arty at Portland Bay where I had left my sextant, I
then obtained a good observation on the sun's meridian altitude. I was
accommodated with a small supply of flour by Messrs. Henty who, having
been themselves on short allowance, were awaiting the arrival of a vessel
then due two weeks. They also supplied us with as many vegetables as the
men could carry away on their horses.

A WHALE CHASE.

Just as I was about to leave the place a whale was announced and
instantly three boats well manned were seen cutting through the water, a
harpooneer standing up at the stern of each with oar in hand and
assisting the rowers by a forward movement at each stroke. It was not the
least interesting scene in these my Australian travels thus to witness
from a verandah on a beautiful afternoon at Portland Bay the humours of
the whale fishery and all those wondrous perils of harpooneers and whale
boats of which I had delighted to read as scenes of the stormy north. The
object of the present pursuit was "a hunchback" and it being likely to
occupy the boats for some time I proceeded homewards.

SAGACITY OF THE NATIVES ON THE COAST.

I understood it frequently happened that several parties of fishermen
left by different whaling vessels would engage in the pursuit of the same
whale, and that in the struggle for possession the whale would
occasionally escape from them all and run ashore, in which case it is of
little value to whalers as the removal, etc., would be too tedious and
they in such cases carry away part of the head matter only. The natives
never approach these whalers, nor had they ever shown themselves to the
white people of Portland Bay but, as they have taken to eat the castaway
whales, it is their custom to send up a column of smoke when a whale
appears in the bay, and the fishers understand the signal. This affords
an instance of the sagacity of the natives for they must have reflected
that, by thus giving timely notice, a greater number will become
competitors for the whale and that consequently there will be a better
chance of the whale running ashore, in which case a share must fall
finally to them. The fishers whom I saw were fine able fellows; and with
their large ships and courageous struggles with the whales they must seem
terrible men of the sea to the natives. The neat trim of their boats set
up on stanchions on the beach looked well, with oars and in perfect
readiness to dash at the moment's notice into the angry sur