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Page 38

[Woodcut from title page, with reference to page 38]

[Off Lewis Island]
At daylight we left this anchorage, and proceeded to penetrate to the eastward towards a deep bight or strait; the wind was, however, so light, that we were compelled to anchor until the sea-breeze set in, when the vessel was again under sail, and proceeded onwards.
As we advanced, three natives were seen in the water, apparently wading from an island in the centre of the strait towards Lewis Island : the course was immediately altered to intercept them, but as we approached, it was discovered that each native was seated on a log of wood, which he propelled through the water by paddling with his hands.
Having hove to, close by them, they became much alarmed, and cried out in loud tones, which were increased when our boat was lowered and despatched after them ; but it was lowered and despatched after them ; but it was not without the greatest difficulty that Mr. Bedwell succeeded in bringing one on board.
On the boat's coming up with the nearest Indian, he left his log and, diving under the boat's bottom, swam astern; this he did whenever the boat approached him, and it was four or five minutes before he was caught, which was at last effected by seizing him by the hair, in the act of diving,

Page 39

and dragging him into the boat, against which he resisted stoutly, and, even when taken, it required two men to hold him to prevent his escape.
During the interval of heaving to and bringing him on board, the cutter was anchored near the central island, where a tribe of natives were collected, consisting of about forty persons, of whom the greater number were women and children; the whole party appeared to be overcome with grief, particularly the women, who most loudly and vehenmently expressed their sorrow by cries, and rolling on the ground, and covering their bodies with the sand.
When our captive arrived alongside the vessel and saw Boongaree, he became somewhat pacified, and suffered himself to be lifted on board; he was then ornamented with beads and a red cap; and upon our applauding his appearance, a smile momentarily played on his countenance, but it was soon replaced by a vacant stare.
He took very little notice of any thing until he saw the fire, and this appeared to occupy his attention very much.
Biscuit was given to him, which, as soon as he tasted, he spat out, but some sugared water being offered to him, he drank the whole; and upon sugar being placed before him, in a saucer, he was at a loss how to use it, until one of the boys fed him with his fingers, and when the saucer was emptied.
..
Page 40

After he had been on board for half an hour, during which time he had been greatly caressed, in order to induce him to give a favourable account of us to his companions, he was taken half way towards the shore in our boat, and then launched upon his log, to which was lashed an axe, and around his neck a bag was suspended containing biscuits, every thing that he appeared to fancy or be amused with during his short captivity.
As soon as he perceived himself clear of the boat he paddled away, and in a short time reached the shore and joined his terrified companions ; who, upon his approaching them, ordered him to stand at a distance until he had thrown away his red cap, the bag, and the axe, and had answered several questions which they were apparently putting to him.

Page 43

Here we found the presents, which had been given to our late captive, on the ground ... a fishing line that had been given to him was also left behind, which surprised us the more because the native had one of his own making attached to his log, and therefore must have known its use.

It appears that the only vehicle, by which these savages transport 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

Page 44

Feb. 27 1818
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 shew 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.

Page 45

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.

Page 49

... , the group between Lewis Island and the main was called The Intercourse Islands.

February 28, 1818

Early the next morning, we left the anchorage, and took up a fresh station off the N.E. end of the island from which we were repulsed.
On our passing the north side of it, we saw no marks of fresh water; if there be any, it must be from rain-water collected and preserved in the holes of the rock.
As we passed the east point, two natives were observed crossing over to the main upon their logs, and this was the last we saw of them.

Page 89

[At Knocker's Bay]
April 23, 1818

We had not proceeded far, before their canoe was observed secured to the beach by a small rope, which offered so good an opportunity of punishing these savages for their treacherous attack, that we landed and brought it away; and upon examining its contents, we found not only their clubs, but also a large quantity of bivalve shellfish, (area scapha ? *) so that we had not only

[Footnote]* Lamarck. torn, vi. part 1. p. 42. Chemn, Conch. 7. p. 201. t. 55, f54S.

Page 90

deprived them of their boat, but of their supper, and three very formidable clubs.
This must have been a very serious loss to such simple savages, but one that they richly deserved [following an attack].
The canoe was nearly new, it measured eighteen feet in length, and two in breadth, and would easily carry eight persons; the sides were supported by two poles fastened to the gunwhale by strips of a climbing plant, (flagellaria indica,) that grows abundantly hereabouts, and with which also the ends of the canoe were neatly, and even tastefully joined; the poles were spanned together on either side by rope constructed of strips of bark.
The canoe was made of one sheet of bark, but in the bottom, within it, short pieces were placed cross-ways, in order to preserve its shape, and increase its strength.
The description of a canoe seen by Captain Flinders at Blue Mud Bay, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, differs very little from the above *.

Whilst we were bringing away the canoe the natives, who had followed us along the shore, were heard close by among the trees, loudly vociferating, in which the word ca-uo-a was thought to be frequently used.

[Footnote]*FLINDERS' Terra Australis, vol. II, p. 198.

Page 114
[At Melville Island]
May 17, 1818

Soon afterwards the natives, finding that we had no intention of following them, left their canoes, and performed a dance in the water, which very conspicuously displayed their great muscular power: the dance consisted chiefly of the performers leaping two or three times successively out of the sea, and then violently moving their legs so as to agitate the water into a foam for some distance around them, all the time shouting loudly and laughing immoderately; then they would run through the water for eight or ten yards and perform again; and this was repeated over and over as long as the dance lasted.

Page 175

[At Port Macquarie]
May 21, 1819

The natives are numerous, but they appear to depend more upon hunting than the sea for their subsistence.
This I judged from the very inferior state of their canoes, which are very much less ingeniously formed than even the frail ones of the Port Jackson natives; being merely sheets of bark, with the ends slightly gathered up to form a shallow concavity, in which they stand, and propel them by means of poles.

Page 198

[At Palm Island]
June 18, 1819
The canoes were not longer than eight feet, and would not safely carry more than two people; the ends were stitched together by strips of the stem of the flagellaria indica.

Page 200
[At Goold Island]

June 20, 1819
At daylight the following morning I was much surprised by being told that five canoes were paddling off to the cutter, four of which only held each one native, but the fifth being rather larger contained two.

On approaching the cutter they laid off until invited to come alongside; when they approached without the least alarm or hesitation, and made signs for something to eat; some biscuit was given to them which they ate and, unlike all other Australian savages, appeared to relish its taste.
Some little persuasion was necessary to induce them to venture on board ; but, as soon as one mounted the ladder the others followed.

Page 201

As soon as they had left us Mr. Bedwell and Mr. Cunningham went to the islet off the west end of Goold Island, and on their way met two other canoes, containing three men, coming to the cutter from another part of the bay; after a short communication with our party they paid us the intended visit, and were soon induced to come on board, where they remained for half an hour, without betraying the least fear or anxiety for their safety : before they took their leave we had clothed them with some damaged slops; and, in order to give each something, the feet of a pair of worsted stockings were cut off to make socks for one, whilst the legs were placed on another's arms; a leathern cap was given to each of them, and thus accoutred, and making a most ridiculous appearance, they left us, highly delighted withvessel to these simple savages for the purpose of carrying water.

Page 202

Their canoes were not more than five feet long, and generally too small for two people; two small strips of bark, five or six inches square, serves the double purpose of paddling and for baling the water out, which they are constantly obliged to do to prevent their canoe from sinking; in shoal water the paddles are superseded by a pole, by which this fragile bark is propelled.

Page 209

[Blomfield's Inlet, Cape Tribulation]
June 26, 1819
Near the entrance upon the bank of the inlet, several huts were noticed, and near them Mr. Bedwell found a canoe; which, being hollowed out of the trunk of a tree, was of very different construction to any we had before seen; its length was twenty-one feet, but its greatest breadth in the bilge did not exceed fifteen inches, whilst, at the gunwale, the opening was only from six to eight and a half inches wide; an outrigger, projecting about two feet, was neatly attached to one side, which prevented its liability to overset, and at each end was a projection, from fifteen to twenty inches long, on which the natives carry their fire, or sit; nothing was found in the canoe but two paddles and a long pole.

Page 220

[At Endeavour River]
July 4, 1819
On the beach we passed the wreck of a canoe, large enough to carry seven or eight persons ; it measured nineteen feet in length, and twenty-two inches in the bilge, aud appeared, like that of Blomfield's Rivulet, to be made of the trunk of the erythrina indica, (coral tree) hollowed out either by fire or by some blunt tool.

Page 225
During the morning, two natives, whom we afterwards recognised to be the same that came down to the dry sands last Sunday, were perceived walking from the north end of the long sandy beach towards the point; and, as they passed abreast of us, they fre-quently hailed.
Soon after they had disappeared round the point, they were seen to paddle in a canoe towards the mangroves on the opposite shore; they were armed with spears, and were, perhaps, returning from a hunting excursion.
Soon after this, they were again perceived paddling along the edge of the mangroves, apparently engaged in spearing fish with a fiz-gig; which the striker used in a similar way to that of the natives of Port Jackson; but from the leisurely manner in which they proceeded, it was evidently their intention to approach us under pretence of fishing.

Page 237

June 24, 1819.
Early on the rooming of the 24th, we left Margaret Bay; and, steering to the northward, passed close round the western side of the Bird Isles of Captain Cook.
Eight or ten natives were standing on the sandy point of the north-easternmost islet, attentively engaged in watching us as we passed by; and near them were two canoes hauled up on the beach.
The canoes appeared to be of similar construction to that seen at Endeavour River; but certainly were not more than sixteen or eighteen feet in length.

The

Page 238

late Admiral Bligh, in his account of the Bounty's voyage, has described one that he saw and measured at Sunday Island, the place we had just left; it was thirty-three feet long, and would hold twenty men; but from his account it must have been of bark, for he says, " the canoe was made of three pieces, the bottom entire, to which the sides were sewed common way *."
The largest canoe that we have seen did not measure more than eighteen feet in length.

[Footnote]*Bligh's Voyage to the South Seas, page 210.

Page 245

July 24, 1819.

Captain Cook thus describes the method by which the natives of Endeavour River catch turtle:—" For striking turtle they have a peg of wood, which ii about a foot long, and very well bearded ; this fits

Page 226

into a socket, at the end of staff of light wood, about as thick as a man's wrist, and about seven or eight feet long: to the staff is tied
one end of a loose line about three or four fathoms long, the other end of which a fastened to the peg.
To strike the turtle, the peg is tied into the socket, and when it has entered his body, and is re-teincd shear by the barn, the staff dies ot aad serves for a lost to trace their rictaa is the water; it assist* sJso to tare him, taU they eaa orcrtake bias with their caaoes aad baa! bin on share. Ooe of these pegs, at I have astatiaacd already, we found in the body of a turtle, which had healed ap over it. Their iiaes are frao the dark-aess af s half-inch rope to the finroess of a hair, aad are made of »«me reretabk substance, bat what in particular we bad no oppor¬tunity tn learn." Hawanswos-rH« C«M. x\A. 5L p. f3S.
The above method differs oah (vara that used by the natires af Rockingham Bay and Cape Flinders j in that the imX is another piece of Sght buoyant wood—the naff being retained in bis hand when the turtle is struck. The reader will here recognise, in UBS instrument, a striking reserabia: '-e t> the ooaak and kmtteeitic, the weapon* which Captain Parry describes the Esquimaux to use in spearing the seal aad whale. (Pa RUT'S &ece*d Feygt «/£K#co-eerjr, pp. 507 and 609.)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

, and is retained there by the barb, the staff ik$ of and serve* for a Soot to trace their vktim in the water; it assists also to tire ban, till they can overtake him with their canon sad haul MM m than. One of these pegs, as I have mentioned already, we found in the body of a turtle, which had healed up over it. Their fines are Irons the thick¬ness of a half-inch rope to the hxntm of a hair, and are made of some vegetable substance, but what in particular we had no oppor¬tunity to learn.'' HAWKESWORTH** CoS. vol tit. p. 332.

The above method differs only from that used by the natives of Rockingham Bay and Cape flinders; in that the float is another piece of light buoyant wood—the laff being retained in his hand when the turtle is struck.
The reader will here recognise, in hins instrument, a striking resemblance to the amok and katlerlik, the weapons which Captain Parry describes the Esquimaux to use in spearing the seal and whale. (PAEET a Second Voyage of Discovery, pp. 507 and 509.)

King, Phillip Parker:
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia
Performed Between the Years 1818 and 1822, Volume 1
John Murray, London,1827.
Australian Fascimile Editions Number 30.
Libraries Board of South Australia, Adelaide, 1969.