Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/543

IX about the initiations, and to his surprise he found that I knew much about them; and I also produced to him several of the bull-roarers from different parts of Australia. Thus at last he came to look on me as one of the initiated, and in consequence spoke to me unreservedly on the otherwise forbidden subjects. I then arranged with him that one of the most influential of the Yuin Gommeras, who lived at Twofold Bay, should come up to Manero with some of his men and meet me on the occasion of my next visit to that part of New South Wales. At this meeting, amongst other things, we discussed the advisability of holding a Kuringal, and it was at last decided that one should be held. I was greatly struck by the manner in which the old man received a bull-roarer which I had made for the occasion, it being the facsimile of those with which I had played as a boy. I drew it from a small bag and secretly presented it to him, saying: "This I used when I was a lad, and you know that these mudthi were first made by that great one (pointing upwards), and that he ordered your fathers to hold the Kuringal, and to make your boys into men." He and Yibai, who was standing by him, each placed his hand over his mouth, and looked at the bull-roarer for some moments. Then the Yuin Gommera Brupin said: " Yes, that is it," and he called the three men whom he had brought with him, and holding the bull-roarer before him said: "This is a mudthi which he (pointing to me) has brought from a long way off. It is