190 



GAY HEAD DRESS. 



I heard that a yellow, naked-tailed opossum, 

 called U bar reet," had been seen ashore in a cage, 

 and made many endeavours to see it, in order to pur- 

 chase it. They always evaded my inquiries, how- 

 ever, and assured me it had gone into the woods to 

 eat ; and, though 1 offered an axe and other things 

 for it, and they promised to bring it, I could not get 

 even a sight of it. 



We had found a good water-hole in the cove in 

 Treacherous Bay, called Beeka, and by deepening it 

 a little, got a very good supply for the ship. It was 

 in a plantation belonging to Mammoos, and he in- 

 sisted on being paid for it. This, however, was not 

 a permanent supply, as on our return at the end of 

 May, it was quite dry. 



Captain Blackwood and I measured the height of 

 the hill barometrically, his barometer giving a height 

 of 564} feet, mine of .55G feet above the sea. The 

 height deduced from the survey trigonometrically 

 was G15 feet, but this was to the tops of the trees on 

 the highest point, full 50 feet above the place where 

 we observed. 



Duppa came down one day with a very gay head 

 dress, which we only saw on this occasion. It was 

 a fillet crossing over the head, from which proceeded 

 a semicircle of large white feathers, vandyked at the 

 edges, radiating round his head like a glory. He was 

 a very good-looking fellow, and, with this ornament, 

 seemed quite the D'Orsay of the island. He as- 

 sembled several of the younger men and women, 



