J79 6.] OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 381 



was, the party thrown at providing his enemy with weapons ; for 

 they repeatedly, when a fpear flew harmlefs beyond them, picked it 

 up and flung it carelefsly back to their adverfary. Whether this was 

 done in contempt, or from a fcarcity of fpears, is uncertain. 



This rigid attention to the point of honour, when fairly oppofed to 

 each other, is difficult to reconcile with their treacherous and midnight 

 murders. 



They have great difficulty in procuring fire, and are therefore fel- 

 dom without it. The procefs of procuring it is attended with infinite 

 labour, and is performed by fixing the pointed end of a cylindrical 

 piece of wood into a hollow made in a plane ; the operator twirling 

 the round piece fwiftly between both his hands, Aiding them up and 

 down until fatigued, at which time he is relieved by another of his 

 companions, who are all feated for this purpofe in a circle, and each 

 one takes his turn until fire is procured. 



Moll of their inftruments are ornamented with rude carved-work, 

 effected with a piece of broken fhell ; and on the rocks are frequently 

 to be feen various figures of fifh, clubs, fwords, animals, and branches 

 of trees, not contemptibly reprefented. 



, Superstition. 



Like all other children of ignorance, thefe people are the flaves of 

 fuperftition. 



The car-rah-dys may be termed the high-priefts of fuperftition. 

 The mare which they had in the tooth-drawing fcene was not the 

 only inftance that induced this belief. After Cole-be was wounded, 

 he accompanied Governor Phillip to the banks of the Hawkefbury, 

 and met with a car-rah-dy, who, with much gefticulation and mum- 

 mery, pretended to extract the barbs of two fpears from his fide, 

 which never had been left there, or, if they had, required rather the 

 aid of the knife than his incantations to extract them ; but his patient 

 was fatisfied and thought himfelf perfectly cured. 



During 



