214 EIGHT KEY. S. THOKNTON, D.D., ON 



in height, of a man clothed to the wrists and ankles with a 

 red garment, in a way unknown among modern iiboriginals. 

 The head was encircled with what seemed like bandages — 

 red, yellow and white — and the eyes were the only features 

 represented. On the highest tier of bandages was an in- 

 scription, in red lines : on each side of the cave were figures 

 oftm'tlesand gigantic snakes. On the right of the figure 

 were depicted 62 small o's, or rings. 



What meaneth this ? One anxiousl}' studies the inscrip- 

 tion, but experts can make nothing of it. The characters per- 

 haps resemble Thibetan more than any other. Is it a clumsy 

 tracing of some Thibetan title ? Have we here a standing 

 Buddh — or a Buddhist bonze, — an evidence that Buddhis- 

 tic teaching was brought over from Asia long ago ? 

 Nothing else has been found, so far, to confirm the specula- 

 tion. Do the 62 little o's represent the limited company of 

 adherents or converts obtained? One finds them employed 

 as tattoo marks on the shoulders of the blacks. Acquaint- 

 ance, somewhere, with races of men wearing turbans seems 

 implied, in the pourtrayal by the Aborigines of such a figm'e: 

 but whether as a reminiscence of days before they colonised 

 Australia, or through visitors from the Asiatic continent or 

 islands, who shall say ? 



Crowds of drawings are found in the cliffs and in the caves 

 of the Kimberley district, West Australia, many of them 

 artistically filled in and shaded, the mouths in the faces, 

 alone, being badly done. May that feature have been added 

 by a later luiud ? A figure resembling a monkey is notice- 

 able, as a link of connection of some kind with Asia ; — the 

 animal is unknown in Australia. 



On, or near, the Alligator Eiver are forty caves in a radius 

 of 100 miles, containing immense numbers of drawings and 

 hieroglyphics, pictures of canoes and of human skeletons 

 (perhaps the skeleton is the Aboriginal symbol for man in his 

 higher condition, after death, fur in their solemn dances they 

 trace the skeleton on their persons); many of the human 

 figiues have all the features ; some have European features 

 and clothing. One man has his arms crossed over his breast. 

 On the Darwin River, excellent drawings are found on the 

 trees : on the overland track between Queensland and Port 

 Darwin is drawn a full-length black pursuing tAvo little white 

 men, whose hair stands on end with fear ; a third lies speared 

 on the ground : these draAvings may well be modern. In the 

 McDonnell ranges, however, are numerous paintings in yellow, 



