NORTHEN CEUIZE. 167 



Moreton Bay being- now preferred to that formerly 

 in use. 



One nig-ht while returning' from an excursion, I 

 saw some fires behind the beach near Cumboyooro 

 Point, and on walking up was glad to find an 

 encampment of about thirty natives, collected there 

 for the purpose of fishing, this being- the spawning- 

 season of the muUet, 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 difiiculty per- 

 mission to sleep at his fire, and he gave 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 large fire of drift wood, partially 

 sheltered from the wind by a semicircular line of 

 branches, stuck in the sand behind us ; stiU, while 

 one part of the body was nearly roasted, the rest 

 shivered with cold. The woman appeared to be 

 busy aU night long- in sealing and roasting fish, of 

 which, before morning, she had a large pile ready 

 cooked ; neither did the men sleep much — for they 

 awoke every hour or so, gorged themselves stiU fur- 

 ther with muUet, took a copious draught of water, 

 and wound up by lighting their pipes before lying- 

 down again. 



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 



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