162 



WELL-MADE MATS. 



the cooking fire. The different huts and fences were 

 rather irregularly disposed, but placed closely to- 

 gether, so as to leave only narrow winding passages 

 between them. They occupied a space fifty or 

 sixty yards long, by ten or fifteen broad. Behind 

 them was the open place of meeting, on the other 

 side of which, against an old tree, was a semicircular 

 pile or wall of dugongs' skulls about three feet high, 

 many of which were quite fresh, but others rotting 

 with age ; in the middle of this was a conical heap 

 of turtles' skulls in a similar state. There must 

 altogether have been some hundreds of skulls of each 

 kind of animal. 



When they had conducted us into this open 

 space, several of them seated themselves on small 

 well-made mats, like those used by the Malay 

 nations ; and two or three went and brought a large 

 roll of matting, at least 12 feet by 6, which they 

 spread for us to sit down on. These really well- 

 made fabrics greatly surprised us, after being 

 accustomed to the non-manufacturing Austra- 

 lians. They then brought us young cocoa-nuts, 

 tortoise-shell, and ornaments, and a great barter 

 commenced. They gave us cocoa-nut water, without 

 waiting to receive anything for it, but for the other 

 things they would only accept tobacco and iron 

 implements, paying no regard to our beads and 

 gaudy handkerchiefs. They brought us two small 

 bananas or plantains, but we could not see the 

 trees on which they grew. They suffered Captain 



