Perch, and other fish—An elegant couple—Kangaroo dogs—Black
and white cockatoos—Vegetable productions—Mr. O’Brien’s
farm—Herds of cattle—Bush life—Proceed towards the
Murrumbidgee river—A bush track—Romantic country—Arrive on
the banks of the Murrumbidgee—Cross the river—Swamp oaks,
and other trees—Remarkable caves—Return to Yas—Superstitious
ceremonies—Crystal used in the cure of diseases—Mode of
employing it.
Large quantities of native perch are caught in the Yas and Murrumbidgee
rivers; their flavour is delicious: their average length is nineteen
inches, and the weight from three to six pounds: they have however
been taken from two and a half to three feet in length, and weighing
seventy pounds; and some even of the enormous size of one hundred, and
one hundred and twenty pounds:[66] the breadth is great in proportion
to the length of the fish. Those I examined were of a yellowish-green
colour, covered with irregular black spots, with a silvery abdomen.
They are named by the colonists, “river cod;” and by the aborigines,
“Mewuruk.”[67] In the stomach of this fish I frequently found shell-fish,
of the genus _Unio_, in an entire state. The larger kind of these
shells the natives of the Tumat country call “Nargun;” and the smaller,
usually found in rivulets or creeks, “Pindaquin, or Bucki.” Occasionally
half-digested masses of green caterpillars, and other insects, were also
found in the stomach of this fish. In the Tumat country, varieties of
the “river cod,” are called by the natives Bewuck, Mungee, &c. Another
fish of the family of perches is also caught in the Yas, Murrumbidgee,
and other large rivers in the colony: it is called the “perch” by the
colonists, and “Kupé” by the natives. I preserved a specimen, caught in
the Murrumbidgee, measuring seventeen inches in length, and six inches
at its greatest breadth, containing a fine roe: twenty inches was the
greatest length they had as yet been taken in this river; but, like the
“river cod,” it increases more in breadth, in proportion to its weight,
than in length. The colour of the Kupé was inclining to bronze; the ends
of the scales being black, gave to the fish a checkered appearance.
Among the native inhabitants of the Yas district was a pair of originals:
the man was called Daraga, and his lady the “beautiful Kitty of Yas.”
Neither of them had pretensions to beauty. The lady had ornamented her
delicate form (for all the ladies are fond of adornments) with two
opossum tails, pendent in a graceful manner from her greasy locks; pieces
of tobacco-pipe, mingled with coloured beads, adorned her neck; an old,
dirty, opossum-skin cloak was thrown over the shoulders; a bundle of
indescribable rags around the waist; and a netbul or culy hanging behind,
(filled with a collection of “small deer,” and other eatables, that
would baffle all attempts at description,) completed the toilette of
this angelic creature. Of her features I shall only say, they were not
such as painters represent those of Venus: her mouth, for instance, had
a striking resemblance to the gaping entrance of a Wombat’s burrow. The
husband also had decorated the locks of his cranium with opossum tails,
with the addition of grease and red ochre; a tuft of beard ornamented his
chin; and the colour of his hide was barely discernible, from the layers
of mud and charcoal covering it: he wore a “spritsail yard” through his
“apology for a nose;” the opossum-skin cloak covered his shoulders; and
the “cumeel,” or belt of opossum-skin, girded the loins: the pipe was
his constant companion, as the love of tobacco among those who have
intercourse with Europeans, is unbounded, and no more acceptable present
can be made them.
At meal times it was curious to observe the conduct of this interesting
couple and the kangaroo dogs: it was evident that no good feeling
subsisted betwixt the parties: the dogs regarded the former with an
expression of anger, and the opposite party looked both sulkily and
anxiously at the canine species;—the dogs appeared instinctively to
fear that the human creatures would devour every morsel of the food,
and that they should be minus their share; whilst the latter seemed to
know, either by instinct or practical experience, that large dogs bite
tolerably hard when angry.
Black and white cockatoos had lately become very numerous about this part
of the country: the former appeared to have been attracted by some trees
that had been felled when clearing a spot of land for cultivation—as
these birds visit the dead or fallen trees to procure the larvæ of
insects that breed in them. I have seen, more than once, small trees
lying prostrate, occasioned by the powerful bills of the large black
cockatoos, who, observing on the trunk, externally, indications of a
larva being within, have diligently laboured to extract it; and should
the object of their search be situated (as often occurs) far in, before
they reach it, the trunk is so much cut through, that the slightest puff’
of wind lays it prostrate.[68]
Among some of the few vegetable productions in use among the Australian
blacks as food, is the root of a species of bulrush, which they name
“Cormiork.” It grows abundantly on the banks of the Yas, Murrumbidgee,
Tumat, and other rivers: the roots are eaten only when young: they are
prepared by being baked, and the epidermis removed. Europeans who have
partaken of it, say it has an agreeable farinaceous taste. The roots are
collected in spring, when the young plants have just commenced sprouting.
Among other farms about Yas Plains is “Mount Lavinia,” the property of my
late fellow-traveller, Henry O’Brien, Esq., at whose place I passed many
agreeable days during my sojourn at Yas. The house has been erected in a
picturesque situation, upon a hill of moderate elevation, near the base
of which the Yas river winds its course: the effect, on the approach to
the house, is extremely pretty; the view from the hill overlooks a good
extent of picturesque country, the greatest part is devoted to sheep
pasturage; and some portion of arable land is alone wanting to make this
spot still more charming. From another hill, on the plains, a short
distance from that just mentioned, the view is still more expansive,
overlooking the extensive verdant downs, surrounded in the distance by
thinly-wooded hills, terminated in the south-west direction by distant
blue mountains, near which flows the fine stream of the Murrumbidgee.
The plains were animated by herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, and troops
of horses, grazing, reposing, or exercising: the whole combination of
this beautiful scenery excited the most pleasing sensations, which were
heightened by its English character, and cause the settler to reflect
less on the remoteness from home; when surrounded by his family circle,
and a few select friends—language, manners, customs, being all in
accordance with his own “native land:” his farm once under cultivation,
and stocked, he feels but few, if any wants. Above all, he has no
anxious moments about the future welfare of his children, as there are
few difficulties, in a new country, in providing for them; and although
many complain of the “dulness of bush life,” it is seldom the case with
those who are practically acquainted with it, for time rapidly passes
away in the various enjoyments of a rustic life, and the superintendence
of duties which the farm imposes on a settler, each tending to advance
his prosperity. The farm produces the necessary daily supplies for the
tables; and the sale of the wool gives a cash income for the purchase of
other articles, as wearing apparel, tea, sugar, agricultural implements,
&c.; Sydney is therefore usually visited once annually to dispose of the
wool, or ship it to England, and to purchase any supplies that may be
required for the use of the family or farm of the settler.
Early on the morning of the 11th of October, in company with Mr.
Manton, I left “Mount Lavinia” to visit a part of the country about the
Murrumbidgee river, and fourteen or fifteen miles distant from Yas. We
crossed the extensive plains, and entered a bush track leading through a
fine open forest country; some of the land was boggy, but the most part
consisted of open forest, with rich pasturage, and was well circumstanced
for the several sheep and cattle stations we passed. From the general
excellent quality of land on and in the vicinity of the Yas plains, as
well as being well watered, extensive purchases from the government have
been made by the settlers already having grants here, and nearly the
whole, with water frontage, has been purchased; I am inclined to think
that this part of the colony will prove the richest and most valuable of
almost any of the present known portions.
On approaching the Murrumbidgee river, the character of the scenery
increases in beauty, assuming even a romantic appearance,—the broken
country adding to, rather than diminishing the effect: the day was
cloudless, with a brilliant sun, so the prospect extended to a great
distance;—green sloping hills, thinly timbered, only wanting the addition
of mansions to the natural lawns and parks to perfect the landscape;
flowers of great variety and gay colours strewed the ground in the utmost
profusion; the indigo shrub (_Indigofera australis_) was also abundant
in flower, with numerous other flowering plants; green natural fields
decked the level land; the songs of birds, and their increased numbers,
were sufficient to acquaint us that we were approaching a river. The
scene was of the most animated description; in the distance long lines
of “swamp oaks,” (_Casuarina palludosa_,) readily distinguished by their
dark, peculiar appearance, indicated to us the course of the river.
Having enjoyed the prospect from the elevation, we descended a steep
hill, proceeded through a luxuriant pasturage, which was bounded by
thinly-wooded hills, carpeted with verdure, and soon arrived on the bank
of the Murrumbidgee stream, which may be, at this part, forty or fifty
yards wide. On the opposite side of the river Mr. Manton possessed a
grant, which he had just commenced to stock and cultivate: the locality
appeared excellent during the cool months, but liable to be soon parched
by the fervent summers.
Having hobbelled our horses, that eagerly fed on the luxuriant grass
surrounding them, we crossed the river in a canoe which had been scooped
by Mr. Manton’s servants from the solid trunk of a “water gum” tree,
(_Eucalyptus sp._) and was capable of carrying four or six persons.
Arriving on its opposite side we were now beyond the acknowledged
limits of the colony, although numerous cattle and sheep stations extend
to a great distance further. On the banks of this fine stream, besides
numerous flowering shrubs, the elegant “swamp oaks” towered to the
elevation of fifty or sixty feet, their dark filiform foliage giving
them the character of the larch: besides these, (which were by far the
most numerous,) there were some enormous trees of the _Eucalyptus_
genus, called “water gum” by the colonists; they attain from ninety
to one hundred feet in height, with a diameter of from six to eight
feet; the wood is of a reddish colour, and very hard: on account of
the latter quality, it is less frequently used, being difficult to
cut. The currijong (_Hibiscus_) also grew about the limestone rocks in
the vicinity, and was readily to be distinguished from other trees by
the lighter and more vivid green of its foliage. A number of European
genera of plants indigenous to the country, or at all events from their
situations giving reason to suppose so, grew in the vicinity of this
river; among others, the “sow thistle,” (the young tops of which are
eaten by the natives just before the plant commences to blossom,) a small
red poppy, the crow-foot, a rumex or dock (_R. lancifolia_?) geranium,
and “shepherd’s purse,” (_Thlaspi bursa pastoris_,) were abundant, and
they are seen very far in the interior beyond this place.
Some caves have been lately found in the limestone rocks about this
selection; and since the valuable discovery of fossil bones in those at
Wellington Valley, by Major Mitchell and others, limestone caverns have
become one of the _colonial lions_; these, therefore, were pointed out
to me as objects of great curiosity; I found them however very small,
and they did not repay the trouble of getting into them. They resembled
the small caves often seen in the limestone quarries of Plymouth and
Oreston, in Devonshire, from which some valuable fossils have been
procured: stalactites of course abounded, but neither fossils nor any
red calcareous earth, in which those remains have usually been found
deposited. Among a quantity of dust were several loose bones, which had
been at first described to me as fossils, but which were the breast
bones and tibiæ of the emu, and skulls, and other bones of dogs, which
no doubt had been placed there by the natives, for the tibiæ of the emu
(here called Béréban by the blacks) had a hole at the upper and anterior
part; this perforation is made, as many of them afterwards told me, to
enable them more readily, by admitting air, to suck out the rich marrow
from the lower end, which was broken for that purpose. The extent of the
cavern was from fifteen to twenty feet; the entrance so narrow, that the
explorer could only enter feet foremost, nor was it sufficiently large in
the interior to enable him to stand erect. About sunset we returned to
Yas, having a fine moonlight night for our journey.
The aborigines have many superstitious ceremonies connected with their
practice of the healing art, as we find among all primitive nations;
those persons who take upon themselves the occupation to attend upon
the sick or wounded, unite the offices of priest, soothsayer, and
physician. The few medicines administered by them are from the vegetable
kingdom; they also make use of a crystal for the cure of diseases,
not by administering it to the sick person, but the physician employs
its aid, to act upon the superstitious mind of his patient; it is the
common quartz crystal, and is called by the natives, in the vicinity of
Sydney, Krardgee Kibba, or Doctor Stone.[69] This name, borrowed from
the Europeans, is sometimes employed by the Yas natives, but that by
which it is characterized by them and likewise by the natives of the
Murrumbidgee and Tumat countries, is “Merrúdagalle.” The aborigines say
they manufacture it, but would not mention the _ingredients of which it
is composed; this was a secret_!! The women are never permitted to look
upon it, and the priests impose upon their minds a belief, that, should
their curiosity prompt them so far, they would instantly die.
These crystals are valued by them according to their size, and it is not
easy to procure a large one from them. They are not only regarded as a
charm by which wounds and diseases of the human frame can be cured, but
they advance another step, by declaring, that when thrown at a person
(accompanied, I suppose, by certain incantations) it will have the power
of causing his death. This power, said by them to be possessed by the
stone, having been mentioned one day by a native to a European settler,
the latter ridiculed it, and desired the black to put it to the test by
throwing it at him. This, however, was refused, “he being good man;”
alluding to the European, “he no want kill him;” and, after using every
endeavour to induce blackee to make the trial, he shuffled out of the
dilemma, by acknowledging “that it would have no effect upon the white
fellers.”
The following account of the manner in which the crystal is used by
the physician, may be considered interesting. In the Tumat country, a
native black, named Golong, was suffering from a spear wound, received
a short time previous in a skirmish with a hostile tribe; it was in
the evening, (for the stones are only used after dark, as at that time
their efficacy is considered greater,) when a native of his tribe, named
Baramumbup, employed the crystal for the purpose of healing the wound in
the following manner.
The patient was laid at a distance of twenty or thirty yards from the
encampment, after which the physician commenced the examination of the
wound, which he sucked; then, without spitting, he retired to a distance
of ten or fifteen yards from the invalid, muttered, or appeared to mutter
some prayer or invocation for about a minute; on concluding, he placed
the crystal in his mouth, sucked it, and then, removing the stone, spat
upon the ground, and trampled upon the discharged saliva, pressing it
with his feet firmly into the earth. This ceremony was repeated several
times on this and subsequent evenings, until the patient’s recovery,
which, of course, was considered to have been effected by the wonderful
curative properties resident in the crystal. On making inquiry, why the
physician is so careful in trampling the saliva discharged from his mouth
into the ground, no satisfactory reason could be obtained, a vague answer
only being returned to the query; but it is not improbable that they
consider, by this operation, they finally destroy the power of the evil
spirit, extracted by the operation, through the virtues of the stone:
some such reason for this proceeding may be inferred from an observation
made to any European, who may be present at this part of the ceremony,
that “He no come up again.”
A somewhat analogous custom exists among the aboriginal tribes of Brazil,
called “Guachos,” as related by Spix and Martius in their Brazilian
Travels. (English Trans. 8vo. vol. ii. page 77.) “Their Payés, or
physicians, (called in their language, Vunageneto,) are conjurers and
exorcists of the evil principle, which they call Nanigogigo. Their cures
of the sick are very simple, and consist principally in fumigating, or
in sucking, the part affected; on which the payé spits into a pit, as if
he would give back the evil principle, which he has sucked out, to the
earth, and bury it.”