SAGO-PALMS. 229 



wood was stored in the houses, from which we took 

 the liberty to help ourselves, as the rain still con- 

 tinued ; and I picked up the jaw of a cuscus, that of 

 a pig, and some shells belonging to the genera auri- 

 cula and C}^rena. 



From the huts the river ran first north and then 

 north-west for two or three miles, when it divided 

 into two large branches. Of these we took one 

 leading to the north-east, which made a great bend 

 to the east, and then again divided, one part running 

 east and south-east, and another due north, along 

 which we proceeded. Here we caught a glimpse of 

 Aird's Hill over the intermediate woods, bearing 

 north by east, distant apparently six or eight miles. 

 All these branches of water were from a quarter to 

 three-quarters of a mile in width, all perfectly fresh, 

 generally twelve to fifteen feet deep, with banks of 

 clay and mud, covered with dense jungle, in which, 

 as we proceeded, the mangroves became fewer, the 

 palms more abundant, especially that which we 

 afterwards found was the sago-palm, and lofty forest 

 trees began to shew their spreading heads in the 

 interior of the woods. In addition to the many 

 branching arms of water, little narrow winding 

 creeks and canals struck off into the jungle here 

 and there in every direction, full of soft mud at 

 low tide, increasing the difficulty of traversing 

 the jungle on foot, but affording admirable places 

 of concealment for the narrow canoes of the na- 

 tives. 



