CO. VI.] CIVILITY OF THE TRIBE FIRST MET. 133 



scene of that interview, when I perceived a number of natives, 

 running before me along our line of route. I hastened after 

 them, when I perceived several men advancing to meet me. 

 They halted in a rather formal manner at some distance, 

 and I next came upon their spears, which, with a stone 

 hatchet, had been laid across our track. There, I alighted 

 from my horse, and proceeded slowly towards them on foot, 

 inviting them as well as I could to come forward, and which 

 they accordingly did. Three men met me at half-way. 

 One of these seemed rather old, another was very stout and 

 fat, and the third had an intelligent countenance and thin 

 person, but was so thickly covered with the most raised sort 

 of scarifications, that I was half inclined to think, that 

 the slightness of his frame might be partly owing to the 

 lacerations, which covered it. Other members of the tribe 

 soon joined us, and as the carts by this time had arrived at 

 the spears on the ground, I took one up and explained to the 

 natives, that the wheels passing over would break them ; still 

 these strange people would not remove them, and I concluded, 

 that this prostration of their weapons, was intended to make 

 us acquainted with their friendly disposition towards us. 

 They began to call loudly to their gins, who stood assembled 

 under a large tree at some distance, and we plainly under- 

 stood the invitation of the men to visit these females. But 

 our party was much more disposed to fight than make love ; 

 and I have little doubt that by throwing a si igle spear 

 the natives would have pleased them more, than by all the 

 civility they were evidently anxious to shew us ; so desirous 

 were they, at that time, to avenge the late murders — when 

 even the odour of corruption still hung like a pestilence about 

 the articles, recovered from the plundered camp. The natives, 

 however, 'perhaps out of pure cordiality, in return for our 

 former disinterested kindness, persisted in their endeavours 

 to introduce us very particularly to their Avomen. They 

 ordered them to come up, divested of their cloaks and bags, 

 and placed them before us. Most of the men appeared to 



