44 MYOLA CHAP. 
first time in my life I felt tall. The men, too, are 
very short, but very active. 
They were some time in commencing their corroboree, 
which was perfectly different from those we saw at Cape 
York. They danced less, but grunted more, and the 
peculiar sneezing noise they make all together is almost 
identical with that of the natives in Western Australia. 
With brandished spears and painted bodies, the men 
trod with stealthy measured footsteps, cautiously peering 
from side to side into the darkness in search of some 
supposed foe. Then suddenly a miniature battle ensued, 
the gins, sitting apart by themselves, beat splendid 
time with their boomerangs, and clapped their hands 
together, while the men, with hideous gestures and a 
monotonous chorus of grunts, madly stamped the 
ground with rhythmic motion, swaying their bodies 
backwards and forwards. Then with infuriated yells 
they advanced and retreated in and out of the fires, 
dancing faster and faster, and shouting " Ough ! ough ! " 
as each footstep went with a thud on the ground, until, 
fairly exhausted and streaming with the heat, they 
suddenly all retired into the darkness of the surround- 
ing bush. 
After the dancing was over, we gave them tobacco 
all round, the women begging for some for the 
piccaninnies. We then said good-bye and started for 
home, which for us was not reached until broad day- 
light The cocks were crowing, and the birds were 
already commencing to sing. 
Myola. 
I left Hambleton a few days ago, the very morning 
of my return from our expedition to see the corroboree. 
I only had time to get some breakfast and pack up 
my tilings before starting, in a real tropical shower. 
Digitized by LnOOQ IC 
