Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/39

 23 brought prisoners to Perth, where they were kindly treated and dismissed after a detention of a few days.

It is hoped that the lesson taught them on this occasion, the superiority they must have perceived in our weapons, strength, and co-operation, with their subsequent kind treatment, may prevent any further annoyance from them. They are rather active than strong, slender in the limbs, but broad in the chest; and though generally far from being well-looking, yet not deserving the epithet of hideous, which has been applied to them; and they are quick of apprehension, and capable of reflecting on the difference between our manners and customs and their own, in a degree which you would scarcely expect. At King George's Sound, they call their wives by a name which sounds to us appropriate, "yoke," yokefellow. I have sketched for you Too-legat Wanty and his "yoke," who was in rather an interesting state when we saw her, which she intimated to us with very little reserve.

At her back she carries the bag containing some roots which they eat after roasting and pounding. At King George's Sound, it is said that they never molest white people, but they have deadly feuds with each other, tribe against tribe; if one person be killed, or even dies a natural death, it is an ordinance of their religion to sacrifice a victim from another tribe, just to preserve the balance of power.

One of our natives slept with his head on my knee in the boat, but not till he had asked permission, which I gave him; first taking the precaution of spreading paper on my trowsers to save them from the grease and red earth with which his hair was dressed.

I next went up the Canning River, my object being to obtain a grant without loss of time, and to take my people to it, but I find it difficult to get one. The only land available for present purposes is on and near the banks of the rivers: all this is now allotted on both sides of each river, almost to their source; but an offer is frequently made of giving one