SIGNALS BY SMOKE. 7 



sent at the murder were allowed to partake of this * 

 the morsel was supposed to make them more brave. 

 A dance was then commenced^ during- which the 

 heads were kicked along- the g-round^ and the savag-e 

 excitement of the dancers almost amounted to 

 frenzy. The skulls were ultimately hung- up on 

 two cross sticks near the camp^ and allowed to 

 remain there undisturbed. 



In the beg-inning- of 1849 a party of Baduleg-as 

 who had spent two months on a friendly visit to the 

 natives of Muralug* treacherously killed an old Ita- 

 leg"a woman^ married to one of their hosts. Two of 

 her brothers from Banks Island were staying- with 

 her at the time^ and one Avas killed^ but the other 

 manag-ed to escape. The heads were carried off to 

 Badu as trophies. This treacherous violation of the 

 laws of hospitality was in reveng-e for some petty 

 injury which one of the Badu men received from an 

 Ita black several years before. 



When a larg-e fire is made b}^ one tribe it is often 

 intended as a sig-nal of defiance to some neio-hbour- 

 ing- one — an invitation to fig-ht — and may be con- 

 tinued daily for weeks before hostilities commence j 

 it is answered by a similar one. Many other sig-nals 

 by smoke are in use : for example^ the presence of 

 an enemy upon the coast— a wish to communicate 

 with another party at a distance — or the want of 

 assistance— may be denoted by making- a small fire^ 

 which^ as soon as it has g-iven out a little column of 

 smoke^ is suddenly exting'uished by heaping* sand 



