BY R. CLIFFE MACKIE. 109 



•diggings would be carried over the Continent, all tales of 

 men who speak of having met tribes that never had heard 

 of or seen white men must be received with extreme caution. 

 I myself met, 40 years ago, blacks who declared that they 

 were a " moon's journey " from their own '' towrie " or 

 hunting-ground. It is very hard to get reliable information 

 as to their ways. They distrust and stand in awe of adult 

 whites and will not reveal much to them. They are more 

 free with young white boy and girls, but the latter are not 

 prone to ask for information of the kind indicated nor to 

 understand it when given. Besides, blacks would be very 

 unlikely to discuss such topics with children too young to 

 be told of such matters. It might be a matter of wonder 

 why those white men who have lived among the blacks for 

 years can or will tell so little about them. As a matter of 

 fast, such whites are merely kept as curiosities by the blacks, 

 just as we keep a strange animal in a " Zoo." As the novelty 

 wears off, the prisoner is relegated to the society of the 

 " gins " and " piccanninies," and he is allowed no part in 

 tribal discussions or initiations. This humiliating treat- 

 ment, which is very keenly felt, makes the white prisoner 

 on his return to civilization unwilling even to talk of matters 

 which revive the galling memories of his past treatment. 

 Such men are never allowed to learn anything of the matters 

 and ceremonies affecting adult blacks, nor would they be 

 very likely to tell if they did know. They resent any 

 inquiries which would lead to the disclosure of how com- 

 pletely they had been ignored. 



It is probable that the race at one time were of a 

 higher intelligence and civilization than now. Those who 

 instituted their social and marriage rules must have been 

 of a higher type than the savages that Captain Cook met. 

 The present natives could scarcely invent the laws relating 

 to marrriage and consanguinity nor those relating to their 

 social economy. There are many of their rules which remind 

 one of the ancient Hindu and Thibetan rules. Whether 

 similarity of social rules implies a similar racial origin is 

 unsettled. 



With regard to their origin they have no theories to 

 offer. Even with regard to their own individual existence, 

 all they can suggest is that their " totem " in some way 

 influences the circumstance. With regard to their charac- 



