32 8 Notes on Sport and Travel m 



come, if he is likely to pay, and convert him — 

 knocking out what small glimmerings of natural 

 religion he might have had, with so sharp a blow as 

 to leave a for-ever-unfillable vacuity ; and then the 

 philanthropists come, still if he is likely to pay, and 

 prevent the slave-owner sending him to school, and 

 improve his dress to such an extent that he catches 

 his death of cold, and so he goes ; and whether he 

 pays or no — he goes, and it is a question whether 

 the quick, sharp process of the Australian is not the 

 kindliest of all. But still, high or low, red or brown, 

 brown or black, he has to go, to vanish away for 

 ever. Yea, for ever ! for there can no more be a 

 fresh supply of the autochthones of the human race 

 than there can be a new supply of Van Eycks or 

 Raphaels, As the old pictures have been burned out, 

 cleaned out, and repainted out, so have been the 

 ' natives ' ; and no more ' originals ' can ever come 

 into the market. I have a great mind to take up 

 my parable, and say that the early races are destroyed 

 much in the same way as the early pictures, by 

 burning some, but more by cleaning, and particularly 

 by repainting. 



Our turn will come before the world has done 

 with her changes, and another race will arise to push 

 us from our stools. Higher animals than we are, 

 possessing from that cause higher souls than we 

 have, will clean us out, or repaint us out. If they 

 be but a little higher than we be, I doubt but 

 they will burn us out, and be justified. 



