Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/113

 and that the grammatical relations of their dialects are "expressed by suffixes," which is true as to Australian languages. He declares of Bishop Caldwell, whom he calls "the great missionary scholar of the Dravidian tongue," that the bishop pointed out that the "South and Western Australian tribes use almost the same words for 'I,' 'thou,' 'he,' 'we,' 'you,' as the Dravidian fishermen on the Madras Coast." It seems that some of the wild hill tribes possessed a dual number and some did not. The Australian had a perfect form of dual. That all used flint weapons hardly needs to be said. We may believe that in a pre-historic age some powerful class or race of invaders sought to impose the peace of death upon the ancestors of the Australians in Hindostan.

Hunted and despised, their badge was sufferance, their safety in concealment or flight. They could not share the civilization of their persecutors, although for centuries they marauded from their mountains and plundered the occupants of the land of their forefathers. Those who migrated southwards fled from island to island, and despised relics of the race still inhabit different lands; not hewers of wood or drawers of water for subsequent conquerors, but dependent upon the casual bounties of nature. In Australia they marched free from molestation. The mode in which they spread over the continent may be easily surmised. They relied only on the chase, and on seeds or fruits provided by nature. As the number of a tribe increased it was found desirable to seek new homes. Family after family, treasuring as best it could the traditions of its ancestry, wandered along the shore so bountiful in food for skilful sportsmen. Probably there were several points of departure on the wide expanse of the north coast whither more boats than one would drift or be propelled.

Thus from the north would the east and west coasts be gradually peopled. Spreading along the east coast, so rich with the food they loved, tribe after tribe would be formed, until the south coast, and in time South Australia, would