COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
43 
guishing their movements. After this they dis- 1818 - 
appeared, and when we visited the island in the Feb - 27 • 
afternoon, we found that they had left it : their 
shouting to us in the morning was therefore to 
inform us of their departure, and was probably 
intended to convey to us their farewell. 
Upon landing at the island, we directed our 
steps to their huts, which were of most miserable 
construction, being nothing more than a bush 
stuck in the ground, and forming only a very in- 
different shade. Here we found the presents, 
which had been given to our late captive, depo- 
sited carefully on the ground; but the bag, instead 
of having been opened at the mouth, was torn 
asunder near the seam at the bottom ; a fishing 
line that had been given to him was also left be- 
hind, which surprised us the more because the 
native had one of his own making attached to his 
log, and therefore must have known its use. 
It appears that the only vehicle, by which 
these savages transport their families and chattels 
across the water, is a log of wood ; that which 
we had brought alongside with our captive 
friend was made of the stem of a mangrove 
tree ; but as it was not long enough for the pur- 
pose, two or three short logs were neatly and 
even curiously joined together end to end, and 
so formed one piece that was sufhcfent to carry 
