827 



of smoke, thus giviufi' timely iutiiuatioii to all the whalers. If the whale 

 should be pursued by one boat's crew only, it might be takeu ; but if 

 pursued by several, it would i)robably be run ashore aud become food 

 for the blacks." (Eastern Australia, by Maj. T. L. Mitchell, F. G. S., 

 vol. ii, p. 241.) 



Jardiue, 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 tires made to throw 

 up smoke in different forms, an<l by messengers who perform long and 

 rapid journeys." (Quoted by Smyth, loc. cit., vol. 1, p. 153, from Over- 

 land Expedition, p. 85.) 



Messengers in all parts of Australia api)ear to have used this mode of 

 signaling. In Victoria, when traveling through the forests, they were 

 accustomed to raise smoke by tilling the hollow of a tree with green 

 boughs and setting fire tg 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 iiuide 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 

 snuike, and their fires were lighted in such a way as to give forth 

 signals that would be understood hy 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 perhaps 

 raised by some feeble old woman, was an intimation to the warriors to 

 advance aud attack the Europeans. (The Aborigines of Victoria, vol. 

 i, by E. Brough Smyth, F. L. S., F. G. S., Assoc. Inst. C. E., etc., pp. 

 152^ 153.) 



FIRE AKKOWS. 



"Ti'avelers 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 gunfjowder, 

 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 aud 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. Wheu it has gone np a little 

 distance, it bursts out into a flame, and burns brightly until it falls to 



