. Across Australia . apedring of sand, two or three inches high, enclosed a spaceabout six feet in longest diameter, from the centre ofwhich the fork arose. A small fire smouldered on thesand inside the horse-shoe. It was right in the middle ofall the mia-mias, and was under the charge of an ancient,evil-looking native whose duty it was, in common with astill more ancient-looking lubra, to see that the fire neverwent out day or night. We learned that the parcel con-tained the bones of a dead man and was there awaitingthe final burial ceremony, and we set to work to devisesome scheme of enticin
. Across Australia . apedring of sand, two or three inches high, enclosed a spaceabout six feet in longest diameter, from the centre ofwhich the fork arose. A small fire smouldered on thesand inside the horse-shoe. It was right in the middle ofall the mia-mias, and was under the charge of an ancient,evil-looking native whose duty it was, in common with astill more ancient-looking lubra, to see that the fire neverwent out day or night. We learned that the parcel con-tained the bones of a dead man and was there awaitingthe final burial ceremony, and we set to work to devisesome scheme of enticing the old man to part with them,or at least with some of them. As a preliminary we madefriends with him and secured three of the arm bones,which, as usual, had been kept separate and painted withpipe-clay. Each of them was wrapped in paperbark, andthey were ready to be used as pointing bones to kill othernatives. We wandered about the camp, and before leavingtold him that if he wanted to sell the whole or part of his. IJ^. ]^2. 1 \Ki Kl I \ I )!-. W M \ ^ : \ICK \\ h Il ]\ I III-. I I I \ I III \ 1: -^ \v K \ITI 1 > I \ 1 \ 1 ■ 1-: K - 1 \ ); < \Ni n •^ 1 \\ M \i . IS a htii>L- ^Ikh sIki[)lmI ridge u( ^aiid w iihin w hiciia small Hif is kept burnill_<,^ Tlir phoiograpli is taken rrmii a casein the Xatirmal Museum, Mel I mrne. The scLiie i-- an exactn IIIIII 111 ! mn III ihe It ii^nial i uu. The parcel n| hones was (ihlainedfiiiiii ihu nniliinL;a Inhe, where il \\:is fuund in the middle uf .i(.amp un the hanks iif ihe MaearUiur River. In the same aie^eeii lliree lui^ cnhins demraled with t^temic ilesiLjns, tlie one untlic riLiht heliiiii/iiuj; tn the dutrunLT tulem. XXI POWELL CREEK TO THE GULF 475 relatives remains we would buy them with flour, tobacco,and a tomahawk, but received no satisfactory reply. At alater date we learned a good deal more about the death andburial customs of the Binbinga and other tribes aroundthe western
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectethnolo, bookyear1912
