298 



inent was also created over the drawing of various tracks of birds 

 and animals on the sand. 



Tth July (Camp 16). — There were ten or eleven blacks camping 

 close to the hill when I returned. Only two of these had been at 

 our previous camp. One young lad is neither yet circumcised, nor 

 has he a front tooth knocked out, and is perhaps the most 

 interesting figure amongst them. He is well-shaped, looks in- 

 intelligent, and has altogether a pleasing face. I got a few names 

 of things from them, but they soon intimated to me that they 

 wished to sleep ; I therefore left, after again wounding myself 

 with a penknife for the purpose of obtaining the name for blood, 

 in which I succeeded this time. 



9</t Jjdy (Camp 17) — The blacks had a little corroboree, singing 

 a simple tune and clapping tlieir hands in tiwie to the hop ; but 

 they soon gave over, perhaps not feeling in too good a humour on 

 account of their empty stomachs. I noticed that one had his 

 beard bound together with a string and formed into a pointed 

 queue. 



lAith July (Camp 21). — About six miles from camp we passed 

 close to a low range and met with a number of natives who were 

 evidently known by the two that followed us. They were of differ- 

 ent age ; one of them was getting grey, and the youngest just 

 showed the beginning of a moustache. This one appeared to be 

 of a light colour with very light hair, but on close examination I 

 found the colours entirely due to a grey pigment (mud ?) with 

 which he had besmeared himself all over ; the light brown colour 

 of his hair was probably caused by the bleaching of it. All the 

 others were painted with red ochre, and two had regular designs 

 on the chest. A band two inches wide ran from each of tlie 

 shoulders downward across the breast bone converging just above 

 the pit of the stomach, and from this point the band ran straight 

 down over the belly. The one had also a white band of nearly 

 an inch wide along both sides of the red band that set the design 

 off to advantage. They all wore their hair in different styles ; 

 some loose, some tied up in front and loose behind, and others 

 had it tied up altogether, and with a roll of grass bent in in 

 some cases. Everyone was circumcised, had one of their front 

 teeth knocked out and the nose pierced ; probably all had the 

 urethra slit. . . At night the blacks amused themselves witli a 

 little corroboree, which attracted us over to them. After that 

 they amused themselves and us by making all kinds of tracks on 

 the sand, at which some are very smart. During this procedure 

 four more blacks arrived, who yelled terribly when they came 

 near the camp. This was evidently done to announce their 

 friendly intentions, and those in camp promptly replied, and told 

 us that the newcomers were "jimba." This word must, there- 



