SUPPOSED FURTHER TRACES OF LEICHHARDT. 411 



camps are discontinued, but the direction of the arrows still show 

 the huntiui,' parties going to and from the creek. 



This theory, in the absence of furtlier evidence, would appear 

 rather too conjectural ; but the next diawing which attracted my 

 attention was one representing four led heai'ts, pierced by arrows 

 or harpoons, found in caves by Winnecke in his explorations in 

 1869. 



He describes them as follows : — 



" The group of native drawings which I have roughly shown 

 herewith are found in several large caves near Mount Skinner 

 and Ledan's Hills in Latitude 20" 30' south and Longitude 134° 30' 

 east." 



Figure No. 1 apparently represents a heart pierced in the centre 

 by a spear. The outline of the object representing the heart has 

 been delineated with red ochre, whilst the spear has been drawn 

 with a burnt stick or piece of coal. I have only seen this 

 particular sketch in one instance, where four distinct drawings 

 of the same object, exactly below and equidistant from each other, 

 have been made in anything but a crude manner, the outline 

 having been carefully and very distinctly traced on the rocks, 

 showing a degree of perfection scarcely to be anticipated from 

 these wild inhabitants. The breadth of the heart is about five 

 inches and its length about six inches. The length of the spear 

 portion is about three feet. 



Here, in all four representations, we have the typical and not 

 the true form of heart. The first, third and fourth have each the 

 red hcai't pierced with a single barb harpoon, and the second has 

 the heart pierced with an arrow or double-barbed harpoon. 



Can anyone doubt this being the work of a European ? Is it 

 not true nautical art all the world over ? A device to be found 

 tatooed on the arm of nearly every sailor afloat. 



As a further specimen of native art Mr. Worsnop says: "J. 

 McDouall Stuart, in his Journal, under date Februaiy 23, 1861, 

 at Marchant Springs, on the Finke River, says : " The natives 

 had made a drawing on the bark of two trees — two figures in the 

 shape of hearts, intended I suppose to represent shields, as there 

 was a bar down the centre, on either side of which were marks 

 like broad arrows. On the outside were also a number of arrows 

 and other small marks. I had a copy of them taken. This was 

 the first attempt at representation Ijy the natives of Australia 

 which 1 had ever seen." 



Under date March 15th on the Hugh River, James' Range, 

 he observed one of the gum-trees having marks similar to those 

 he saw on the Finke — broad arrows and a wavy line round the 

 tree. 



On May loth, at Hawke Creek, Ashburton Range, Stuart 

 found stuck up in a tree what appeared to be a piece of wood 

 about two and a-lialf feet long, sharp at both ends, broad at the 



