540 SIGN LANGUAGE AMONG NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
of smoke, thus giving timely intimation to all the whalers. If the whale 
should be pursued by one boat’s crew only it might be taken; but if 
pursued by several, it would probably be run ashore and become food 
for the blacks.” (Smyth, loe. cit., vol. 1, pp. 152, 153, quoting Maj. T. L. 
Mitchell’s Hastern Australia, vol. ii, p. 241.) 
Jardine, writing of the natives of Cape York, says that a “communica. 
tion between the islanders and the natives of the mainland is frequent; 
and the rapid manner in which news is carried from tribe to tribe, to 
great distances, is astonishing. I was informed of the approach of Her 
Majesty’s Steamer Salamander, on her last visit, two days before her 
arrival here. Intelligence is conveyed by means of fires made to throw 
up smoke in different forms, and by messengers who perform long and 
rapid journeys.” (Smyth, loc. cit., vol. 1, p. 153, quoting from Overland 
Expedition, p. 85.) 
Messengers in all parts of Australia appear to have used this mode of 
signaling. In Victoria, when traveling through the forests, they were 
accustomed to raise smoke by filling the hollow of a tree with green 
boughs and setting fire to the trunk at its base; and in this way, as they 
always selected an elevated position for the fire when they could, their 
movements were made known. 
When engaged in hunting, when traveling on secret expeditions, 
when approaching an encampment, when threatened with danger, or 
when foes menaced their friends, the natives made signals by raising a 
smoke. And their fires were lighted in such a way as to give forth 
signals that would be understood by people of their own tribe and by 
friendly tribes. They exhibited great ability in managing their system 
of telegraphy ; and in former times it was not seldom used to the injury 
of the white settlers, who at first had no idea that the thin column of 
smoke rising through the foliage of the adjacent bush, and raised per- 
haps by some feeble old woman, was an intimation to thé warriors to 
advance and attack the Europeans. (R. Brough Smyth, F. L. S., F. G. 
S., Lhe Aborigines of Victoria. Melbourne, 1878, vol. i, pp. 152, 153.) 
FIRE ARROWS. 
“Travelers on the prairie have often seen the Indians throwing up 
signal lights at night, and have wondered how it was done. * * * 
They take off the head of the arrow and dip the shaft in gunpowder, 
mixed with glue. * * * The gunpowder adheres to the wood, and 
coats it three or four inches from its end to the depth of one-fourth of 
an inch. Chewed bark mixed with dry gunpowder is then fastened to 
the stick, and the arrow is ready for use. When it is to be fired, a 
warrior places it on his bowstring and draws his bow ready to let it 
fly; the point of the arrow is then lowered, another warrior lights the 
dry bark, and it is shot high in the air. When it has gone up a little 
