They appeared to feel great compassion for me when they understood that
I was alone on the creek, and gave me plenty to eat. After being four
days with them, I saw that they were becoming tired of me, and they made
signs that they were going up the creek, and that I had better go
downwards; but I pretended not to understand them. The same day they
shifted camp, and I followed them; and on reaching their camp, I shot
some crows, which pleased them so much that they made me a breakwind in
the centre of their camp, and came and sat round me until such time as
the crows were cooked, when they assisted me to eat them. The same day
one of the women to whom I had given part of a crow, came and gave me a
ball of nardoo, saying that she would give me more only she had such a
sore arm that she was unable to pound. She showed me a sore on her arm,
and the thought struck me that I would boil some water in the billy and
wash her arm with a sponge. During the operation the whole tribe sat
round and were muttering one to another. Her husband sat down by her
side and she was crying all the time. After I had washed it, I touched
it with some nitrate of silver, when she began to yell and ran off,
crying out, "Mokow! Mokow!" ("Fire! fire!"). From this time, she and her
husband used to give me a small quantity of nardoo both night and
morning, and whenever the tribe were about going on a fishing excursion,
he used to give me notice to go with them. They also used to assist me
in making a wurley, or breakwind, whenever they shifted camp. I
generally shot a crow or a hawk, and gave it to them in return for these
little services.
From this time to when the relief party arrived--a period of about a
month--they treated me with uniform kindness, and looked upon me as one
of themselves. The day on which I was released, one of the tribe who had
been fishing came and told me that the white fellows were coming, and
the whole of the tribe who were then in camp sallied out in every
direction to meet the party, while the man who had brought the news took
me over the creek, where I shortly saw the party coming down.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT. SOUTH TO NORTH. II
+Source.+--Explorations in Australia (J.M. Stuart. Hardman, 1865). pp.
164-165, 406-411
Stuart accompanied Sturt in 1844-5, and subsequently became an
enthusiastic explorer. Three times he set out to travel from
Adelaide to the Indian Ocean; the first time passing through the
centre, and finally attaining his object in 1862. The Overland
Telegraph line is laid along his track.
THE CENTRE
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account