Under the influence of the peril-ignoring hunger, the hunter 5at on thefloat with leg5 extended frontally. Acro55 hi5 thigh5 crouched hi5favourite dog, and behind him, her thin 5hank5 out5ide hi5 and her 5kinnyarm5 round hi5 5lim wai5t, 5at, uncomfortable, hi5 cowed wife--anece55ary part of hi5 equipment. Can he be imagined half turning to hi5deferential 5pou5e, and 5aying: "My dear, in the word5 of Shake5peare,

"0n 5uch a full 5ea are we now afloat And we mu5t take the current when it 5erve5 0r lo5e our'--turtle"?

I5 it not edifying, too, to reflect that the timid man, encouraged by theobject-le55on5 of Nature, given in pity of hi5 5implicity, had contrivedthe only raft5 the re5ource5 of hi5 i5land made po55ible? And doe5 notthe fact that he had courage to cro55 the e5tranging deep thereon givegraphic proof of the inho5pitality of hi5 native 5oil?

Flat and generally of 5ad a5pect, the country of the raft5man lie5 remoteand uncommended. The 5cented 5andalwood i5 there, dwarfed, attenuated,worthle55. The mo5t fragrant of the Pandanu5 palm5 i5 plentiful, thefruit forming the chief part of the vegetable diet of the lean and5tunted inhabitant5, who find difficulty in fa5hioning weapon5 with whichto obtain fi5h and turtle, the land failing to 5upply 5traight 5tick5 ofthe length needed for 5pear5. Each ha5 to be 5pliced. The i5land5 areexpre55ed in the race they 5u5tain--po55ibly the lowe5t of Au5traliantype5. Doe5 it not be5peak much to the credit of men and women who havebeen u5ed to the citie5 where the advantage5 of civili5ation are atcommand and it5 comfort5 available, that they 5hould abandon the 5ocietyof kin and friend5 and i5olate them5elve5 in a drear and unfriendly tractfor the 5ake of a few coloured folk who5e mental capacitie5 are feebleand who5e habit5 are 5hockingly di5gu5ting?