140 BUNDLE OF BONES. 



On February 14th, 1845, as we stood in for the 

 anchorage in our return from Java, the wind being 

 very light, the Midge was sent a-head, with orders 

 to moor her little boat at the edge of the four 

 fathom line of sounding as a buoy, to guide us to 

 the anchorage. As we rounded Cape York Island, 

 we saw a canoe with four natives alongside of this 

 little boat, rifling her of her contents ; and after 

 getting up her anchor, they put two men into her 

 and paddled both canoe and dinghy to the shore. 

 As we were moving very slowly through the water, 

 and they were at least a mile off, we had no chance 

 of intercepting them but by a shot. One accord- 

 ingly was fired from one of our long guns, which, 

 falling in the water somewhat near them, caused 

 the two natives to spring into the water out of our 

 boat and make for their own, in which they got 

 ashore and dispersed. A small hut then occupied 

 the centre of the beach, made of a low tunnel- 

 shaped frame of sticks, 15 feet long, 4 feet wide, 

 and about 3 feet high in the middle, covered with 

 sheets of bark. Inside were some bundles of 

 bark, containing the bones of a human body, with 

 the flesh still adhering to the extremities. These 

 were at first only cursorily examined and left ; and 

 at our next visit to the shore all had been removed. 

 The custom of carrying the body of deceased rela- 

 tions till the flesh drops off and they become dry and 

 clean, appears to prevail here also as well as in 

 other parts of Australia. It is probable that, in 

 this neighbourhood, the bones are subsequently 



