NO MARKS ON THEIR SKINS. 285 



tufts of feathers, like those of the emu or cassowary, 

 on each side of his head. When the tide had drifted 

 them past us, they pulled into the village. Four 

 canoes repeated this manoeuvre, to each of which we 

 exhibited axes, and used all the terms and gestures 

 of peace we could think of, but could not induce 

 them to come closer to us, and they answered us by 

 laughter, and invitations to go ashore, which we 

 were equally disinclined to accept. Their tones and 

 gestures were frequently those of derision ; and once 

 as I was talking very earnestly to one canoe, one of 

 its crew presented his bow at me, and drew the 

 arrow to the head, and on my stooping and picking 

 up my gun, he burst into a laugh, as if mocking me 

 for shrinking. Still, as they committed no overt 

 act of hostility, of course we did not, and after they 

 had apparently satisfied their curiosity by a near 

 view of us, they all went ashore, and seemed to turn 

 their attention to collecting shell-fish or other 

 animals from the mud at low water. 



We could distinctly perceive to-day that none of 

 them had any scars or marks on the skin, but 

 several were smeared or painted with black or yel- 

 low ochre. Some had a close crop of hair, others 

 rather long curls, like the Erroobians. We saw 

 several women ashore, mostly middle-aged, with 

 the breasts flat, pendulous and dug-like, and these 

 seemed perfectly naked. One or two younger ones, 

 however, appeared to have a kind of belt round the 

 loins, and something like a leaf, about as broad as 

 the hand, drawn between the legs. 



