ng lean beef in appearance, though
hardly so good to the taste, and the skin can be manufactured into
gelatine. I have often wondered that this most useful animal was not
oftener captured. A fishing establishment with a good boat, a trained
crew, and proper appliances for extracting the oil, could not fail to
return a large profit to the proprietors, and every now and then they
could kill a whale, one or more of which could be frequently seen
disporting themselves in the waters of the bay.

[Illustration--BAY ON HINCHINBROOK ISLAND, WITH NATIVES.]

By ten o'clock we had reached Garden Island, and beached the boat on a
long sandy spit that stretched into the sea. Leaving one man as
boat-keeper, we spread ourselves into line, and regularly beat the
little island from end to end, but without finding a single black; we
could, however, see their smoke-signals arising from Gould Island, and
observed several heavily-laden canoes making the best of their way
towards Hinchinbrook. Our search having been unsuccessful, we hurried
down to the boat, with the intention of cutting the fugitives off, but
found to our disgust that the tide had fallen so low during our absence
that our united strength was insufficient to move the boat, so we were
perforce compelled to remain until the return of the water. This did
not in reality so much signify, indeed, some of the party were rather
averse to our plan of intercepting the canoes, arguing that if closely
pressed, the blacks might make an end of their captives. However this
might be, there was no help for it, we were stuck fast until the
afternoon, so had to summon such philosophy as we possessed, and while
away the time as best we could. The boat's sail, spread under the
shade of a tree, kept the intense heat a little at bay until after
dinner, and this most essential part of the day's programme have been
done ample justice to, and the pipes lighted and smoked out, we
wandered about the long space left bare by the tide, amusing ourselves
by collecting oysters, cowrie shells, and periwinkles.

The way we captured the two latter was by turning over the rocks, to
the under sides of which we found them adhering in great numbers,
sticking on like snails to a garden wall. Some of the cowries were
very beautiful, particularly those of a deep brown colour approaching
to black. This kind, however, were rather rare, and the lucky finder
of a large one excited some envy. These beautiful li