rt their
families and chattels across the water is a log of wood; that which we
had brought alongside with our captive friend was made of the stem of a
mangrove tree; but as it was not long enough for the purpose, two or
three short logs were neatly and even curiously joined together end to
end, and so formed one piece that was sufficient to carry and buoyant
enough to support the weight of two people. The end is rudely ornamented,
and is attached to the extremity by the same contrivance as the joints of
the main stem, only that the two are not brought close together. The
joint is contrived by driving three pegs into the end of the log, and by
bending them, they are made to enter opposite holes in the part that is
to be joined on; and as the pegs cross and bend against each other, they
form a sort of elastic connexion, which strongly retains the two
together. When it is used, they sit astride and move it along by paddling
with their hands, keeping their feet upon the end of the log, by which
they probably guide its course. Such are the shifts to which the absence
of larger timber has reduced these simple savages: they show that man is
naturally a navigating animal; and this floating log, which may be called
a marine-velocipede, is, I should suppose, the extreme case of the
poverty of savage boat-building all round the world.

The island is composed of a rocky basis, covered by a thin layer of sandy
soil. On the summit of the bluff east end of the island was observed one
of those immense nests that were seen at King George the Third's Sound,
the base of which measured seven feet in diameter. Whilst examining the
nest, some natives were descried on an adjoining island, and as our
principal object was to communicate with these people, we immediately
re-embarked and sailed towards it. On approaching the island, we overtook
two natives on their logs, who, on perceiving that we were pulling
towards them, became frightened, and made violent gestures as if
imploring us to go away. Four or five unarmed natives were standing on
the shore of the island, and watched our proceedings; and, upon our
sheering off and pulling away from the natives upon the logs towards a
sandy beach, the party on the shore walked a few steps towards it also,
and invited us by signs to go ashore. Upon the boat's touching the beach,
I landed, and taking Boongaree with me divested of his clothes, walked
towards the natives, who were standing together, a lit