190 



LIMESTONE CAVES. 



afterwards told me, to enable them more rea- 

 dily, by admitting air, to suck out the rich 

 marrow from the lower end, which was broken 

 for that purpose. The extent of the cavern was 

 from fifteen to twenty feet ; the entrance so nar- 

 row, that the explorer could only enter feet 

 foremost, nor was it sufficiently large in the in- 

 terior to enable him to stand erect. About sunset 

 we returned to Yas, having a fine moonlight 

 night for our journey. 



The aborigines have many superstitious cere- 

 monies connected with their practice of the 

 healing art, as we find among all primitive 

 nations ; those persons who take upon themselves 

 the occupation to attend upon the sick or wound- 

 ed, unite the offices of priest, soothsayer, and 

 physician. The few medicines administered by 

 them are from the vegetable kingdom ; they 

 also make use of a crystal for the cure of dis- 

 eases, not by administering it to the sick person, 

 but the physician employs its aid, to act upon 

 the superstitious mind of his patient ; it is the 

 common quartz crystal, and is called by the na- 

 tives, in the vicinity of Sydney, Krardgee Kibba, 

 or Doctor Stone.* This name, borrowed from 



* " Krardgee," signifying a person who attends on the 

 sick ; and " kibba," a stone. 



