310 SOME ACCOUNT OF NEW HOLLAND cx. xm 
spritsail-yard was rigged across, it completely stopped up both 
nostrils, so that they spoke in the nose in a manner one 
would think scarcely intelligible. Besides these extraordinary 
bones, they had necklaces of shells neatly cut and strung 
together; bracelets also, if one may call by that name four or 
five rings of small cord worn round the upper part of the 
arm ; and a belt or string tied round the waist about as thick 
as worsted yarn, which last was frequently made of either 
human hair or that of the beast called by them kangooroo. 
They paint themselves with red and white. The 
former they commonly lay on in broad patches on their 
shoulders or breasts; the white in strips, some of which are 
narrow and confined to small parts of their bodies, others 
broad and carried with some degree of taste across 
their bodies, round their legs and arms, etc. They also lay 
it on in circles round their eyes, and in patches in different 
parts of their faces. The red seems to be red ochre, but 
what the white was we could not find out, it was heavy 
and close-grained, almost as white lead, and had a sapon- 
aceous feel; possibly it might be a kind of steatite. We 
lamented not being able to procure a bit to examine. 
These people seemed to have no idea of traffic, nor could 
we teach them ; indeed, it seemed that we had no one thing 
upon which they set a value sufficient to induce them to part 
with the smallest trifle, except one fish which weighed about 
half a pound. That they brought as a kind of peace token. 
No one in the ship procured, I believe, from them the 
smallest article; they readily received the things we gave 
them, but never would understand our signs, when we 
asked for returns. This, however, must not be forgotten, 
that whatever opportunities they had they never once 
attempted to take anything in a clandestine manner; what- 
ever they wanted they openly asked for, and in almost all 
cases bore the refusal, if they met with one, with much 
indifference, except in the case of turtles. 
Dirty as these people are, they seem to be entirely free 
from lice, a circumstance rarely observed among the most 
cleanly Indians, and which is here the more remarkable, as 
