Ill 
LOW-TYPE ABORIGINES 
33 
We steamed under the shadow of an overhanging 
tree, and I pulled myself up by a branch and landed 
to get some flowers. I was caught by a trailing 
sucker of a native vine, a deadly obstacle to en- 
counter. It has sharp barbs along the stem, and 
forms an almost impenetrable network of thick cords 
from tree to tree ; it is, I believe, a kind of “ lawyer,” 
an even worse variety than that which grows in New 
Zealand, and it is well named, for when once you 
get into its clutches it is difficult to free yourself again. 
The natives are not very civilised here, and a few 
days ago killed and ate a Chinaman ; they seem to 
have an aversion to (or perhaps I should call it a 
fancy for) this particular race. They are perfectly 
unclothed, and along the banks were their miamias — 
neat, snug-looking huts, made of grass and palm leaves, 
with one small opening. During the dry weather they 
live on the river-bank, occasionally making raids on the 
sugar-cane, but during the rains they all disappear to 
the mountains. There were more than a hundred of 
them here a week ago, but Mr. A. drove them all away ; 
only a few are now left solitary. Their weapons are 
very neatly made, and their fishing-nets, of the inner 
fibre of the couragee tree, are marvellous. 
Goondi is a very large plantation, with 7 00 souls on 
it ; the dense scrub is still being cut down. This work is 
generally done by Chinamen. The heaviest rainfall in 
Queensland is here, and ten inches in a night is not 
an unusual thing. I am too late here for the flowers, but 
the native fruits and berries are quite worth painting. 
I ‘ cannot wander about here alone, as the natives are 
not to be trusted. The heat is intense, and the atmo- 
sphere so moist that my paints in pans have become 
quite liquid. It is impossible to go out in the middle 
of the day, and we generally take a stroll in the evening ; 
D 
