April.] 
MERIBOHWHEY. 
131 
pears to be about five or six miles in circum- 
ference. The water was as salt as the sea. 
Around it lay abundance of blue stone, fit for 
building, and capable of being easily split into 
slates, for covering the roofs of houses. There is 
also plenty of soft limestone. About a hundred 
flamingoes stood in the water, near the place 
where we were, and smaller parties of them were 
scattered here and there, over the lake. They 
had a very singular appearance, as they remained 
almost motionless ; and, from the great length of 
their legs, stood high out of the water. Occa- 
sionally they picked up something from the water, 
or the bottom, but I could not perceive what it 
was. They allowed us to approach very near, 
without discovering the smallest timidity. Flints 
of many hues lay scattered over the beach; white, 
red and yellow were the most numerous. 
That we might remain at Manapanne, the 
Matchappees told us yesterday that no fire-wood 
could be found at this place, instead of which 
we found it plentiful. Lying is nothing in their 
estimation, if, by means of it, they can gain their 
point. They now wished to remain by the lake 
all night, but we discovered their object was 
merely to have time to eat up their quacha flesh, 
that they might have some plausible reason for 
begging other flesh from the Tammahas. Selfish- 
ness is the grand moving principle with them in 
