I Have Often
Wondered That This Most Useful Animal Was Not Oftener Captured.
A fishing
establishment with a good boat, a trained crew, and proper appliances for
extracting the oil, could not
Fail to return a large profit to the
proprietors, and every now and then they could kill a whale, one or more of
which could be frequently seen disporting themselves in the waters of the
bay.
[Illustration - BAY ON HINCHINBROOK ISLAND, WITH NATIVES.]
By ten o'clock we had reached Garden Island, and beached the boat on a long
sandy spit that stretched into the sea. Leaving one man as boat-keeper, we
spread ourselves into line, and regularly beat the little island from end
to end, but without finding a single black; we could, however, see their
smoke-signals arising from Gould Island, and observed several heavily-laden
canoes making the best of their way towards Hinchinbrook. Our search
having been unsuccessful, we hurried down to the boat, with the intention
of cutting the fugitives off, but found to our disgust that the tide had
fallen so low during our absence that our united strength was insufficient
to move the boat, so we were perforce compelled to remain until the return
of the water. This did not in reality so much signify, indeed, some of the
party were rather averse to our plan of intercepting the canoes, arguing
that if closely pressed, the blacks might make an end of their captives.
However this might be, there was no help for it, we were stuck fast until
the afternoon, so had to summon such philosophy as we possessed, and while
away the time as best we could.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 7 of 115
Words from 1614 to 1891
of 31542
