COMMUNICATION WITH THEM. 221 



the natives came close up — even to a single unarmed 

 man of our party who waded ashore — the others 

 remaining' in the boats — althoug'h tempted by the 

 display of pieces of iron hoop and strips of calico. 

 One of the natives^ carrying* a wooden sword^ and 

 apparently a leading- man among* them^ made some 

 sig'ns and used g-esticulations expressive of sleep or 

 death with reference to a part of Joannet Island 

 which he repeatedly pointed to. This we could not 

 understand.* After a certain deg'ree of confidence 

 had been restored^ five or six of us remained on 

 shore^ and gTeat harmony appeared to prevail 

 throughout the combined party. In one place the 

 serg'eant of marines was seated on the sand Avith a 

 ring' of people round him whom he was drilling- into 

 the mode of singing- a Port Essing-ton aborig'inal 

 song'^ occasionally rising- to vary his lesson with a 

 dance^ — in another^ a gToup of natives were being- 

 initiated in the mysteries of the Jew's harp^ or kept 

 amused by the performance of various antics. Mr. 

 Huxley as usual^ was at work with his sketch-book^ 

 and I employed myself in procuring- words for an 

 incipient vocabulary. My principal informant was 

 called Wadai^ a little withered old man with shaved 



* Although not understood at the time, he referred to an affray 

 between two boats detached from the ship on surveying service 

 and some Joannet Island canoes, which had occurred only a few 

 hours before at the place indicated ; of this we had not yet heard, 

 but the news had reached Brierly Island, and occasioned our 

 strange reception. This is a remarkable instance of the rapidity with 

 which intelligence may be conveyed from one island to another. 



