SECOND VOYAGE FROM SYDNEY 181 



It would be going too far outside the scope of this work to detail 

 the further adventures of the " Fly " and " Prince George " in 

 New Guinea. The point that chiefly concerns us is that nothing 

 was heard or seen of the missing boats. 



The " Prince George " was sent, on 2nd June, direct to BOOBY 

 ISLAND, where she found, in the " post office," an account of the 

 adventures of the boats. 



On yd June, the " Fly " once more cast anchor in Treacherous 

 Bay, DARNLEY ISLAND, and this time gentle peace was smiling on 

 the land. Nevertheless, the islanders did not disguise their 

 satisfaction when they heard that their white friends had been 

 obliged to shoot some of the detested Dowdeeans. 



There were on the island a good many visitors from Tutte 

 (WARRIOR) and Damood (Damuth or DALRYMPLE) ISLANDS, and 

 these reported that the MISSING BOATS had passed by their islands 

 peaceably and safely. 



On \tb June, the " Fly " left Darnley Island, ran rapidly round 

 Attagor (Attagoy or STEPHEN'S ISLAND), and between DAMOOD 

 (Dalrymple) and TUTTE (Warrior Island), and anchored under 

 DOVE ISLAND (10 S. ; 143 2' E.). On the following day she was in 

 EVANS BAY, CAPE YORK, where the 6th, Jth and 8th were employed 

 in watering. The presence of five AUSTRALIAN NATIVES gave Jukes 

 an opportunity of contrasting the physical characteristics of this 

 race with those of the natives of the islands, who are of Papuan type. 

 Briefly, his observations may be stated thus : 



Skin. Australians, sooty black. Islanders, reddish or yellowish 



brown. 



Hair. Australians, uniformly fine, and either straight or 

 waved in broad, open curls. Islanders, tufted on 

 head and body : on the head frizzled when short, 

 and forming hard pipe-ringlets when long. 

 Jukes says of the Australians : 



" Houseless and homeless, without gardens or any kind of cultivation, destitute 

 of the coco-nut, the bamboo, the plantain or the yam, as of almost all useful vegetables, 

 they pass their lives either in the search for food or in listless indolence. Instead of 

 associating with us on something like terms of equality, bartering with us, teaching 

 us their words and learning some of ours, laughing, joking and engaging in sports, 

 like our Erroobian friends, these Australians sat listlessly looking on, standing where 

 we told them, fetching anything or doing anything we ordered them, with great 

 docility indeed, but with a complete want of interest or curiosity. In our endeavours 

 to get words from them, they merely repeated our sounds or imitated our gestures." 1 



In the vegetation of the two regions, there was a line of demarca- 



1 My own experience corroborates these remarks. In spite of many more oppor- 

 tunities for learning the Aboriginal language, or languages, than Jukes enjoyed, I was 

 completely baffled by the attitude which he so well describes. All attempts that I made 

 to " exchange words," although my object was quite well understood to begin with, met 

 with the invariable routine of amusement as at a game, a tired feeling, brain-fag, sulks 

 and insubordination. R. L. J. 



