Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/411

 393 To keep twelve mounted men would cost £1700 the first year. This will appear almost incredible to you, and I dare say you will be cutting off an 0 from the above and think it £170; but, no, the horses would cost £70 each, and the keep and pay and clothing of man and horse per year £80 each.

Sept. 28th.—There was a desperate affray amongst the natives at Perth on Thursday. One of them has been wounded in the back, and he says the spear has gone nearly through his body, another through the shoulder into his armpit. Another native had his leg cut through; Maylup has four wounds, and several others have slight wounds.

The night before last I was awakened by loud screams. I sat up in the bed for some time before I could recollect myself. The screams were renewed, and seemed to proceed from some part of my own premises. I could not find readily any part of my garments in the dark, so I ran out as I was, and found in the yard a native hut erected, in which a man had been asserting his conjugal authority over his wife in a rather severe manner. I pulled their hut down, quenched the fire, and turned them out, not knowing how otherwise to interfere. This woman had been partly the cause of quarrel a few days before. The old man accused her of a desire to abscond, whilst she retaliated, and said he was "yetit-yetit"—a cross old fellow. Next morning I found them back in the same quarter, and I turned them out again. I had hardly done so when two young fellows started out from behind a bush with their spears poised, and gave chase. One of them pinned the husband right through the thigh with his spear, almost into the door of my neighbour, whilst the other carried off the woman. But the cries of the man brought up his friends, and the woman was recovered. It is wonderful how little they seemed to think of the matter. The spear was an unbarbed spear, and the act was done merely to prevent him running after the abductor. The whole thing seemed only as a joke among them. Mago is recovering from his wound;