th em to fleep . E a r ly In th e m o rn in g , w h ile h e was y e t on the g ro u n d ,
and ap p a ren tly afleep at th e fo o t o f a tr e e , C o le -b e and B u r - ro -w an -n ie ,
armed each w ith a fp e ar and a c lu b , ru fh ed u p on h im from am o n g
fom e trees. C o le -b e made a pu£h at h im w i th his fp ear, b u t did n o t
to u ch h im , w h ile th e o th e r , B u r - ro -w an -n ie , ftru ck h im w i th his club
tw o fe v e re b low s on th e h in d e r p a r t o f the head. T h e n o ife th e y made,
,i f h e w a s afleep, aw ak ed h im ; and w h e n h e w a s ftru ck , h e w a s on
h is legs. H e w a s p e r fe c t ly un armed , and h u n g his head in filenc e -
w h ile C o le -b e and h is com p an io n ta lk ed to h im . N o m ore b low s w e re
g iv e n , and B e n -n il- lo n g , w h o w a s p re fen t, w ip e d th e blood from th e
w o u n d s w i th fome g ra fs . A s a p r o o f that B u r - ro -w an -n ie w a s
fatisfied w i th th e redrefs h e had tak en , w e faw h im afterw ard s w a lk - ■
in g in th e tow n w i th th e oh je c t o f h is re fentment, w h o , on b e in g
a fk e d , faid B u r - ro -w e en -n ie w a s g o o d ; and d u r in g th e w h o le o f th e
d a y , w h e r e fo e v e r h e w a s fe en , th e re alfo w a s this p o o r w r e tch w ith
h is brea ft and b a ck co v e red w i th dried b lo o d ; f a r , a c co rd in g to th e c o n ,
ftan t p ra c tic e o f h is co u n t r ym e n , h e h ad n o t w a fh ed it off. In th e
e v e n in g I faw h im w i th a lig a tu re faftened v e r y tig h t ro u n d his h ead ,
w h ic h c e r ta in ly requ ired fom e th in g to alle v iate the p ain it m u ft hav e
en d ured .
In fom e o f th e fe contefts th e y h a v e be en feen on th e field o f battle
attend ed b y a p e r fon w h o appeared to be th e fr ien d o f b o th parties.
In a fin g le com b a t w h ic h M o - ro o -b e r - ra had w i th B en -n il- lo n g , th e y
w e r e attended b y C o le -b e , w h o to o k a p o fitio n o n one fide ab ou t h a lfw
a y b e tw e en th em , armed w i th a fpear and th row in g - ftic k , but u n p
ro v id e d w i th a fhield . T h i s I faw h e fr e q u e n t ly fh o o k , and talk ed
a gre a t deal, but n e v e r th rew it. W h ile in this, fituation he w a s fty le d
C a -b a h -m y .
I had lo n g w i lh e d to be a w itn e fs o f a fam ily p a r ty , in w h ie h I
h o p e d and e x p ed led to fe e them d iverted o f th a t reftraint w h ie h perhap
s th e y m ig h t p u t on in o u r houfe s. I w a s one d a y gra tified in this
w i fh w h e n I little, e x p e fte d it. Having- flrolled d ow n to th e P oint
named T o o -b ow -g u - lie , I faw th e fil le r and th e y o u n g w ife o f B en -
n il- lo n g c om in g rou n d th e P o in t in th e n ew canoe w h ic h th e h u fb and
had cu t in h is la® e x cu r fio n to Parramatta. T h e y had been ou t to
p rocu re fifh , and w e r e k e e p in g time w i th th e ir paddles, re fp on fiv e to
the
A P P E N D I X , No. VI. 593
th e w o rd s o f a fo n g , in w h ic h th e y jo in e d w i th m uch g o od h um ou r
an d h a rm o n y . T h e y w e r e almoft-immed ia tely jo in e d b y B en -n il- lo n g ,
w h o had his lifte r’ s ch ild on his fhoulders. T h e canoe w a s hauled on
fh o re , and w h a t fifh th e y h ad c a u g h t th e w om en b ro u g h t up . I
obfe rv ed th a t th e w om en feated th em fe lv e s at fome little d iftance from
B en -n il- lo n g , and then the g ro u p e w a s thus d ifp ofed o f :— T h e hufband
w a s feated on a ro ck , p rep a r in g to drefs and eat th e fifh h e had ju f t
re ce ived . O n the fame ro ck la y his p r e tty fitter W a r - r e -w e e r afleep in th e
fu n , w i th a n ew b o rn in fant in he r a rm s ; and at fome little d iftance w e r e
feated, rather b e low h im , his o th e r After and his w i fe , the w i fe o p en in g
and ea tin g fome ro ck -o y fte r s , and th e After fu c k lin g he r ch ild , K a h -d ie r -
ra n g , w h om fhe had taken from B en -h il-lo n g . I can n ot om it m en tion in g
th e un a ffe£ ted / im p lic ity o f th e w ife : im m ed ia te ly on h e r ftep p in g ou t o f
h e r canoe, fhe g a v e w a y to the preffure o f a certain n e ce flity , w ith o u t be tr
a y in g a n y o f that re fe rv e w h ic h w o u ld h a v e led another at lea ft b eh in d
th e ad jo in in g bufh. S h e blufhed n o t, fo r th é ch e e k o f G o - ró o -b a r - ro o -
bo o l-lo w a s th e ch e e k o f rud e nature, and n o t made fo r blufhes. I remained
w i th th em till th e w h o le p a r ty fe ll afleep.
T h e y h a v e grea t d ifficu lty in p ro cu r in g fire , and are the re fo re feld om
feen w ith o u t it. B en -n il- lo n g , o r fome o th e r n a tiv e , once fhe'wed me
th e procëfs o f p ro cu r in g it. I t is attended w i th in fin ite labour, and is
p e r form ed b y f ix in g the p ointed end o f a c y lin d r ic a l p ie ce o f w o o d in to
a h o llow made in a plane : the opera tor tw ir l in g th e rou n d p iece fw if t ly
b e tw e en bo th h is hands, Aid ing th em up and d ow n un til fa tigu ed , at
w h ic h tim e he is re lie ved b y another o f h is com p an ion s, w h o are all
feated fo r this p u rp o fe in a circ le , and each one takes h is tu rn u n til fire
is p rocured.
M o f t o f th e ir inftruments are ornamented w ith rud e c a r v e d -w o rk ,
effe é led w i th a p iece o f b ro k en fh e ll, and on th e ro ck s I h a v e feen v a -
j-jous figures o f fifh , c lubs , fw o rd s , animals, and e v en branches o f trees,
n o t co n tem p tib ly reprefented.
4 e