CH. IV ] ins COTJFIDENCE GAINED BY KINDNESS. 207 



The native kept calling out loudly and pathetically, but he 

 had now ceased running, perhaps from seeing the cattle 

 a-head of him. Notwithstanding the entreaties of the men, 

 that I should not go within reach of his missiles, I advanced 

 with a green branch in my hand, towards this bleeding and 

 helpless child of nature. Upon seeing this, he immediately 

 ceased calling out, seemed to ask some question, and then at 

 once threw aside the weapons which he held, and sat down 

 on the ground. On my going up to him, I found he had re- 

 ceived the shot on various parts of his body, but chiefly on 

 his left hand and wrist, which were covered with blood. I 

 with difficulty prevailed on him to go with me to the tents, 

 making signs, that I wished to dress his wounds. This the 

 Doctor immediately did, applying lint and Friars balsam to 

 them. During the operation he stared wildly around him, 

 at the sheep and bullocks, horses, tents, &c. It was evident, 

 he had never seen, perhaps, scarcely even ever heard of, such 

 animals as he now saw, and certainly had never before seen a 

 white man. I gave him a piece of bread, which he did not 

 taste, saying he should take it to " Einer" (his gin or wife). 

 He knew not a word of the low jargon usually taught the 

 natives by our people ; but he spoke incessantly in his own 

 purer language, scarcely a word of which we understood, 

 beyond "you," " two gins," " fire," " doctor" (coradje), and 

 " to sleep." One circumstance, very trifling, certainly, to 

 mention here, may serve, however, to shew the characteristic 

 quickness of these people. He had asked for a bit of fire to 

 be placed beside him, (the constant habit of the naked abori- 

 gines,) and, on seeing a few sparks of burning grass running 

 towards my feet, he called out to me " we, we," (i. e. fire, fire !) 

 that I might avoid having my clothes burnt. This conside- 

 ration, in a savage, amid so many strange objects, and while 

 suffering from so many new and raw wounds, received from 

 one of us, was, at least, an instance of that natural attentive- 

 ness, if I may so call it, which sometimes distinguishes the 

 aborigines of Australia. This man of the woods, at length, 



