Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/314

 236 THE PORT LINCOLN TRIBE. sleeping victims, either killing them by eating their hearts out of their bodies, or doing them some other grievous injury; he takes care, however, not to leave any marks of his ravages, and it is therefore only from the effects, such as pain and illness, that the sufferers know of his nightly visits. The death of children and the loss of sight are usually ascribed to Márralye, if no other palpable cause can be assigned. The Márralye, it is to be observed, has no individual and permanent existence, but is merely the mask or disguise temporarily assumed by wicked men, particularly the Kukata tribe, to enable them to execute their mischievous intentions. Another kind of fabulous beings are the Puskabidnis, whose number seems to be unlimited; they are represented as black men of an enormous size, quite naked, and armed only with waddies; although always bent on bloodshed and murder, they are not so dangerous as the Márralye, since by vigilance and courage they may be conquered. At night the men never move from the camp without taking a spear to protect themselves, in case any of these lurking assassins should be about. Some of the natives boast of having killed Purkabidnis; but I apprehend that they have mistaken black stumps of trees or real natives for these beings, an error that superstitious timidity will occasionally betray them into. I recollect that two natives once pointed out to me a dark object in a thickly-timbered locality, and at several hundred yards’ distance, that looked exactly like a black man in a crouching posture; they were satisfied that it was a Purkabidni, and not only strongly objected to go with me to examine it, but also endeavoured to prevent my going by myself: however, upon nearer approach, it turned out to be what I expected to find, namely, a burnt stump, and when I laid my hand upon it they burst out laughing, acknowledging themselves for once mistaken, but nowise shaken in their firm persuasion that such monsters really existed, and had been seen by them on other occasions. That natives, wandering too far into the territories of strange tribes, are sometimes slain as Purkabidnis is not unlikely, and rendered probable from the following account: Our Port Lincoln natives, when asked if they