A GLANCE AT THE ABORIGINES. 171 



Wong, when he arrived within twenty or thirty yards of the camp, slowly 

 put his bag off his shoulder without saying a word, gazed around him 

 for a moment in every direction save that of the Bangerang camp, and 

 sat down with his side face towards his friends, and quietly stuck his spears 

 one by one into the ground beside him, with the air of a man who was 

 unconscious of any one being within fifty miles of him ; the Bangerang, in 

 the meantime, smothering all signs of impatience. Probably five minutes 

 passed in this way, when an old lubra, on being directed in an undertone by 

 her husband, took some fire and a few sticks, and, approaching the 

 messenger, laid them close before him, and walked slowly away without 

 addressing him. Old Wong, as if the matter hardly interested him, very 

 quietly arranged his little fire, and, as the wood was dry, with one or two 

 breaths blew it into a blaze. Not long after, an old fellow got up in the 

 camp, and, with his eyes fixed on the distance, walked up majestically to 

 the new-comer and took his seat before his fire. Though these men had 

 known each other from childhood, they sat face to face with averted eyes, 

 their conversation for some time being constrained and distant, confined 

 entirely to monosyllables. At length, however, they warmed up ; other men 

 from the camp gradually joined them ; the ice was broken, and complete 

 cordiality ensued ; and Wong having given the message of which he was 

 the bearer, that the long-expected Ngooraialum were coming, the conference 

 broke up, the new-comer being at liberty to take his seat at any camp-fire, 

 at which there was no women, which might suit his fancy. The next 

 evening, from amongst the branches of a tree in which they were playing, 

 some young urchins announced the arrival of the Ngooraialum. The 

 bachelors, being unencumbered, arrived first ; next, perhaps, couples without 

 children ; then the old and decrepit ; and, lastly, the families in which there 

 was a large proportion of the juvenile element. As they arrived they 

 formed their camps, each family having a fire of its own, some half-dozen 

 yards from its neighbour's ; that of the bachelors, perhaps, being rather 

 further off, and somewhat isolated from the rest. After the strangers had 

 arranged their camps (which, as the weather was fine, consisted merely of a 

 shelter of boughs to keep off the sun), and each group had kindled for 

 itself the indispensable little fire, which the aboriginal always keeps up even 

 in the warmest weather, they began to stroll about. On this occasion two 

 or three Bangerang girls found husbands amongst the Ngooraialum, who 

 returned the compliment by making as many Bangerang men happy. In 

 every instance it was noticeable that the husband was considerably older 

 than the wife, there being generally twenty years — often much more — 

 between them ; indeed, as I frequently noticed, few men under thirty years 

 of age had lubras, whilst the men from forty to fifty had frequently two, 

 and occasionally three better halves.' 



In another chapter Mr. Carr shows his friends in an unamiable light. 



