N o . V I I .
S U P E R S T I T I O N .
L i k e all o th e r ch ild ren o f ign o ran c e , the fe p eop le are th e Haves o f
fu p e r ftitio n .
I th in k I m a y term th e ca r - rah -d y th e ir h ig h p rie ft o f fup erftition.
T h e Ihare th e y h ad in th e to o th -d raw in g fcenes w a s n o t th e o n ly in»
fian ce , th a t in d u ced me to fup pofe this. W h e n C o le -b e accompanied
G o v e rn o r P h illip to the b anks o f th e H aw k e lb u r y , h e met w i th a car-
r a h -d y , Y e l- lo -m u n -d y , w h o , w i th m u ch g e fticu lation and m um m e ry ,
pretended to e x tra c t th e barbs o f tw o fpears from h is fid e, w h ic h n e ve r
h ad be en le ft th e re , o r , i f th e y h ad , required ra the r th e aid o f th e k n ife
th an th e incanta tions o f Y e l- lo -m u n -d y to extradt th em ; b u t h is patien
t w a s fatisfied w i th the ca r - ra h -d y ’ s efforts to fe rv e h im , and th o u g h t
h im fe lf p e r fe d ly relieved .
D u r in g th e time th a t B o o - ro o n g liv e d at th e c le rg ym an ’ s h o u fe fh e
p a id occafional v ifits to th e low e r part o f th e harbour . F rom one o f
th e fe fire re turn ed e x tr em e ly ill. O n q u e ftion in g h e r as to th e caufe,.
fo r n one w a s ap p arent, fhe to ld us that th e w om en o f C am -m e r - ra y h ad
made w a te r in a p ath w h ic h th e y k n ew fh e w a s to erofs, and it h ad
mad e h e r ill. T h e fe w om en w e r e in im ical to h e r , as fhe be lon ged ’
to the B o ta n y B a y diftridt. O n h e r in tim a tin g to th em that fhe fo u n d
h e r fe lf i ll , th e y to ld h e r tr ium p h an t ly w h a t th e y had done. N o t recov
e r in g , th o u g h bled in th e arm b y M r . W h i te , fhe un d e rw en t an ex tra o
rd in a ry and fup erftitious o p e ra tion , w h e re th e opera tor fuffers more
th an the p atient. S h e w a s feated on fh e g ro u n d , w i th one o f th e lines
w o rn b y th e men paffed rou n d h e r head on ce , ta k in g care to fix the
k n o t in th e centre o f h e r fo rehe ad ; th e remainder o f the lin e was ta k en
b y an o th e r g ir l, w h o fat at a fmall d iftance from h e r , and w ith th e end
o f it fre tted h e r lips un til th e y bled v e r y c o p io u f ly ; B o o - ro o n g im ag in in
g all th e tim e th a t th e b lo o d came from h e r h ead , and paffed a lon g
th e lin e u n til it ran in to th e g ir l’ s m ou th , w h en c e it w a s fp it in to a fmall
v e ffe l w h ic h fh e h ad befide h e r , h a l f filled w i th w a te r , and in to w h ic h fh e
o ccafion -
occafio'nally d ip ped th e end o f th e line. T h is operation th e y term be-
a n -n y , and is th e p e cu liar p ro v in c e o f th e w om en .
A n o th e r cu r io u s inftance o f th e ir fup e rftition ' o ccurred am on g fome
o f ou r p eop le b e lo n g in g to a b oat th a t was ly in g w in d -b ou n d in th e low e r
p a r t o f th e h arb our . T h e y had procured fom e fh e ll-fifh , and d u r in g
th e n ig h t w e r e p rep a r in g to ro aft th em , w h e n th e y w e r e o bferved b y
o n e o f th e n atives, w h o fh o o k h is head and e x c la im ed , th a t the w in d
fo r w h ic h th e y w e r e w a it in g w o u ld no t rife i f th e y roafted the fifh. H is
argumen t n o t p re v en t in g th e failors from e n jo y in g th e ir treat, and the
w in d a c tu a lly p ro v in g fo u l, th e y , in th e ir turn, g a v e an inftance o f fu p
e rftition b y a b u fin g th e n a tiv e , and a ttr ibu tin g to h im the fo u l w in d
w h ic h detained them . O n q u e ft io n in g Y e - ra -n i-b e re fp ed ting th is c ir -
cumftan c e , h e affured me th a t th e nativ es n e v e r b ro il fifh b y n igh t.
In a reach o f th e H aw k e lb u r y , ab ou t m id w a y 'u p fome h ig h land ,
Hands a r o c k w h ic h in its fo rm is not un lik e a c e n t r y -b o x . R e fp e d in g
th is ro ck , th e y h a v e a fup erftitious trad ition, that w h ile fom e natives
w e r e one d a y fe a ftin g u n d e r it, fom e o f th e c om p a n y w h it tlin g , it h ap p
ened to fall from a grea t h e ig h t, and c ru lh ed the w h o le p a r ty u n d e r its
w e ig h t. F o r this reafon th e y mak e it an inv a r ia b le ru le n e v e r to
w h it tle u n d e r a ro ck . ■
A m o n g th e ir o th e r fup erftitions w a s on e w h ic h m ig h t be n a tu ra lly
•expedted from th e ir ign o ran c e , a b e l ie f in fpirits.
O f this b e lie f w e had at different times fe v e ral ac counts. B en -n il-
lo n g , d u r in g his firft acqua intance w i th us, d efcribed an ap p arition as
a d v an c in g to a p e rfon w i th an u n com m on n o ife , and fe iz in g h o ld o f
h im b y the throat. I t came f lo w ly a lon g w i th its b o d y ben t, and the
hands h e ld to g e th e r in a lin e w i th the face , m o v in g on till it fe ized th e
p a r ty it meant to v ifit. W e w e r e to ld b y h im and others, and that after
w e und erfto od each o th e r , th a t b y fle ep in g at the g ra v e o f a deceafed
p e r fon , th e y w o u ld , from w h a t hap pened to th em there, be freed from
all future apprehenfions refp ed ting ap p a r it io n s ; fo r d u r in g th a t aw fu l
fleep th e fp ir it o f th e deceafed w o u ld v ifit th em , fe ize them b y the throat,
an d , o p en in g th em , ta k e o u t th e ir b ow e ls , w h ic h th e y w o u ld replace,
and c lo fe up th e w o u n d . W e und erftood that v e r y few chofe to en co
u n te r th e darknefs o f th e n ig h t, th e fo lem n ity o f the g ra v e , and the
v ifita tio n o f the fp ir it o f th e d e c e a fe d ; b u t th a t fueh as w e re fo h a rd y
4 G 2 became