Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/181

 are no allusions to actual hostilities to be found in the accounts of Burke's party, but on at least one occasion he ordered King to fire upon the natives when they were pressing threateningly upon him. As to the rest of the reports, adjacent alien tribes may not be supposed to catch up news from one another very accurately. The ball-ridden and shot-ridden system of the native Keri Keri, whom McKinlay's party caught near the scene, and whom Bullenjani immediately pointed out as the murderer of the white man, and who himself seemed to admit the occurrence of the massacre, may be a little perplexing. But Keri evidently indulged a most intense hostility towards these white intruders, and, as with his four "lubras," or wives, he seems to have been a chief man, it is probable that most of whatever firing did take place took a direction towards him. He had plainly been at the bottom of the determined attack made on McKinlay's party when at this scene of his old doings; although, in this one instance, at least, he seems to have kept out of harm's way, supposing, perhaps, that his share of the cold lead on such occasions had already been beyond average. Our illustration, showing his marked physiognomy, and Mr. Hodgkinson's paragraph describing his qualities, give together a good notion of this sworn enemy of our people.

Mr. McKinlay returned to the depôt from this