98 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1821 . all. There is neither herb, root, pulse, nor any 
Au^. 20. sort of grain for them to eat, that we saw ; nor 
any sort of bird or beast that they can catch, 
having no instruments wherewithal to do so. 
“ I did not perceive that they did worship 
any thing. These poor creatures have a sort 
of weapon to defend their wear, or fight with 
their enemies, if they have any that will interfere 
with their poor fishery. They did at first en- 
deavour with their weapons to frighten us, who, 
lying ashore, deterred them from one of their 
fishing-places. Some of them had wooden swords, 
others had a sort of lances. The sword is a 
piece of wood shaped somewhat like a cutlass*. 
The lance is a long strait pole, sharp at one end, 
' and hardened afterwards by heat. I saw no 
iron, nor any sort of metal ; therefore it is pro- 
bable they use stone hatchets, as some Indians 
in America do, described in chap. iv. 
‘‘ How they get their fire I know not ; but 
probably as Indians do, out of wood. I have 
seen the Indians of Bon- Airy do it, and have 
myself tried the experiment. They take a flat 
piece of wood that is pretty soft, and make a 
small dent in one side of it, then they take 
another hard, round stick, about the bigness of 
one’s little finger, and sharpened at one end 
* Probably a boomerang. See a note, vol. i. p. 355. 
