NORTHEN CRUIZE. 167 



Moreton Bay being- now preferred to that formerly 

 in use. 



One nio'ht while returnino- from an excursion, I 

 saw some fires behind the beach near Cumboyooro 

 Pointy and on walking* up was g'lad to find an 

 encampment of about thirty natives^ collected there 

 for the piu'pose of fishing*^ this being* the spawning- 

 season of the mullet^ which now frequent the coast 

 in prodigious shoals. Finding* among" the party 

 an old friend of mine^ usually known by the name of 

 Funny-eye^ I obtained with some difficulty per- 

 mission to sleep at his fire^ and he g*aye me a roasted 

 mullet for supper. The party at our bivouac^ con- 

 sisted of my host^ his wife and two children^ an old 

 man and two wretched dogs. We lay down with 

 our feet towards a larg-e fire of drift wood^ partially 

 sheltered from the wind by a semicircular line of 

 branches^ stuck in the sand behind us \ stilly while 

 one part of the body was nearly roasted^ the rest 

 shivered with cold. The woman appeared to be 

 busy all night long in scaling* and roasting* fish^ of 

 which^ before mornings she had a large pile ready 

 cooked \ neither did the men sleep much — for they 

 awoke every hour or so^ g'orged themselves still fur- 

 ther with mullet^ took a copious draught of water^ 

 and wound up by lighting* their pipes before lying* 

 down ag'ain. 



At daylight every one was up and stirring*^ and 

 soon afterwards the men and boys went down to the 

 beach to fish. The rollers coming* in from seaward 



