COMMUNICATION WITH THEM. 221 



the natives came close up— even to a single unarmed 

 man of our party who waded ashore — the others 

 remaining' in the boats — although tempted by the 

 display of pieces of iron hoop and strips of calico. 

 One of the natives^ carrying a wooden sword^ and 

 apparently a leading man among them, made some 

 signs and used gesticulations expressive of sleep or 

 death with reference to a part of Joannet Island 

 which he repeatedly pointed to. This w^e could not 

 understand.* After a certain degree of confidence 

 had been restored, five or six of us remained on 

 shore, and great harmony appeared to prevail 

 throughout the combined party. In one place the 

 sergeant of marines was seated on the sand with a 

 ring of people round him whom he was drilling into 

 the mode of singing a Port Essington aboriginal 

 song, occasionally rising to vary his lesson with a 

 dance, — in another, a group of natives were being 

 initiated in the mysteries of the Jew's harp, or kept 

 amused by the performance of various antics. Mr. 

 Huxley as usual, was at work with his sketch-book, 

 and I employed myself in procuring words for an 

 incipient vocabulary. My principal informant was 

 called Wadai, a little withered old man with shaved 



* Although not understood at the time, he referred to an affray 

 between two boats detached from the ship on surveying service 

 and some Joannet Island canoes, which had occurred only a few 

 hours before at the place indicated ; of this we had not yet heard, 

 but the news had reached Brierly Island, and occasioned our 

 strange reception. This is a remarkable instance of the rapidity with 

 which intelligence may be conveyed from one island to another. 



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