9 
their pitchiri, and they invariably pointed northward as the quarter it 
came from, using at the same time the words “ tooch, tooch,” “far 
away, far away.” Howitt discovered that they traded regularly for 
it with the natives beyond Sturt’s stony desert, and he found it 
convenient, on account of water, to follow their trading track in one 
of his exploration trips from our depot, or Cooper’s Creek, to Wills’ 
Creek beyond the desert (from about lat. 27° 50', long. 141° 5', to lat. 
25° 48', long. 130° 30'). .Referring to this journey, he says, in a 
despatch from Angipena, South Australia, dated September 2nd, 
1862 : — “ The track I followed across the desert is one made use of 
by the natives of Lake Hope, Cooper’s Creek, and Kyejeron on their 
journeys to procure the pitcheri, so much used by them as a narcotic, 
and on this account I conclude that it is the shortest route known to 
them.” It is, I think, quite certain that this plant does not grow on 
Cooper’s Creek, else the natives would possess it more abundantly, 
and would have pointed it out to us when so frequently questioned on 
the subject. Thus they made no secret of showing us their narcloo , 
papa, and bowa seeds, nor objected to inform us about their edible 
fruits, herbs, roots, and ground-nuts, although one would naturally 
expect them to be jealously watchful of every ounce of food in so 
inhospitable a country. Pitchiri, in short, was so scarce amongst the 
Cooper’s Creek tribes that they parted with only small quantities in 
barter for wax matches, which was our golden currency. The men 
carried it in small skin bags tied round their necks or under the 
axillae, but I never noticed the women with any. They never travel 
without it on their long marches, using it constantly to deaden the 
cravings of hunger and support them under excessive fatigue. King, 
the survivor of the Burke and Wills expedition, who had lived seven 
months with these natives when rescued by Howitt, states that when 
his food became so scarce and bad as barely to support life, he some- 
times obtained a chew of pitchiri, which soon caused him to forget his 
hunger and the miseries of his position.* It also plays an important 
part in the social rites of these natives. At their “big talks” and 
feasts the pitchiri “quid” — for I can find no more appropriate word 
for it — is ceremoniously passed from mouth to mouth, each member of 
the tribe having a chew, from the pin'aroo, or head man, downwards. 
This singular wassail cup never fails to promote mirth and good 
fellowship, or to loosen the tongues of the eloquent, I have not been 
able to ascertain if the excitement it produces can be pushed to 
actual intoxication, or whether natives suffer from its use. There is 
a curious mode of greeting on Cooper’s Creek. When friends meet 
they salue with “ gaow, gaow” (“peace, peace”), and forthwith 
exchange pitchiri “ quids,” which when well chewed are returned to 
their owner’s ears ! They extended this custom to us ; but the 
fullest appreciation of their hospitality in offering their highly-prized 
and indeed only stimulant could never overcome our repugnance to 
the nauseous morsels hot and steaming from their mouths. I may 
add, they always accepted our want of politeness good-humouredly. 
The “ quid ” which I have spoken of, which is carried behind the ear, 
is composed of pure pitchiri, green leaves, and wood-ashes. The pure 
pitchiri I saw resembled unmanufactured tobacco of a very coarse 
kind, dried and pulverised. It had the same brownish colour ; but 
* See King’s Narrative in the History of Burke and Wills’ Expedition. 
