Their Furniture and fishing Implements. 145 
a night or two, they fiept without any ihelter, except the 
.bufhos or gra!'s, which is here near two feet high. W e ob- 
ferved, however, that though the fleeping huts which we 
found upon the main, were always turned from the prevailing 
wind, thofe upon the iflands were turned towards it ; which 
feems to be a proof that they have a mild feafon here, during 
which the fea is calm, and that the fame weather which en- 
ables them to vilit the iflands, makes the air welcome even 
while they fleep. 
The only furniture belonging to thefe houfes that fell un- 
der our oblervation, is a kind of oblong veifel made of bark, 
by the fimple contrivance of tying up the two ends with a 
withy, which not being cut off ferves for a handle ; thefe 
we imagined were ufed as buckets to fetch water from the 
fpring, which may be fuppofed fometimes to be at a confider- 
able diltance. They have however a fmall bag, about the 
fize of a moderate cabbage-net, which is made by laying 
threads loop within loop, fomewhat in the manner of knif- 
ing ufed by our ladies to make purfes. This bag the man 
•carries looie upon his back, by a fmall firing which partes 
over his head ; it generally contains a lump or two of paint 
and refin, fome filh-hooks and lines, a fhell or two, out of 
•which their hooks are made, a few points of darts, and their 
ufual ornaments, which includes the whole worldly treafure of 
the richell man among them. 
Their filh-hooks are very neatly made, and fome of them 
are exceedingly fmall. . For flriking turtle they have a peg of 
wood which is about a foot long, and very well bearded ; 
this fits into a focket at the end of a flaff of light wood, about 
as thick as a man’s wrill, and about feven or eight feet long ; 
to the flaff is tied one end of a loofe line, about three or four 
fathom long, the other end of which is fattened to the peg. 
To flrike the turtle, the peg is fixed into the focket, and when 
it has entered his body, and is retained there by the barb, the 
flaff flies off and ferves for a float to trace their vidtim in the 
water ; i^aflifls alfo to tire him, till they can overtake him 
with their canoes, and haul him afhore. One of thefe pegs, 
as I have mentioned already, we fouad buried in the body of a 
turtle, which had healed up over it. Their lines are from 
the thicknefs of a half inch rope to the finenefs of a hair, and 
are made of fome vegetable fubllance, but what in particular 
we had no opportunity to learn. 
Their food is chiefly fifh, though they fometimes contrive 
to kill the kanguroo, and even birds of various kinds ; not- 
withflanding they are fo fhy that we found it difficult to get 
within reach of them with a fowling-piece. The only vege- 
table that can be conflierei as an^rricle of food is the yam ; 
yet dou'jtlefs they eat the fevera! fruits which have been men- 
V T ol.IL N tioned 
