PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 589 



Ligh for another 10 miles to the central camp. At the landing-place 

 a great number of Melville Island natives were awaiting, including 

 many women and children. They all helped to carry the luggage 

 and provisions. We left the boat without any protection in the 

 river. 



The soil on the tableland shows the laterite formation, the surface 

 being covered with small pebbles of ironstone — the visual ferruginous 

 concretionary claystone. A similar formation is found on the top of 

 Luxmore Head (28). The high land was not well timbered, but as we 

 descended to the valley, in which the central camp is situated, I 

 was surprised by the luxuriant vegetation and the big timber which 

 renders the little valley cool and shady on the hottest day, the whole 

 forming a striking contrast to the parched appearance of the surround- 

 ing country. This fertile condition was due to the presence of several 

 springs which practically form the source of the river up which our 

 party had ascended. One of the springs forms a large waterhole contain- 

 ing water of great freshness and purity, and forming the most invigorating 

 and glorious natural bath conceivable. This picturesque valley is 

 the present headquarters of the buffalo shooters. There are two camps, 

 one tenanted by the mainland blacks — the bodyguard of the Coopers — 

 the other by the Island natives, who distinguished themselves funnily 

 enough as the " Myalls," or wild blackfellows. Both camps have the 

 most friendly relations with each other. I remained two days, making 

 some interesting observations, and exchanging tobacco, axes, calico, &c., 

 for many ethnographical specimens. There were a good number of 

 very comely young girls and pretty children. They spend much time 

 in decorating their faces by a peculiar method of painting, which I did 

 not observe on the mainland. Some parts of the face round the mouth 

 or below the eyes are surrounded by a colored line, generally red ; the 

 interior of this marked field is dotted with spots of another color, for 

 instance, yellow. I have seen similar decorations on pictures of women 

 from Hula, British New Guinea. The forehead is painted almost 

 yellow, the region of the eyes red. 



The most interesting spectacle was offered every night by the 

 corrobborees, especially by the dances of the Island people, these being 

 totally different from those of the mainland natives, who performed a 

 " devil devil " dance, using dancing sticks made of paper-bark. The 

 Myalls walked first in Indian file ; then surrounding in a half- 

 circle two men, who were the only performers — the others providing 

 the spectators and the orchestra — in a most singular way, never observed 

 in the mainland, by beating both hands on the bare buttocks. So 

 far as I know such realistic music has never been described, but Major 

 Campbell (1829) makes a remark connected with this matter regarding 

 the Melville Island natives : " When they express joy they jump 

 about and clap their hands violently on their buttocks, and in showing 

 contempt they turn their back, look over their shoulder, and give a 

 smack upon the same part with their hand." Very rightly the same 



(28) Government report, 1905, p. 23. 



