248 



and lightning is made by an angry blackfellow (^vide 129). A 

 short time ago ihe natives were camped in a deep gorge al)out 

 fifteen miles from this township. This gorge is very narrow, and 

 bounded on each side by high ironstone cliffs. During a very 

 heavy thunderstorm a native woman was killed by lightning, 

 when all the natives immediately fled in dismay and hid them- 

 selves uader rocks until the storm passed over. I have frequently 

 travelled through this gorge and have seen what terrible 

 havoc the lightning makes of large gum-trees, rending, splitting, 

 and hurling large pieces of timber to a distance of three hundred 

 yards. The natives are excessively afraid of lightning, and w^ill 

 accuse the first native of another tribe they meet as being the 

 cause. In their anger they are only too ready to fasten a 

 quarrel on any one. 



Sacrifices. 

 170-173. Sacrifices are never offered. 



Miscellaneous Superstitions. 

 174. They profess to know the moment their wi^es have con- 

 ceived offspring, by the shadow of an infant seen by them in the 

 water when bathing. If a half-caste is born, they take just as 

 much care of it as they do of the full-blooded black child, and 

 the mother will tell you who is tlie father of the child without 

 the slightest hesitation or reserve. 



General Remarks. 



The natives are very fond of smoking, and it is wonderful to see 

 the quantity of tobacco they will consume. Men, women and 

 children all smoke, and I have seen a child drop the pipe it was 

 smoking, and go to its mother's breast. 



Among some of the tribes the first joint of the index finger of 

 the left hand is taken off — but in the case of women only ; this 

 is supposed to facilitate the getting of yams, in which operation 

 a very small hole is made, and in this, it is considered, three 

 fingers can be more easily inserted than four. 



The young men, if trained early, are splendid horsemen. They 

 are very athletic, and at all sports are far beyond the ordinary 

 European. 



Their principal means of communication is by putting 

 up smoke. If they wish to indicate to a friendly tribe 

 that they are going to a certain water-hole, they will make 

 smokes in the direction of the rendez-vous. Their way of doing 

 this is as follows : — A fire is made and allowed to burn low, then 

 raked up together so as to form a small heap of live embers. A 

 large quantity of gum leases are placed round these embers 

 sufficiently close to ignite when heated, and some damp grass is 



