enjoyed the warmth. The white men began to laugh at him, for not
building a good hut for himself. For some time the black man said
nothing, at last he muttered, "Ay, ay, white fellow think it best
that-a-way. Black fellow think it best that-a-way." A white man rudely
answered, "Then black fellow is a fool." Upon hearing this, the black
fellow, quite affronted, got up, and folding his blanket round him,
walked out of the hut. How much pride there is in the heart of man! Even
a savage thinks a great deal of his own wisdom, and cannot bear to be
called a fool.

Sometimes the natives build a house _strong_ enough to last during the
whole winter, and _large_ enough to hold seven or eight people. They make
it in the shape of a bee-hive.

Their reason for moving about continually, is that they may get food.
They look for it, wherever they go, digging up roots, and grubbing up
grubs, and searching the hollows of the trees for _opossums_. (Of these
strange animals more shall soon be mentioned.)

The women are the most ill-treated creatures in the world. The men beat
them on their heads whenever they please, and cover them with bruises. A
gentleman once saw a poor black woman crying bitterly. When h