Watkin Tench's 1788 by Watkin; Tim; Tench Flannery Page A

in heaps in their huts or the caverns of the rocks, until a fire can be kindled.
    Than these huts nothing more rude in construction or deficient in conveniency can be imagined. They consist only of pieces of bark laid together in the form of an oven, open at one end and very low, though long enough for a man to lie at full length in. There is reason, however, to believe that they depend less on them for shelter than on the caverns with which the rocks abound.
    To cultivation of the ground they are utter strangers, and wholly depend for food on the few fruits they gather, the roots they dig up in the swamps, and the fish they pick up along shore or contrive to strike from their canoes with spears. Fishing, indeed, seems to engross nearly the whole of their time, probably from its forming the chief part of a subsistence which, observation has convinced us, nothing short of the most painful labour and unwearied assiduity can procure. When fish are scarce, which frequently happens, they often watch the moment of our hauling the seine, and have more than once been known to plunder its contents, in spite of the opposition of those on the spot to guard it; and this even after having received a part of what had been caught. The only resource at these times is to show a musket, and if the bare sight is not sufficient, to fire it over their heads, which has seldom failed of dispersing them hitherto, but how long the terror which it excites may continue is doubtful.
    The canoes in which they fish are as despicable as their huts, being nothing more than a large piece of bark tied up at both ends with vines. Their dexterous management of them, added to the swiftness with which they paddle and the boldness that leads them several miles in the open sea are, nevertheless, highly deserving of admiration. A canoe is seldom seen with–out a fire in it, to dress the fish by as soon as caught. Fire they procure by attrition.
    From their manner of disposing of those who die, which will be mentioned hereafter, as well as from every other observation, there seems no reason to suppose these people cannibals. Nor do they ever eat animal substances in a raw state, unless pressed by extreme hunger, but indiscriminately broil them and their vegetables on a fire, which renders these last an innocent food, though in their raw state many of them are of a poisonous quality, as a poor convict who unguardedly eat of them experienced, by falling a sacrifice in twenty-four hours afterwards. If bread be given to the Indians they chew and spit it out again, seldom choosing to swallow it. Salt beef and pork they like rather better, but spirits they never could be brought to taste a second time.
    The only domestic animal they have is the dog, which in their language is called dingo , and a good deal resembles the fox dog of England. † These animals are equally shy of us and attached to the natives. One of them is now in the possession of the governor, and tolerably well reconciled to his new master. As the Indians see the dislike of the dogs to us, they are sometimes mischievous enough to set them on single persons whom they chance to meet in the woods. A surly fellow was one day out shooting when the natives attempted to divert themselves in this manner at his expense. The man bore the teasing and gnawing of the dog at his heels for some time, but apprehending at length that his patience might embolden them to use still farther liberties, he turned round and shot poor dingo dead on the spot. The owners of him set off with the utmost expedition.
    There is no part of the behaviour of these people that has puzzled us more than that which relates to their women. Comparatively speaking we have seen but few of them, and those have been sometimes kept back with every symptom of jealous sensibility; and sometimes offered with every appearance of courteous familiarity. Cautious, however, of alarming the feelings of the men on so tender a point, we have constantly