Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.: With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During; The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43.; By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative; Of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits to the Islands in the Arafura Sea.Stokes, John Lort
History
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1.: With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During; The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43.; By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative; Of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits to the Islands in the Arafura Sea.
Stokes, John Lort
Australia -- Description and travel; Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Natural history -- Australia
Our conductor led us to the Oran Kaya, whom we found seated in front of a
small house in the widest part of the street, opposite to which there was
a circular space marked out by a row of stones placed on the ground, and
which appeared to be set aside for religious purposes, as they seemed
unwilling we should set foot within it. Here the natives soon afterwards
assembled in considerable numbers, and were for some time engaged in
serious discussion.
ORAN KAYA AND PABOK.
The Oran Kaya, who was an elderly man, received us very civilly, and
invited us to sit down beside him. Soon afterwards Pabok came up. He was
very old, had lost the sight of one eye, and wore an old straw hat of
European manufacture, decorated with stripes of red and blue cloth sewn
round it. I tried in vain to get more information from him about the
European boy; and on pressing him to come down to the boat to receive a
present, he made signs he was too old to do so.
After remaining a short time in the village, during which one of our
party caught a transient glimpse of some of the women, we returned to the
beach; where we found that the natives had brought a plentiful supply of
coconuts, and they promised to bring some other supplies off in the
morning.
DEPARTURE FROM OLILIET.
At sunset the natives all went quietly away, and we returned on board,
passing on our way some small rocky islands which appeared to be used as
burial places, and emitted an intolerable stench; the bodies were placed
in rude wooden boxes, open at the top and quite exposed to the air, from
one small rock not large enough to hold a body, there was a long bamboo
erected, from which a human hand, blackened by exposure to the sun, was
suspended.
On the 22nd, soon after daylight, the natives came off, bringing with
them Indian corn and coconuts, in such quantities that they sold the
latter for a couple of pins each. They also brought yams, bananas, fowls,
chilies, etc. but they did not seem inclined to part with them for
anything we could offer, except gunpowder, which I would not allow to be
given as barter.
At nine, finding we could get no more information from them, we weighed;
the natives all left us very quietly as soon as the capstan was manned,
and by signs appeared to wish us to revisit them. During the whole time
they were on board, they behaved perfectly well, and did not make any
attempt at stealing, though they must have seen many things most valuable
to them, which they might easily have taken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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