84 MOUNT ERNEST. 



the dry sands after much trouble, and under the 

 direction of Baki, who affected g'reat g-rief at the 

 prospect of parting* with us, went off to the ship. 



We sailed at 8 a.m. for Mount Ernest — at which 

 place a round of theodolite ang-les was required — 

 and in the afternoon anchored off its south-western 

 side in nine fathoms^ one mile off shore. A solitary 

 native was seen at work upon a canoe near the 

 beach, but when a boat approached the shore he 

 withdrew. The canoe was about half finished, and 

 close by was a small shed of bamboo thatched with 

 g-rass. After crossing* a small sandy 23lain covered 

 with short g-rass g'rowing* in tufts, we met the native 

 on the edg'e of a brush to which he had slowly 

 retired in order to pick up his spears and throwing* 

 stick, both of which were precisely similar to those 

 of Cape York, from which place they had probably 

 been procured. He was a quiet, sedate, g'ood- 

 natured old man, and althoug'h at first rather shy 

 he soon laid aside his fears on receiving* assurances 

 in the Kowrareg*a lang-uag'e, which he understood, 

 that marhai jj07(d Kvlhalaig Nagir (the white men 

 are friends of the Kulkaleg'a tribe of Mount Er- 

 nest), backed by a present of some biscuit and a 

 knife. On subsequent occasions, when accompany- 

 ing* us from place to place, the quiet listless apathy 

 of the old fellow was a source of some amusement. 

 He did what was told him, and exhibited little 

 curiosity, and scarcely any surprise at the many 

 wonderful thino-s we shewed him — such as shootino* 



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