NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 139 



to the top, and the floors were covered with long- 

 dried grass. 



The natives being absent from the camp, I 

 entered the large gunyah, and found in it a great 

 shield of solid wood, two feet in diameter, convex on 

 one side, and flat on the other. The convex side 

 was curiously painted red, in circular rings and 

 crosses. On the flat side was a handle, cut out of 

 the solid wood. In the same hut I found four 

 wooden swords, three and a half feet long, and four 

 inches broad, sharp at both edges, and thick in the 

 centre, with a sHghtly-curved, round handle, about 

 six inches long*. They were made of very hard 

 wood, and were much too heavy to wield with one 

 hand. I also found a number of fishing lines, 

 made from grass, with hooks attached of various 

 sizes, made from mussel shells. 



After I had carefully examined all these things 

 I left them where I found them. In the centre 

 of the camp were four large ovens, for cooking 

 their food. These ovens were constructed by dig-ging 

 a hole in the ground, about three feet in diameter, 

 and two feet deep. The hole is then filled to within 

 six inches of the top with smooth, hard, loose, 

 stones, on which a fire is kindled, and kept burning- 

 till the stones are well heated. Their food, consist- 

 ing- principally of shell and other fish, is then placed 

 on the stones and baked. 



There were no \'essels in the camp in which they 

 could boil anything, and it is my opinion, from 



