I9O VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



ing on the coals. Hard by were feen as many 

 cabins as there were fires. 



This place appeared to be pretty much fre- 

 quented, for there were here found fourteen fmall 

 fpots marked with the traces of the fires that had 

 been kindled on them. 



One of thefe favages, who was very tall and 

 extremely mufcular, had forgotten a fmall bafket 

 filled with pieces of filex ; he was not afraid to 

 come and look for it, and he advanced quite 

 clofe to Cretin, with the air of confidence which 

 his ftrength feemed to give him. Thefe favages 

 are not of a very deep black; they let their 

 beards grow, and have woolly hair. Some were 

 quite naked, and others had a kangaroo's fkin 

 over their fhoulders. 



The houfchold utenfils which they abandoned 

 confided nearly of thirty rufh bafkets of the fame 

 fhape as that which may be fern at the bottom 

 of Plate V.: fomc of them wen- full of crabs and 

 other fhell-fifh. Thefe bafkets are for the mofl 

 pnrt a third of a meter in depth. Some very 



ill ones were found of the fame fhape, which 



re not more than a decimeter long ; they were 

 filled with various pieces of filex, wrapped up in 

 the hark of a tree, as loft as good agaric. The 

 method which thefe favages employ to procure 

 fire is, to ftrike two pieces of filex one againit 

 the other : in this they differ greatly from the 



other 



