The natives had no idea of using an axe.

Their only notion of felling a tree was to squat down beside it and give it little hacking chops with a large knife or a sabre.
With such means and such men as these the mere work of cutting and making the roads and bridging the streams was enormous.

But not only was this done but the stations were all stockaded, and huts erected for the reception of four hundred and fifty men and officers, and immense quantities of stores, at each post.

Major Home, commanding the engineers, was the life and soul of the work, and to him more than any other man was the expedition indebted for its success.

He was nobly seconded by Buckle, Bell, Mann, Cotton, Skinner, Bates and Jeykyll, officers of his own corps, and by Hearle of the marines, and Hare of the 22d, attached to them.