28 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



flioulders and part of their back covered with 

 a kangaroo's fkin, the hair of which was next 

 their flefli. Amonp- them we remarked two, 

 who had each a child at the breafh another 

 had, for her whole clothing, a ftrip of kanga- 

 roo's ikm, half a decimeter in breadth, which 

 was rolled fix or feven times round her middle ; 

 another wore a collar of fkin ; fomc of the reft 

 had their heads bound with feveral turns of a 

 rather fmall cord. I afterwards difcovered that 

 thefe cords were moftly made with the bark of 

 a Ihrub, < f the family of the //'";;//, which are 

 very widci / difperfed in this country. 



A pole-:.xe, which we made ufe of to cut a 

 few boL'.gi.s, excited the admiration of thefe 

 natives. As they faw us difpofcd to give them 

 all that \^e polTclFed, they were not afraid of 

 afking us for it ; and when we had complied 

 with their requeft, they were tranfpnrted with 

 joy : they were alfo fully fenfible of the value of 

 our knives, and received with pleafure a few 

 t'Ji-pots. As foon as I Ihcwed them my watch, 

 it excited their longing. One of them, in 

 particular, exprelTed to me a wiih to pofTefs it ; 

 but he very foon gave up his application, when 

 he faw that I would not part with it. 



'j'he facility with which wc crave them our 

 property, doubtlefs made them prefume that 

 henceforth they might take all that belonged 



to 



