The aborigines of Tasmania / by H. Ling Roth ; assisted by Marion E. Butler and Jas. Backhouse Walker ; with a chapter on the osteology by J.G. Garson.

  • Henry Ling Roth
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The aborigines of Tasmania / by H. Ling Roth ; assisted by Marion E. Butler and Jas. Backhouse Walker ; with a chapter on the osteology by J.G. Garson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    66/402 (page 30)
    3° which lie saw on board, lie asked for one, giving us to understand it was to eat. When he came opposite our hen-coops, he appeared struck with the beauty of a very large cock, which was presented to him ; and on receiving it, he let us know that he would lose no time in broiling and eating it. After having remained on board more than half-an-hour, and been loaded with presents, he desired to return, and was immediately carried ashore. We had taken an ape on shore with us, which afforded much amusement to the savages ; and one of the crew took a goat with him, which formed a subject of conversation for them for a long time, and to which they occasionally spoke, saying, medi (sit down). They have given particular names to every vegetable. We assured ourselves, that their botanical knowledge was unequivocal, by asking several of them, at different times, the names of the same plants. The rest, before they went away, gave us to understand, that the next day their families would be at the place where we were; but they appeared to apprehend our meaning when we acquainted them that we should sail the same day, and seemed to be much grieved at it.” At other meetings (ibid. ch. xi. pp. 72-75) “ from time to time, they answered with shouts of joy to the shouts of our sailors. . . . When we were but a little way from the beach, they advanced towards us with- out arms, their smiling countenances leaving us no room to doubt that our visit gave them pleasure. Their joy was expressed by loud bursts of laughter, while their countenances showed that they were well pleased to see us. These savages expressed much thankfulness when we gave them a few small pieces of stuffs of different colours, glass beads, a hatchet, and some other articles of hardware. Several other savages came out of the wood and approached us. An officer imagined that he should not frighten them by letting them see the effects of our firearms; but they were alarmed at the report of the gun, immediately rose, and would not sit down again. . . . We expressed our wishes to see them rthe wives and children] join us ; the savages informed us that we should find them, after walking some time across the wood, in a path which they immediately took, inviting us to follow them. This we did; but it was not long before they expressed their desire to see us return towards our ships, and parted from us, frequently looking back to watch our motions. On my pronouncing the word quangloa, however, which signifies, will you come, they stopped, and I went up to them, with an officer of the ‘ Recherche.’ They continued to lead us along the same path. In this way we walked on for a quarter of an hour, holding them by the arm, when on a sudden they quickened their pace, so that it was not easy for us to follow them farther. It appeared to us that they wished we should leave them, for some of them would not allow us to hold them by the arm any longer, and walked by themselves, at some distance from us. One of our crew, desirous of rejoining one of the fugitives, ran after him, bawling ; this alarmed all the rest, who immediately hastened away and kept at a considerable distance from us. No doubt they were desirous to reach the place where they had deposited their weapons; for they struck out of the path a little, and presently we saw them with three or four spears each, which they carried away. They then invited us to follow them, but we were not willing to go any farther.”