coast still retains the same sandy and
uninviting character. During the afternoon we had but a light sea-breeze
from the westward; and at sunset the anchor was dropped in thirteen
fathoms fine soft sand, at about six miles from the shore. Large flocks
of boobies flew over the vessel at sunset, directing their course towards
the reefs of Lacepede Islands, and in the direction of the Whale Bank,
which, according to the French chart of this part, lies in the offing to
the westward. As no island was noticed by us in the position assigned to
Captain Baudin's Carnot Island, the bay to the southward of Cape
Baskerville has received that name. The smokes of fires have been noticed
at intervals of every four or five miles along the shore, from which it
may be inferred that this part of the coast is very populous. Captain
Dampier saw forty Indians together, on one of the rocky islands to the
eastward of Cape Leveque, and, in his quaint style, gives the subjoined
interesting account of them:

"The inhabitants of this country are the miserablest people in the world.
The Hodmadods of Monomatapa, though a nasty people, yet for wealth are
gentlemen to these; who have no houses, and skin garments, sheep,
poultry, and fruits of the earth, ostrich eggs, etc., as the Hodmadods
have: and setting aside their human shape, they differ but little from
brutes. They are tall, straight-bodied, and thin, with small, long limbs.
They have great heads, round foreheads, and great brows. Their eye-lids
are always half closed, to keep the flies out of their eyes; they being
so troublesome here, that no fanning will keep them from coming to one's
face; and without the assistance of both hands to keep them off, they
will creep into one's nostrils, and mouth too, if the lips are not shut
very close; so that from their infancy, being thus annoyed with these
insects, they do never open their eyes as other people; and therefore
they cannot see far, unless they hold up their heads, as if they were
looking at somewhat over them.

"They have great bottle-noses, pretty full lips, and wide mouths. The two
fore-teeth of their upper jaw are wanting in all of them, men and women,
old and young; whether they draw them out, I know not: neither have they
any beards. They are long-visaged, and of a very unpleasant aspect,
having no one graceful feature in their faces. Their hair is black, short
and curled, like that of the negroes; and not long and lank like the
commo