Page:Some account of the wars, extirpation, habits.djvu/36

28 nothing but what he saw himself, of the death of the patient or patients, and final disposal of their corpse. As nothing can be more simple or touching than his account on the subject, I shall quote all he says about them. The scenes he describes took place on Bruny Island in 1829:—

"Extracts from my journal.—Monday, May 18, 8 a.m.—Visited the aboriginal family, Joe, Mary, and two children. Mary evidently much worse, appeared in a dying state. Looked wistfully at me, as if anxious for me to afford her relief. Alas! I know not how to relieve her. Only the Lord can relieve in such trying circumstances. Inquired of her husband the cause of her affliction; he said 'Merriday, byday, ligdinny, lommerday' (sick, head, breast, belly). On each of those parts incisions had been made with a piece of glass bottle. The forehead was much lacerated, the blood streaming down her face. Her whole frame was wasted. She had a ghastly appearance; she seemed in dreadful agony; her husband, much affected, frequently shed tears.  Made her some tea; could not bear the afflicting scene; returned to my quarters; the husband soon following me, his cheeks wet with tears, said his 'luberer, lowgerner un-uenee' (wife, sleep by the fire). Stopped about half an hour. I made him some tea for his children. Asked him if he would take his luberer any. He said, 'tea-noailly, parmatter, panmerha, linener no-ailly' (tea no good, potatoes, bread, water no good), meaning his wife had no wish for food of any kind. In about half an hour I met him coming towards my quarters with his two children, kangaroo skins, &c. At about a hundred yards distant I saw a large fire. It immediately occurred to me that his wife was dead, and that the fire I then saw was her funeral pile. I asked him where his luberer was. He said, 'loggeenee uenee' (dead—in the fire). Walked to the place; the wind had wafted the fixe from her body; her legs were quite exposed (here follow a few illegible words); the fire had burnt out; the body was placed in a sitting posture. While ruminating on the dire mortality that had taken place amongst the people of this tribe, I was interrupted in my reverie by the husband of deceased, who requested I would assist him in gathering who-ee (wood) for the purpose of consuming the remains of the body. My feelings were considerably excited at this—an office of all others I never could have conceived I should have been called on to assist in."

Poor Joe's own turn came in less than a fortnight, and Robinson's journal thus describes his death, and gives this time a fuller detail of the funeral ceremonies of a native.

"Sunday, May 31, 5 p.m.—The sick aborigine requested to have a fire made outside the hut, to which he desired to be carried.