297 



Srd Juhj (Cauip 14). — Messrs. Lindsay and Streich returned to 

 camp just after tea time and brougiit a blackfellow with them. 

 They had met a number of tliem about seven or eight miles away, 

 near a soakage ; they at first ran away at the approach of the 

 camels, but afterwards made friends by twisting a piece of a 

 " walputti" tail into Mr. Lind.say's beard and the tip of a cat's 

 tail (undoubtedly a feline) into that of Mr. Streicli's. They were 

 very pleased when Mr. Streich gave them tobacco, handing some 

 of it to tlie old men first, who, when he also offered some to the 

 younger, tried to interfere and called them "jimba," just as if 

 these were not entitled to such pri\ilege. The one brought to 

 camp has his right front tooth knocked out, is circumcised, and 

 has scars on the chest and back. He calls water " kapi," and 

 fire " waru," which means hot in the Everard Range dialect. 



ith July (Camp 15). — We met nine blacks at this place, one of 

 them having been among the six that came into Camp 12. They 

 are not nearly such a well shaped lot as those about the Everard 

 Range. One of them, a middle aged man, is quite a puny indi- 

 vidual. Their beard is ratheu peculiar and not very strongly 

 developed, thin on the cheeks and elongated from the chin. All 

 are circumcised and have the uretha slit like those of the Everard 

 Range tribe. 



bth July. — Two more blacks came to the camp who looked much 

 stronger than those already here before them ; one of these is par- 

 ticularly a well made fellow and in good condition. All the blacks 

 have a tooth knocked out, but some of them the left central 

 incisor. Those previously observed had always the right one 

 knocked out. They also, like some of those met before, mat their 

 hair together with a sort of wet clay, forming it into rounded 

 clots tliat resemble those in a dirty cow- tail. The most of them 

 wear their hair tied together, forming it into a thick knob, and at 

 times into a tail-like appendage up to 10 inches long. Some of 

 the older had the front part of their hair on the top of the head 

 cut short (probably by singeing) and red ochre rubbed over this 

 part and the forehead. The most of them were painted to some 

 extent, with red on their chests and had black bands on the fore- 

 head, and all had more or less tattoo scars on the chest, arm, and 

 liack. 



6<A July. — After tea we went over to the blacks' camp, and had 

 some fun with them. They have a row of fires and lie between 

 two of them during the night. A revolver-shot frightened them 

 very much and made them crouch. Their mimicking and the 

 facility with which they reproduce sounds is astonishing. We 

 sang " God save the Queen " for them, to induce them to chime 

 in, which they did at times. Our limbs were much admired by 

 them, particularly the stout calves of some of us. Much merri- 



