Among Cannibals: An Account of Four Years' Travels in Australia and of Camp Life With the Aborigines of Queensland

CHAPTER XXIX

Chapter 29797 wordsPublic domain

Religion—Blacks in the service of the white men—Fickle minds—Settlers and natives on the borders of civilisation—Morality—A life and death struggle—The cruelty of the whites—Future prospects of the Australian natives 339–349

APPENDIX

I. AN OUTLINE OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORY— PAGE The Condition before the European Discovery 353

History of the Discovery 355

History of the Colonies 359

II. GEOLOGY 366

III. FLORA 369

IV. FAUNA 376

INDEX 389

Ἀνδροφάγοι δὲ ἀγριώτατα πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἔχουσιν ἤθεα οὔτε δίκην νομίζοντες οὔτε νόμῳ οὐδενὶ χρεόμενοι· νομάδες δὲ εἴσιν.

HERODOTUS, IV. 106.

ILLUSTRATIONS

PORTRAIT OF AUTHOR IN AUSTRALIAN DRESS _Frontispiece_

PAGE

BLACK SWAN 1

FLINDERS STREET, ADELAIDE 3

VIEW NEAR ADELAIDE 4

THE LIBRARY, MELBOURNE 6

THE GOVERNOR’S HOUSE, MELBOURNE 7

NATIVE BEAR WITH ITS YOUNG 10

HUNTING THE OPOSSUM _To face page_ 11

TREE-FERNS IN VICTORIA 11

SYDNEY HARBOUR 13

THE BLUE MOUNTAINS 15

THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE, BRISBANE 17

FROGS (_Hyla cærulea_) ENTERING A WATER-JAR 18

GRACEMERE STATION 20

THE MAIN BUILDING, GRACEMERE STATION 21

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ROCKHAMPTON _To face page_ 24

LAUGHING JACKASS (_Dacelo gigas_) 26

VINE-SCRUB NEAR GRACEMERE _To face page_ 27

TRUE AUSTRALIAN SCENERY _To face page_ 29

A WOOL-WAGGON 31

HEAD OF “MORE PORK” (_Podargus cuvierii_) 32

A KANGAROO HUNT _To face page_ 34

SPIDER PARALYSED BY A HORNET 38

QUEENSLAND NATIVE MOUNTED POLICE 46

FLINT KNIFE FROM GEORGINA RIVER WITH ITS SHEATH 48

POUCH FOR THE CARRYING OF PITURI 49

BOOMERANGS FROM QUEENSLAND 51

STOCK-MAN’S WHIP 53

REST UNDER A BOTTLE-TREE (_Sterculia_) 55

BUSHMEN 58

A SQUATTER’S HOMESTEAD 59

ELEPHANT SUGAR-CANE, MACKAY 63

MY GORDON SETTER POINTING A BLACK SNAKE _To face page_ 64

A NATIVE MAN FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND, NEAR ROCKHAMPTON 68

A NATIVE WOMAN FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND, NEAR ROCKHAMPTON 69

NOLLA-NOLLAS 73

PECULIAR POSITION OF NATIVES WHEN RESTING 77

NELLY IN THE KITCHEN _To face page_ 81

JACKY, A “CIVILISED” BLACK-FELLOW 83

CLIMBING WITH THE AID OF KĀMIN _To face page_ 89

WALLABY HUNT _To face page_ 92

WALLABY NET FROM HERBERT RIVER 94

THE SCREW-PALM (_Pandanus_) 95

YOUNG CASSOWARY 98

PALM FOREST IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 103

A WOMAN FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND, NEAR TOWNSVILLE 107

MY CAMP _To face page_ 110

WOODEN SHIELDS FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 120

FILLET OR BROW-BAND FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 121

A WARRIOR IN GREAT EXCITEMENT JUST BEFORE BORBOBY _To face page_ COMMENCES 122

A BORBOBY _To face page_ 124

OLD WOMEN PROTECTING A FALLEN WARRIOR 125

A WOMAN FROM MARYBOROUGH, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND _To face page_ 129

A YOUNG GIRL FROM MARYBOROUGH, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND _To face page_ 130

AN OLD MAN FROM HERBERT RIVER 132

A GROUP OF NATIVES FROM HERBERT RIVER 133

A YOUNG BOY FROM HERBERT RIVER, SHOWING ORNAMENTAL SCARS 135

SMALL BASKET CARRIED ABOUT THE NECK, HERBERT RIVER 136

MAKING FIRE 141

JUNGLE-HEN (_Megapodius tumulus_) 149

TOOLLAH (_Pseudochirus archeri_)—Coloured plate _To face page_ 152

EDIBLE BEETLE (_Eurynassa australis_) 154

LARVA OF SAME 154

NATIVES FROM HERBERT RIVER _To face page_ 163

RIFLE-BIRD (_Ptiloris victoriæ_) 171

MONGAN (_Pseudochirus herbertensis_)—Coloured plate _To face page_ 173

YARRI (_Dasyurus maculatus_) 174

DINGO 179

START FOR AN EXPEDITION _To face page_ 188

BASKET FROM NORTH QUEENSLAND 190

A BASKET MADE OF SOFT MATERIALS (GRASS) FROM HERBERT RIVER 194

BASKET FROM HERBERT RIVER, PAINTED WITH STRIPES AND DOTS OF HUMAN BLOOD 195

YABBY (_Pseudochirus lemuroides_)—Coloured plate _To face page_ 197

YELLOW NECKLACE WORN BY THE BLACKS AS AN EMBLEM OF MOURNING 203

_Cicada aurora_ 222

BOONGARY (_Dendrolagus lumholtzii_)—Coloured plate _To face page_ 226

ALL THE DOGS WERE PRODUCED _To face page_ 229

KÉLANMI 233

A TUFT OF TALEGALLA FEATHERS 237

A SHELL USED AS AN ORNAMENT 237

DANCE OF THE NATIVES _To face page_ 238

STRIPED-FACED POUCHED MOUSE (_Sminthopsis virginiæ_) 252

JIMMY 255

A MALE CRANIUM FROM ROCKHAMPTON, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND, SEEN FROM FIVE SIDES 259

DALRYMPLE CREEK _To face page_ 261

AN OLD MAN FROM TOWNSVILLE, NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 263

NATIVES ON HERBERT RIVER 269

BURIAL IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND 275

A LARGE BASKET FROM NORTHERN QUEENSLAND FOR CARRYING CHILDREN 276

HUNTING THE PYTHON 293

SNAKE FEAST IN MY CAMP _To face page_ 298

A MESSAGE STICK FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 304

REVERSE SIDE OF THE SAME 304

MESSAGE STICK, WITH INTERPRETATION OF INSCRIPTION 304

THE FREEZING ESTABLISHMENT, LAKES CREEK, NEAR ROCKHAMPTON 314

A WIRE HARPOON POINT 317

A WOODEN PLUG 317

A WOODEN HARPOON POINT 317

THE DUGONG, OR AUSTRALIAN SEA-COW (_Halicore dugong_) 319

NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL QUEENSLAND. JABIRU IN THE _To face page_ FOREGROUND 323

MOUNT MORGAN GOLD MINE _To face page_ 324

_Nephrurus asper_ 325

NATIVES FROM THE VICINITY OF ROCKHAMPTON 330

BROW-BAND FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 331

OPOSSUM THREAD 332

APRON MADE FROM OPOSSUM YARN 332

SHIELDS FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 333

WOODEN SWORD FROM CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 334

BENDI FROM COOMOOBOOLAROO 334

CRYSTALLINE AXE FROM PEAK DOWNS IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 335

A SPEAR FROM THE COAST OF CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 335

“KING BILLY OF GRACEMERE” WITH HIS “GIN” (WIFE) 337

CIVILISED GIRLS FROM THE VICINITY OF TOWNSVILLE 341

“THE LONELY OLD PEOPLE,” NATIVES FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF TOWNSVILLE 344

NATIVE POLICE DISPERSING THE BLACKS _To face page_ 348

COOK’S MONUMENT IN SYDNEY 356

A LARGE FOSSIL SEA-SHELL FROM WESTERN QUEENSLAND (_Inoceramus maximus_) 367

LEAVES, FLOWERS, AND FRUIT OF _Eucalyptus amygdalina_ 370

AN AUSTRALIAN SPRUCE (_Araucaria bidwillii_) 372

THE TEA-TREE (_Melaleuca Leucadendron_) 373

_Chlamydosaurus kingii_ 376

WILD GEESE FROM NORTH QUEENSLAND (_Anseranas _To face page_ melanoleuca_) 383

EGG OF _Daphnia lumholtzii_ 386

_Daphnia lumholtzii_ 386

_Cyclestheria hislopi_ 387

SHELL OF A _Cyclestheria hislopi_ 388

MAP OF AUSTRALIA _At end_

MAP TO ILLUSTRATE THE AUTHOR’S TRAVELS IN QUEENSLAND „