CHAPTER IX
The children's sports--A terrible ordeal--Queer notions of beauty--Howlittle girls are taught--Domestic quarrels--Telltale footprints--I growweary--Off on a long cruise--Astounding news--A foreign tongue--Yamba hasseen the girls--A remarkable "letter"--A queer notion of decoration--Yambaas "advance agent"--I meet the girls--A distressing interview--Jealousyof the native women.
I was much interested in the children of the blacks, and observed alltheir interesting ways. It is not too much to say in the case of bothboys and girls that they can swim as soon as they can walk. There is nosqueamishness whatever on the part of the mothers, who leave their littleones to tumble into rivers, and remain out naked in torrential rains, andgenerally shift for themselves. From the time the boys are three yearsold they commence throwing toy spears at one another as a pastime. Forthis purpose, long dry reeds, obtained from the swamps, are used, and thelittle fellows practise throwing them at one another from variousdistances, the only shields allowed being the palms of their own littlehands. They never seem to tire of the sport, and acquire amazingdexterity at it. At the age of nine or ten they abandon the reeds andadopt a heavier spear, with a wooden shaft and a point of hard wood orbone. All kinds of interesting competitions are constantly organised totest the boys' skill, the most valued prizes being the approbation ofparents and elders.
A small ring of hide, or creeper, is suspended from the branch of a tree,and the competitors have to throw their spears clean through it at adistance of twenty paces. All the chiefs and fighting men of the tribeassemble to witness these competitions, and occasionally some littleaward is made in the shape of anklets and bangles of small shells, strungtogether with human hair. The boys are initiated into the ranks of the"men and warriors" when they reach the age of about seventeen.
This initiation ceremony, by the way, is of a very extraordinarycharacter. Many of the details cannot be published here. As a rule, ittakes place in the spring, when the mimosa is in bloom, and other tribescome from all parts to eat the nuts and gum. We will say that there are,perhaps, twenty youths to undergo the ordeal, which is conducted far fromall camps and quite out of the sight of women and children. Thecandidate prepares himself by much fasting, giving up meat altogether forat least a week before the initiation ceremony commences. In some casescandidates are despatched on a tramp extending over many days; and suchimplicit faith is placed in their honour that judges are not even sentwith them to see that everything is carried out fairly. They mustaccomplish this task within a given period, and without partaking ofeither food or water during the whole time. No matter how great thetemptation may be on the route, they conform strictly to the rules of thetest, and would as soon think of running themselves through with a spear,as of seeking a water-hole. The inspectors who judge at this amazingexamination are, of course, the old and experienced chiefs.
After the fasting comes the ordeal proper. The unfortunate candidatepresents himself before one of the examiners, and settles his face into aperfectly stoical expression. He is then stabbed repeatedly on theoutside of the thighs and in the arms (never once is an artery cut); andif he remains absolutely statuesque at each stab, he comes through themost trying part of the ordeal with flying colours. A motion of thelips, however, or a mutter--these are altogether fatal. Not even a toemust move in mute agony; nor may even a muscle of the eyelid give anuneasy and involuntary twitch. If the candidate fails in a minor degree,he is promptly put back, to come up again for the next examination; butin the event of his being unable to stand the torture, he iscontemptuously told to go and herd with the women--than which there is nomore humiliating expression.
While yet the candidate's wounds are streaming with blood, he is requiredto run with lightning speed for two or three miles and fetch back from agiven spot a kind of toy lance planted in the ground. Then, havingsuccessfully passed the triple ordeals of fasting, stabbing, and runningagainst time, and without food and water, the candidate, under the eyesof his admiring father, is at length received into the ranks of thebravest warriors, and is allowed to take a wife. At the close of theceremony, the flow of blood from the candidate's really serious flesh-wounds is stopped by means of spiders' webs, powdered charcoal, and dryclay powder.
With regard to the girls, I am afraid they received but scantconsideration.
Judged by our standard, the women were far from handsome. They had verybright eyes, broad, flat noses, low, narrow foreheads, and heavy chins.But there are comely exceptions. And yet at big _corroborees_ on theoccasion of a marriage, the men always chanted praises to the virtue andbeauty of the bride!
The girl who possessed an exceptionally large and flat nose wasconsidered a great beauty. Talking about noses, it was to me aremarkable fact, that the blacks consider a warrior with a big nose andlarge distended nostrils a man possessed of great staying power. For onething, they consider his breathing apparatus exceptionally perfect.
As a general rule (there are exceptions in the case of a very "beautiful"woman), when a woman dies she is not even buried; she simply lies whereshe has fallen dead, and the camp moves on to another place and neverreturns to the unholy spot. And it may be mentioned here that the blacksnever allude to a dead person by name, as they have a great horror ofdeparted spirits. And so childish and suspicious are they, that theysometimes even cut off the feet of a dead man to prevent his runningabout and frightening them at inconvenient moments. I used to play upontheir fears, going out into the bush after dark, and pretending tocommune with the evil spirits. The voice of these latter was produced bymeans of reed whistles. Once I made myself a huge, hideous mask out of akangaroo skin, with holes slit in it for the nose, mouth, and eyes. Iwould don this strange garb in the evenings, and prowl about the vicinityof the camp, holding blazing torches behind the mask, and emittingstrange noises--sometimes howling like a wolf and at others shoutingaloud in my natural voice. On these occasions the blacks thought I wasin my natural element as a spirit. But they never ventured to follow meor attempted to satisfy themselves that I was not fooling them all thewhile. Yamba, of course, knew the joke, and as a rule helped me to dressfor the farce, but she took good care never to tell any one the secret.No doubt had the blacks ever learned that it was all done for effect onmy part, the result would have been very serious; but I knew I was prettysecure because of the abnormal superstition prevalent among them.
The women, as I have before hinted, are treated in a horribly cruelmanner, judged from our standpoint; but in reality they know not whatcruelty is, because they are absolutely ignorant of kindness. They arethe beasts of burden, to be felled to the earth with a bludgeon when theyerr in some trivial respect; and when camp is moved each woman carriesvirtually the whole household and the entire worldly belongings of thefamily. Thus it is a common sight to see a woman carrying a loadconsisting of one or two children and a quantity of miscellaneousimplements, such as heavy grindstones, stone hatchets, sewing-bones, yam-sticks, &c. During the shifting of the camp the braves themselves stalkalong practically unencumbered, save only for their elaborate shield,three spears (never more), and a stone tomahawk stuck in their belt ofwoven opossum hair. The men do not smoke, knowing nothing of tobacco,but their principal recreation and relaxation from the incessant huntingconsists in the making of their war weapons, which is a very importantpart of their daily life. They will even fell a whole tree, as hasalready been explained, to make a single spear shaft. As to the shield,the elaborate carving upon it corresponds closely with the prowess of theowner; and the more laurels he gains, the more intricate and elaboratebecomes the carving on his shield. Honour prevents undue pretence.
But we have wandered away from the consideration of the girl-children.The baby girls play with their brothers and participate in their fightsuntil they are perhaps ten years of age. They are then expected toaccompany their mothers on the daily excursions in search of roots. Whenthe little girls are first taken out by their mothers they are instructedin the use of the yam
-stick, with which the roots are dug up out of theearth. The stick used by the women is generally three feet or four feetlong, but the girl novices use a short one about fifteen inches inlength. Each woman, as I have said elsewhere, is also provided with areed basket or net, in which to hold the roots, this being usually wovenout of strings of prepared bark; or, failing that, native flax or palmstraw.
But the unfortunate wife occasionally makes the acquaintance of the heavyyam-stick in a very unpleasant, not to say serious, manner. Of course,there are domestic rows. We will suppose that the husband has latelypaid a great amount of attention to one of his younger wives--acircumstance which naturally gives great offence to one of the olderwomen. This wife, when she has an opportunity and is alone with herhusband, commences to sing or chant a plaint--a little thing of quite herown composing.
Into this song she weaves all the abuse which long experience tells herwill lash her husband up to boiling-point. The later stanzas complainthat the singer has been taken from her own home among a nation of realwarriors to live among a gang of skulking cowards, whose hearts, livers,and other vital organs are not at all up to the standard of her people.
The epithets are carefully arranged up a scale until they reach _bandy-legged_--an utterly unpardonable insult. But there is, beyond this, oneother unpublishable remark, which causes the husband to take up the yam-stick and fell the singer with one tremendous blow, which is frequentlyso serious as to disable her for many days. The other women at once seeto their sister, who has incurred the wrath of her lord, and rub herwounds with weird medicaments. The whole shocking business is regardedas quite an ordinary affair; and after the sufferer is able to get aboutagain she bears her husband not the slightest ill-feeling. You see, shehas had her say and paid for it.
The girls, as they grow up, are taught to cook according to the nativefashion, and are also required to build ovens in the earth or sand; makethe fires, build "break-winds," and generally help their mothers inpreparing meals. When at length the meal is cooked, the manner of eatingit is very peculiar. First of all, the women retire into the background.The lord and master goes and picks out the tit-bits for himself, and thensits down to eat them off a small sheet of bark. More often, however, hesimply tears the meat in pieces with his hands. During his meal, thewives and children are collected behind at a respectful distance,awaiting their own share. Then, as the warrior eats, he literally hurlscertain oddments over his shoulder, which are promptly pounced upon bythe wives and children in waiting. It sometimes happens, however, that afavourite child--a boy invariably, never a girl (it is the girls who areeaten by the parents whenever there are any superfluous children to begot rid of)--will approach his father and be fed with choice morsels fromthe great man's "plate."
Each tribe has its own particular country over which it roams atpleasure, and the boundaries are defined by trees, hillocks, mountains,rocks, creeks, and water-holes. And from these natural features thetribes occasionally get their names. Outside the tribal boundary--whichoften incloses a vast area--the blacks never go, except on a friendlyvisit to a neighbouring camp. Poaching is one of the things punishablewith death, and even if any woman is caught hunting for food in anothercountry she is seized and punished. I will tell you later on how evenYamba "put her foot" in it in this way.
The blacks are marvellously clever at tracking a man by his footprints,and a poacher from a neighbouring tribe never escapes their vigilance,even though he succeeds in returning to his own people without beingactually captured. So assiduously do these blacks study the footprintsof people they know and are friendly with, that they can tell at oncewhether the trespasser is an enemy or not; and if it be a stranger, apunitive expedition is at once organised against his tribe.
Gradually I came to think that each man's track must have anindividuality about it quite as remarkable as the finger-printsinvestigated by Galton and Bertillon. The blacks could even tell a man'sname and many other things about him, solely from his tracks--how, it isof course impossible for me to say. I have often known my blacks tofollow a man's track _over hard rocks_, where even a disturbed leafproved an infallible clue, yielding a perfectly miraculous amount ofinformation. They will know whether a leaf has been turned over by thewind or by human agency!
But to continue my narrative. Yamba was very anxious that I should stayand make my home among her people, and so, with the assistance of otherwomen, she built me a substantial beehive-shaped hut, fully twenty feetin diameter and ten feet high. She pointed out to me earnestly that Ihad everything I could possibly wish for, and that I might be a verygreat man indeed in the country if only I would take a prominent part inthe affairs of the tribe. She also mentioned that so great was myprowess and prestige, that if I wished I might take unto myself a wholearmy of wives!--the number of wives being the sole token of greatnessamong these people. You see they had to be fed, and that implied manygreat attributes of skill and strength. Nevertheless, I pined forcivilisation, and never let a day go by without scanning the bay and theopen sea for a passing sail. The natives told me they had seen ships atvarious times, and that attempts had even been made to reach them incatamarans, but without success, so far out at sea were the vesselspassing.
Gradually, about nine months after my strange return to my Cambridge Gulfhome, there came a time when life became so monotonous that I felt I_must_ have a change of some sort, or else go mad. I was on the verybest of terms with all my blacks, but their mode of living was repulsiveto me. I began to loathe the food, and the horrible cruelty to the womenfrequently sickened me. Whenever I saw one of these poor patientcreatures felled, bleeding, to the earth, I felt myself being worked upinto a state of dangerous nervous excitement, and I longed to challengethe brutal assailant as a murderous enemy. Each time, however, I sternlycompelled myself to restrain my feelings. At length the spirit of unrestgrew so strong that I determined to try a short trip inland in adirection I had never hitherto attempted. I intended to cross the bigbay in my dug-out, round Cape Londonderry, and then go south among thebeautiful islands down past Admiralty Gulf, which I had previouslyexplored during my residence on the Cape, and where I had found food andwater abundant; numerous caves, with mural paintings; quiet seas, andgorgeous vegetation. Yamba willingly consented to accompany me, and oneday I set off on the sea once more, my faithful wife by my side, carryingher net full of odds and ends, and I with my bow and arrows, tomahawk,and stiletto; the two latter carried in my belt. I hoped to come acrossa ship down among the islands, for my natives told me that several hadpassed while I was away.
At length we started off in our dug-out, the sea being perfectlycalm--more particularly in the early morning, when the tide was generallywith us. After several days' paddling we got into a narrow passagebetween a long elevated island and the main, and from there found our wayinto an inlet, at the head of which appeared masses of wild and ruggedrocks. These rocks were, in many places, decorated with a number ofcrude but striking mural paintings, which were protected from theweather. The drawings I found represented men chiefly. My owncontributions consisted of life-size sketches of my wife, myself, andBruno. I emphasised my long hair, and also reproduced my bow and arrow.This queer "art gallery" was well lighted, and the rock smooth. We foundthe spot a very suitable one for camping; in fact, there were indicationson all sides that the place was frequently used by the natives as acamping-ground. A considerable quantity of bark lay strewn about theground in sheets, which material my wife told me was used by the nativesas bedding. This was the first time I had known the black-fellows to useany material in this way. I also came across traces of a feast--such asempty oyster shells in very large heaps, bones of animals, &c. Thewaters of the inlet were exceedingly well stocked with fish; and here Isaw large crayfish for the first time. I caught and roasted some, andfound them very good eating. This inlet might possibly be in thevicinity of Montague Sound, a little to the south of Admiralty Gulf.
We stayed a couple of days in this beautifu
l spot, and then pushed downsouth again, always keeping close under shelter of the islands on accountof our frail craft. The seas through which we paddled were studded withinnumerable islands, some rocky and barren, others covered withmagnificent foliage and grass. We landed on several of these, and onone--it might have been Bigges Island--I discovered a high cairn or moundof stones erected on the most prominent point. Yamba told me that thisstructure was not the work of a native. She explained that the stoneswere laid too regularly. A closer examination convinced me that thecairn had been built by some European--possibly a castaway--and that atone time it had probably been surmounted by a flag-staff as a signal topassing ships. Food was very plentiful on this island, roots and yamsbeing obtainable in great abundance. Rock wallabies were also plentiful.After leaving this island we continued our journey south, paddling onlyduring the day, and always with the tide, and spending the night on land.By the way, whilst among the islands, I came across, at various times,many sad signs of civilisation, in the form of a lower mast of a ship,and a deck-house, a wicker-basket, empty brandy cases, and other flotsamand jetsam, which, I supposed, had come from various wrecks. Afterhaving been absent from my home in Cambridge Gulf, two or three months, Ifound myself in a large bay, which I now know to be King's Sound. I hadcome across many tribes of natives on my way down. Some I met were onthe islands on which we landed, and others on the mainland. Most ofthese black-fellows knew me both personally and by repute, many havingbeen present at the great whale feast. The natives at King's Soundrecognised me, and gave me a hearty invitation to stay with them at theircamp. This I consented to do, and my friends then promised to set allthe other tribes along the coast on the look-out for passing vessels, sothat I might immediately be informed by smoke-signals when one was insight. Not long after this came an item of news which thrilled methrough and through.
One of the chiefs told me quite casually that at another tribe, somedays' journey away, the chief had TWO WHITE WIVES. They had, he went onto explain, a skin and hair exactly like my own; but in spite of eventhis assurance, after the first shock of amazement I felt confident thatthe captives were Malays. The news of their presence among the tribe inquestion was a well-known fact all along the coast of King's Sound. Myinformant had never actually _seen_ the white women, but he wasabsolutely certain of their existence. He added that the captives hadbeen seized after a fight with some white men, who had come to that coastin a "big catamaran." However, I decided to go and see for myself whatmanner of women they were. The canoe was beached well above the reach ofthe tides at Cone Bay, and then, accompanied by Yamba only, I set offoverland on my quest. The region of the encampment towards which I nowdirected my steps lies between the Lennard River and the Fitzroy. Theexact spot, as near as I can fix it on the chart, is a place calledDerby, at the head of King's Sound. As we advanced the country becamevery rugged and broken, with numerous creeks intersecting it in everydirection. Farther on, however, it developed into a rich, low-lying,park-like region, with water in abundance. To the north-west appearedelevated ranges. I came across many fine specimens of the bottle tree.The blacks encamped at Derby were aware of my coming visit, having hadthe news forwarded to them by means of the universal smoke-signals.
The camp described by my informant I found to be a mere collection ofgunyahs, or break-winds, made of boughs, and I at once presented my"card"--the ubiquite passport stick; which never left me for a moment inall my wanderings. This stick was sent to the chief, who immediatelymanifested tokens of friendship towards me.
Unfortunately, however, he spoke an entirely different dialect fromYamba's; but by means of the sign language I explained to him that Iwished to stay with him for a few "sleeps" (hand held to the side of thehead, with fingers for numbers), and partake of his hospitality. To thishe readily consented.
Now, I knew enough of the customs of the blacks to realise that, being astranger among them, they would on request provide me with additionalwives during my stay,--entirely as a matter of ceremonial etiquette; andit suddenly occurred to me that I might make very good use of this customby putting in an immediate demand for the two white women--if theyexisted. You see, I wanted an interview with them, in the first place,to arrange the best means of getting them away. I confess I was consumedwith an intense curiosity to learn their history--even to see them. Iwondered if they could tell me anything of the great world now so remotein my mind. As a matter of courtesy, however, I spent the greater partof the day with the chief, for any man who manifests a desire for women'ssociety loses caste immediately; and in the evening, when the fact of mypresence among the tribe had become more extensively known, and theircuriosity aroused by the stories that Yamba had taken care to circulate,I attended a great _corroboree_, which lasted nearly the whole of thenight. As I was sitting near a big fire, joining in the chanting andfestivities, Yamba noiselessly stole to my side, and whispered in my earthat _she had found the two white women_.
I remember I trembled with excitement at the prospect of meeting them.They were very young, Yamba added, and spoke "my" language--I never said"English," because this word would have conveyed nothing to her; and shealso told me that the prisoners were in a dreadful state of misery. Itwas next explained to me that the girls, according to native custom, werethe absolute property of the chief. He was seated not very far away fromme, and was certainly one of the most ferocious and repulsive-lookingcreatures I have ever come across,--even among the blacks. He was oversix feet high, and of rather a lighter complexion than hisfellows,--almost like a Malay. The top of his head receded in a verycurious manner, whilst the mouth and lower part of the face generallyprotruded like an alligator's, and gave him a truly diabolicalappearance. I confess a thrill of horror passed through me, as Irealised that two doubtless tenderly reared English girls were in theclutches of this monster. Once I thought I must have been dreaming, andthat the memories of some old story-book I had read years ago werefilling my mind with some fantastic delusion. For a moment I pictured tomyself the feelings of their prosaic British relatives, could they onlyhave known what had become of the long-lost loved ones--a fate moreshocking and more fearful than any ever conceived by the writer offiction. Of course, my readers will understand that much detail aboutthe fate of these poor creatures must be suppressed for obvious reasons.But should any existing relatives turn up, I shall be only too happy toplace at their disposal all the information I possess.
Presently, I grasped the whole terrible affair, and realised it asabsolute fact! My first impulse was to leap from the _corroboree_ and goand reassure the unhappy victims in person, telling them at the same timethat they might count on my assistance to the last. It was notadvisable, however, to withdraw suddenly from the festivities, for fearmy absence might arouse suspicion.
The only alternative that presented itself was to send a note or messageof some kind to them, and so I asked Yamba to bring me a large fleshyleaf of a water-lily, and then, with one of her bone needles, I pricked,in printed English characters, "_A friend is near_; _fear not_." Handingthis original letter to Yamba, I instructed her to give it to the girlsand tell them to hold it up before the fire and read the perforations.This done, I returned to the _corroboree_, still displaying a feignedenthusiasm for the proceedings, but determined upon a bold and resolutecourse of action. I must say though, that at that particular moment Iwas not very sanguine of getting the girls away out of the power of thissavage, who had doubtless won them from some of his fellows by more orless fair fighting.
I made my way over to where the chief was squatting, and gazed at himlong and steadily. I remember his appearance as though it were butyesterday that we met. I think I have already said he was the mostrepulsive-looking savage I have ever come across, even among theAustralian blacks. The curious raised scars were upon this particularchief both large and numerous. This curious form of decoration, by theway, is a very painful business. The general practice is to maketransverse cuts with a sharp shell, or stone knife, on
the chest, thighs,and sometimes on the back and shoulders. Ashes and earth are then rubbedinto each cut, and the wound is left to close. Next comes an extremelypainful gathering and swelling, and a little later the earth that isinside is gradually removed--sometimes with a feather. When the woundsfinally heal up, each cicatrice stands out like a raised weal, and ofthese extraordinary marks the blacks are inordinately proud.
But to return to the chief who owned the girls. I must say that, apartfrom his awful and obviously stubborn face, he was a magnificently formedsavage.
I commenced the conversation with him by saying, I presumed the usualcourtesy of providing a wife would be extended to me during my stay. AsI anticipated, he readily acquiesced, and I instantly followed up theconcession by calmly remarking that I should like to have the two whitewomen who were in the camp sent over to my "little place." To thissuggestion he gave a point-blank refusal. I persisted, however, andtaunted him with deliberately breaking the inviolable rules of courtesy;and at length he gave me to understand he would think the matter over.
All this time Yamba had been as busy as a showman out West. She hadfollowed with unusual vigour her customary _role_ of "advance agent," andhad spread most ridiculously exaggerated reports of my supernaturalprowess and magical attributes. I controlled the denizens of Spiritland,and could call them up in thousands to torment the blacks. I controlledthe elements; and was in short all-powerful.
I must admit that this energetic and systematic "puffing" did a greatdeal of good, and wherever we went I was looked upon as a sort of wizard,entitled to very great respect, and the best of everything that wasgoing.
For a long time the tribal chief persisted in his opposition to myrequest for the girls; but as most of his warriors were in my favour (Ihad given many appalling demonstrations in the bush at night), I knew hewould submit sooner or later. The big _corroboree_ lasted all night, andat length, before we separated on the second day, the great man gaveway--with exceedingly bad grace. Of course, I did not disturb the girlsat that hour, but next day I told Yamba to go and see them and arrangefor an interview. She came back pretty soon, and then undertook to guideme to their "abode." The prospect of meeting white people once more--eventhese two poor unfortunates--threw me into a strange excitement, in themidst of which I quite forgot my own astonishing appearance, which wasfar more like that of a gaily decorated and gorgeously painted nativechief than a civilised European. For it must be remembered that by thistime I had long ago discarded all clothing, except an apron of emufeathers, whilst my skin was extremely dark and my hair hung down my backfully three feet, and was built up in a surprising way in times of warand _corroboree_.
I followed Yamba through the camp, getting more and more excited as weapproached the girls' domicile. At length she stopped at the back of acrescent-shaped break-wind of boughs, and a moment later--eager,trembling, and almost speechless--I stood before the two English girls.Looking back now, I remember they presented a truly pitiable spectacle.They were huddled together on the sandy ground, naked, and locked in oneanother's arms. Before them burned a fire, which was tended by thewomen. Both looked frightfully emaciated and terrified--so much so, thatas I write these words my heart beats faster with horror as I recall theterrible impression they made upon me. As they caught sight of me, theyscreamed aloud in terror. I retired a little way discomfited,remembering suddenly my own fantastic appearance. Of course, theythought I was another black fellow coming to torture them. All kinds ofextraordinary reflections flashed through my mind at that moment. Whatwould people in my beloved France, I wondered--or among my Swissmountains, or in stately England--think of the fate that had overtakenthese girls--a fate that would infallibly read more like extravagant andeven offensive fiction than real, heart-rending fact?
I went back and stood before the girls, saying, reassuringly, "Ladies, Iam a white man and a friend; and if you will only trust in me I think Ican save you."
Their amazement at this little speech knew no bounds, and one of thegirls became quite hysterical. I called Yamba, and introduced her as mywife, and they then came forward and clasped me by the hand, crying,shudderingly, "Oh, save us! Take us away from that fearful brute."
I hastily explained to them that it was solely because I had resolved tosave them that I had ventured into the camp; but they would have to waitpatiently until circumstances favoured my plans for their escape. I didnot conceal from them that my being able to take them away at all wasextremely problematical; for I could see that to have raised false hopeswould have ended in real disaster. Gradually they became quieter andmore reasonable--and my position obviously more embarrassing. I quicklytold them that, at any rate, so long as I remained in the camp, they neednot fear any further visits from the giant chief they dreaded so much,and with this reassurance I walked swiftly away, followed by Yamba.
The laws of native hospitality absolutely forbade any one to interferewith the girls during my stay, so, easy in my mind, I made straight forthe extensive swamps which I knew lay a few miles from the camp. In thiswild and picturesque place I brought down, with Yamba's assistance, agreat number of cockatoos, turkeys, and other wild fowl, which birds werepromptly skinned, my wife and I having in view a little amateur tailoringwhich should render my future interviews with the girls a little lessembarrassing. As a matter of fact, I handed over the bird-skins toYamba, and she, with her bone needles and threads of kangaroo sinews,soon made a couple of extraordinary but most serviceable garments, whichwe immediately took back to the poor girls, who were shivering with coldand neglect. I at once saw the reason of most of their suffering.
Their own clothing had apparently been lost or destroyed, and the nativewomen, jealous of the attention which the chief was bestowing upon thenewcomers, gave them little or no food. Nor did the jealous wivesinstruct the interlopers in the anointing of their bodies with thatpeculiar kind of clay which forms so effective a protection alike againstthe burning heat of the sun, the treacherous cold of the night-winds, andthe painful attacks of insects. All the information I could elicit fromthe girls that evening was the fact that they had been shipwrecked, andhad already been captive among the blacks for three and a half months.The elder girl further said that they were not allowed their liberty,because they had on several occasions tried to put an end to theirindescribable sufferings by committing suicide. Anything moreextraordinary than the costumes we made for the girls you never saw. Theywere not of elaborate design, being of the shape of a long sack, withholes for the arms and neck; and they afterwards shrank in the mostabsurd way.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont Page 9