COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
69 
leaving the least mark of the blow: the stone i82i. 
was covered with red pigment, and appeared to Aug^. s 
be a flinty slate. These spear-heads were ready 
for fixing, and the careful manner in which 
they were preserved plainly shewed their value, 
for each was separated by strips of bark, and 
the sharp edges protected by a covering of 
fur. A wound with such a spear must be mor- 
tal; and it was very fortunate for Mr. Mont- 
gomery that his was not inflicted with one of 
these truly formidable weapons. Their hatchets 
were also made of the same stone, the edges of 
which are ground so sharp, that a few blows 
serve to chop off the branch of a tree. 
The catamarans consisted of five mangrove 
stems lashed together to a frame of smaller wood, 
as in the subjoined wood-cut: they are buoyant 
enough to carry two natives, besides their spears 
and baskets. A representation of this mode of 
conveyance is also given in the title page of this 
volume. 
