THE ABOEIGINES OF ATJSTEALIA. 2G5 



of the girl's father, or other guardian, concludes the transaction. As 

 soon as a female child is born, nay, sometimes for years before that 

 event, she is promised to some one of the tribe, without reference to 

 his age, although his years may exceed those of her own father. She 

 remains "with her parents until old enough to be able, in some man- 

 ner, to shift for herself, when she is transferred to the care of her 

 future husband, under whose protection she is then brought up. But 

 as this, in most cases, is too long a process to go through, the method 

 usually adopted by the Australian native to obtain wives is that of 

 seizing the first favorable opportunity of running ofi" with those of 

 another. It is absolutely necessary to the Australian that the stock 

 of wives on hand should always be considerable, as the whole domes- 

 tic labour devolves on them, and consequently on their number depend 

 the comforts of his wigwam and fire. The practice of eloping with 

 each other's wives, is so much a matter of course that it furnishes an 

 additional reason for maintaining a large female establishment in 

 order to provide against these frequent contingencies, so that one or 

 two of the number can abscond, without any great degree of anxiety 

 or discomfort being experienced by the deserted one, until the num- 

 ber can again be completed by his helping himself in like manner from 

 the establishment of some of his neighbors. 



But although the women are treated by the men with savage bru- 

 tality, although from the birth to the grave theirs is a life of misery 

 and privation, they, nevertheless, are not deficient in those keen feel- 

 ings which are the characteristics of the sex in all lands. Their affec- 

 tion for their offspring is strikingly evident on all occasions, and it is 

 sometimes painful to hear the wailing of the bereaved mother as 

 through the long night she sorrows over the loss of her infant. Nor 

 are these feelings less intense in other respects. One might imagine, 

 to judge at least from the manner in which the poor wretches are 

 neglected by their lords, that if any thing like feeling existed on their 

 parts for their partners, it would be that of supreme indifference. 

 The reverse, however, is the case, and in those general melees, which 

 so often disturb the peace of the encampment, they are not slow in 

 entering into the spirit of the affair, and raising their voices to vindi- 

 cate the honor of their belligerent spouses. Absurd to a degree is 

 a scene of this kind. Sitting around their fires, within sight of the 

 combatants, they gradually join in the excitement around them ; 

 tauntingly and sneeringly they speak of the insignificant deeds, and 

 contemptible efforts of the opponents of their respective husbands. 

 Suddenly one will spring to her feet, and begin to strut up and down, 

 flourishing her long stick over her head, her cloak thrown back and 



