Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/178

160 chase of the kangaroo, the motions of the animal, and the panting and gestures of the person in chase. This dance was divided into different scenes or parts; the movements differing a little in each part: sometimes the dancers approached each other, then receded traversed and changed sides, with a corresponding variation in gesture and exclamation. At intervals they called out "get away, get away," and at each pause, "beraway, beraway," which latter word one of them explained in this way:—white man say "hip, hip, hurra," black man say, "beraway, beraway." During the entire dance, they make a violent panting noise, hegh, hegh, hegh, hogha, hogha, hogha; these sounds guttural. Afterwards they seated themselves in arm-chairs, with the greatest self-complacency, and drank tea.

Their visit has been of great service, for many natives subsequently came into Perth and Fremantle, and intimated their desire to live on friendly terms, and to refrain from offering injury to us or our cattle. Gallypert thus describes his interview with them—me wonka (tell) black man pear white man cow, white man yeep (sheep), white man kill black man;–black man no pear (spear) cow, no pear yeep, white man give black man jacket, towlyer, yerk (shirt) and bikket (biscuit) plenty; black man wonka (say) no pear no more.

On the 15th, we came on board the schooner in which I had undertaken to accompany the Lieutenant-Governor on a tour of inspection to Port Augusta and King George's Sound; and sailed on the following morning with a fair wind.

We had reached Cape Naturaliste, when the wind headed us, and obliged us to run back to Garden Island; where we went ashore on the evening of the 15th, and enjoyed a bivouac, in preference to our quarters on shipboard.

I wish you had a peep at us as we lay in the bush, with a canopy of trees over us–our supper, fish (speared for us by the natives), with the accompaniment of crabs of our own catching.