s, to obtain
which they waded up to their arms in the water, the party returned. The
natives were much amused with Boongaree's appearance, and frequently
addressed him, but his answering them in a strange language surprised
them very much; on his taking off his shirt they shouted loudly, and were
delighted; but on the return of the boat on board without our party's
landing, they were evidently much disappointed.

Our late captive was noticed in the background, but did not approach the
boat: he was, for an Australian, a well made man, and was at least six
feet in height. His hair was long and curly, and in it was stuck a short
sharp-pointed stick; he wore his beard long, no teeth were wanting in his
jaws, and there was no appearance of the septum narium having been
pierced: at every three inches between the upper part of the chest and
navel his body was scarified in horizontal stripes, the cicatrice of
which was at least an inch in diameter, and protruded half an inch from
the body. He could not have been more than twenty-two or three years of
age; and as for the other characteristics of spare limbs, long arms and
large head, he was a perfect facsimile of the inhabitants of the eastern
coast.

During the night their fires were seen on the island, and some were also
noticed on the mainland to the southward.

February 27.

Early the next morning the natives came down to the beach, and called out
loudly to us; but the glare of the sun, rising immediately over them,
prevented our distinguishing their movements. After this they
disappeared, and when we visited the island in the afternoon, we found
that they had left it: their shouting to us in the morning was therefore
to inform us of their departure, and was probably intended to convey to
us their farewell.

Upon landing at the island, we directed our steps to their huts, which
were of most miserable construction, being nothing more than a bush stuck
in the ground, and forming only a very indifferent shade. Here we found
the presents, which had been given to our late captive, deposited
carefully on the ground; but the bag, instead of having been opened at
the mouth, was torn asunder near the seam at the bottom; 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 transpo