1 86 Cruise of the "Alert." 



of the continent remote from the scene of their future labours, and 

 from tribes hostile to those against which they are intended to act. 

 Through their instrumentality the aborigines of Queensland are 

 being gradually exterminated. In the official reports of their 

 proceedings, when sent to operate against a troublesome party of 

 natives, the verb " to disperse " is playfully substituted for the 

 harsher term " to shoot." 



But to return to our friends at Dean Island. Our peaceful 

 aspect, and a satisfactory explanation on the part of the white 

 people in charge of the lighthouse, soon set matters right, and 

 the wretched blacks were now so delighted at finding their fears 

 to be groundless, that they crowded about us — male and female 

 — to the number of forty or fifty, brought us some boomerangs 

 for barter, and finally shared our lunch of preserved meat and 

 coffee, of which we partook on the rocks near where the boat was 

 moored. I was surprised at noticing a large proportion of children, 

 a circumstance which does not support one of the views put for- 

 ward to account for the rapid decrease in numbers of the race. 



Most of the men had a certain amount of clothing, scanty and 

 ragged though it was, but the children were all stark naked, and 

 some of the women were so scantily attired that the requirements 

 of decency were not at all provided for. They seemed to be 

 fairly well nourished, and from their cheerful disposition I should 

 imagine that they were not undergoing any privations which to 

 them would be irksome. 



On re-embarking, we sailed along the western shore of the island, 

 and again landed in a small bay about a mile to the northward of 

 the lighthouse. We then proceeded to ascend a hill, on which 

 Petley wished to erect a mark for surveying purposes. The 

 natives, although quick enough about following us along the sea- 

 shore, showed no inclination to follow us up the hill-side, and 

 before we had gone a few hundred yards they had all dropped 

 off. Possibly the fear of snakes was the deterring influence. 



Port Molle proved to be an excellent place for obtaining 



