CAPE YORK. 359 



When I found him there he seemed astonished and to lur. 

 forgotten about his day's pay altogether. 



The Blacks spend what little money they get in biscuit at 

 the store. And they know that for a florin they ought to get 

 more biscuit than for a shilling, but that is all. Food is their 

 greatest desire. Their use of English is most amusing, espe- 

 cially that of the word " fellow." * This feller gin, this feller 

 gin, this feller boy," said Longway, when I asked whether some 

 young Blacks crouched by the fire were boys or girls. They 

 apply the term also to all kinds of inanimate objects. There 

 are several graves of Blacks near Somerset. I asked Longway 

 what became of the Black fellows when they died ; he said " fly- 

 away," and said " they became White men." 



About 35 miles from Somerset is a tribe of fierce and more 

 powerful Blacks, of which the Gudangs are in great terror. 

 When I wanted some plants which were a little way up a tree, 

 Longway was not at all inclined to climb, but let a sailor who 

 was with me do it. Longway's boy said he could not climb. 



As I have said, Longway was always completely naked. He 

 not only had no clothing of any description, but no ornament of 

 any kind whatsoever, and he was not even tattooed. Further, he 

 never carried, when he walked with me, any kind of weapon, 

 not even a stick. His boy, who was always with him, was in 

 the same absolutely natural condition. It was some time before 

 I got quite accustomed to Longway's absolute nakedness, but 

 after I had been about with him for a bit, the thing seemed 

 quite familiar and natural, and I noticed it no more. 



On one of our excursions, Longway begged me to shoot him 

 some parroquets to eat. I shot half a dozen at a shot. I should 

 not have clone so if I had known the result. Longway insisted 

 on stopping and eating them there and then. I was obliged to 

 wait. Longway and his boy lighted a fire of grass and sticks, 

 tore a couple of clutches of feathers off each of the birds and 

 threw them on the fire for the rest of the feathers to singe partly 

 off. Before they were well warm through, they pulled the birds 

 out and tore them to pieces, and ate them all bleeding, devour- 

 ing a good deal of the entrails. 



On one occasion, when I wished to start very early on a shoot- 



