226 THE ABORIGINES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 
the backbone. The angry mood, however, of these two females 
suddenly changed, for they ceased to threaten, and agreed to 
to despair, and, seizing a tomahawk, cut her head with it ina most 
dreadful manner, Whether she intended also to cut short her 
existence or no remains an unsettled question, for the tomahawk 
was apt from. her hands. 
y was to me by far the most amusing part reat a 
i. pase no L 
with greater seeming virulence, or with more ready language. 
“The one party had hawks’ feathers stuck in their hair—a sur 
sign that their intentions were deadly.” 
some tribes when a blood feud has to be atoned, the whole 
totem (say, black-snake) of the aggressor meets the totem (= 
bandicoot) of the victim; champions are selected to represelt 
each side as above, and the remainder of the men of these éotems 
are spectators. ' 
traveller. He passes in safety between and through bas 
for his person is inviolable, and he is known to be a ao vi 
cooee, This bri al 
around him all who are within hearing of his call; he stts & 
and remains silent Bay a long time,* nor do they speak 
him till at last his tongue is loosed and then his eloquent 
a rapid torrent ; he is listened to with the greatest atten on 5 in 
chiefs consult, and he waits there for the night or perhaps 
several days to receive their re 
A ma pn when carrying a whee man’s message ee 
rag i to pass safe even through a hostile territory. f ial . 
his hand a piece of stick with a notch at the end 
this i is a piece of white paper having the message W™ a oa pe - 
To attack or injure this messenger is to raise & 1eU) 
whole tribe of white men. esgage stil. 
In some parts of ipa Bre the tribes use ‘ it 
These leces 0} wee or of thin split yuna clon i . 
nicks on the edges an d marks on the 
petiaible to aie these nicks and imple wa 
the number of men and women about whom informato 
or sent. 
—_———. a 
to ask a ma . 
= BD cds is cme he grievous violation of native etiquette 2 
is allowed to choose his own time to speak. 2 
