North Coast: Torres' Strait] INTRODUCTION. 
xxiii 
little value on any thing else. The bows are made of split bamboo ; Bmgh and 
and so strong, that no man in the ship could bend one of them. The P °i£gg° K * 
string is a broad slip of cane, fixed to one end of the bow; and fitted 
with a noose, to go over the other end, when strung. The arrow is 
a cane of about four feet long, into which a pointed piece of the 
hard, heavy, casuarina wood, is firmly and neatly fitted ; and some 
of them were barbed. Their clubs are made of the casuarina, and 
are powerful weapons. The hand part is indented, and has a small 
knob, by which the firmness of the grasp is much assisted ; and the 
heavy end is usually carved with some device : One had the form of 
a parrot's head, with a ruff" round the neck ; and was not ill done. 
Their canoes are about fifty feet in length, and appear to have been 
hollowed out of a single tree ;' but the pieces which form the gun- 
wales, are planks sewed on with the fibres of the cocoa nut, and 
secured with pegs. These vessels are low, forward, but rise abaft; 
and, being narrow, are fitted with an outrigger on each side, to 
keep them steady. A raft, of greater breadth than the canoe, ex- 
tends over about half the length ; and upon this is fixed a shed 
or hut, thatched with palm leaves. These people, in short, appeared 
to be dextrous sailors and formidable warriours; and to be as much 
at ease in the water, as in their canoes. 
Sept. 7. The boats having found deep water round the north end 
of the three low islands, the vessels followed them ; but anchored 
again, soon after noon, in latitude g° 31', and longitude 14,3° 31' ; 
being sheltered by the two western islands, named Stephens' mdCamp- 
bell's, and the reefs which surround them. There were then no less 
than eight islands in sight, at different distances ; though none further 
to the westward than \V. S. W. All these, except Darn ley's Island, 
first seen, were small, low, and sandy ; but generally well covered 
with wood in the central parts. 
On the 8th, the vessels steered westward, with the usual precau- 
tions. No land, or other obstruction, had been seen in that quarter ; 
but, at ten o'clock, they were forced to haul the wind to the south- 
