CH. II.] NATIVE FEMALE. 49 



sation with our guide to allow us to come near. She presented 

 a most humiliating specimen of our race — a figure shortened 

 and shrivelled with age, entirely without clothing — one eye 

 alone saw through the dim decay of nature — several large 

 fleshy excrescences projected from the side of her head like so 

 many ears — and the jawbone was visible, through a gasli 

 or scar, on one side of her chin. The withered arms and 

 hands, covered with earth by digging and scraping for the 

 snakes and worms on which she fed, more resembled the limbs 

 and claws of a quadruped. She spoke with a slow nasal whine, 

 prolonged at the end of each sentence ; and this our guide 

 imitated in speaking to her. The musquitoes tormented her 

 much, as appeared from her incessantly slapping her limbs 

 and body. " Mr. Brown's" conversation seemed animated on 

 some subject, but not, as I at last suspected, on that most 

 important to us; for, when I inquired, after he had spoken 

 a long time, what she said of the " Barber" and the way 

 across the mountains, he was obliged to commence a set of 

 queries, evidently for the first time. She said horses might 

 pass, pointing at the same time further to the eastward — but 

 our guide seemed unwilling to put further questions, saying- 

 she had promised to send at sunset to our tents two young- 

 boys, who could inform us better. Even in such a wretched 

 state of existence, ornaments had their charms with this 

 female, though the decency of covering was wholly disre- 

 garded. Around her brow shehad kangaroo teeth fastened to 

 the few remaining hairs, and a knot of brown feathers de- 

 corated her right temple. The roasting snake, which we 

 had seen in the morning, belonged, as we now learned, to 

 this witch of the glen. 



The boys did not visit us in the evening, as " Mr, Brown" 

 had expected ; and he appeared unusually thoughtful, when I 

 found him sitting alone by the water-side, at some distance 

 from the camp. I was then making arrangements for 

 carrying across the range, the bulk of our provisions and 

 equipment on pack-horses and bullocks, intending to leave 



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