a complete account of the settlement-第42章

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nt　to　the　door　and　pointed　to　the　skies；　saying　that　whenever　the　stars　wore　that　appearance；　misfortunes　to　the　natives　always　followed。　The　night　was　cloudy　and　the　air　disturbed　by　meteors。　　I　have　heard　many　more　of　them　testify　similar　apprehensions。

However　involved　in　darkness　and　disfigured　by　error　such　a　belief　be；　no　one　will；　I　presume；　deny　that　it　conveys　a　direct　implication　of　superior　agency；　of　a　power　independent　of　and　uncontrolled　by　those　who　are　the　objects　of　its　vengeance。　　But　proof　stops　not　here。　When　they　hear　the　thunder　roll　and　view　the　livid　glare；　they　flee　them　not；　but　rush　out　and　deprecate　destruction。　　They　have　a　dance　and　a　song　appropriated　to　this　awful　occasion；　which　consist　of　the　wildest　and　most　uncouth　noises　and　gestures。　　Would　they　act　such　a　ceremony　did　they　not　conceive　that　either　the　thunder　itself；　or　he　who　directs　the　thunder；　might　be　propitiated　by　its　performance？　　That　a　living　intellectual　principle　exists；　capable　of　comprehending　their　petition　and　of　either　granting　or　denying　it？　　They　never　address　prayers　to　bodies　which　they　know　to　be　inanimate；　either　to　implore　their　protection　or　avert　their　wrath。　　When　the　gum…tree　in　a　tempest　nods　over　them；　or　the　rock　overhanging　the　cavern　in　which　they　sleep　threatens　by　its　fall　to　crush　them；　they　calculate　（as　far　as　their　knowledge　extends）　on　physical　principles；　like　other　men；　the　nearness　and　magnitude　of　the　danger；　and　flee　it　accordingly。　　And　yet　there　is　reason　to　believe　that　from　accidents　of　this　nature　they　suffer　more　than　from　lightning。　Baneelon　once　showed　us　a　cave；　the　top　of　which　had　fallen　in　and　buried　under　its　ruins；　seven　people　who　were　sleeping　under　it。

To　descend；　is　not　even　the　ridiculous　superstition　of　Colbee　related　in　one　of　our　journies　to　the　Hawkesbury？　　And　again　the　following　instance。　Abaroo　was　sick。　　To　cure　her；　one　of　her　own　sex　slightly　cut　her　on　the　forehead；　in　a　perpendicular　direction　with　an　oyster　shell；　so　as　just　to　fetch　blood。　　She　then　put　one　end　of　a　string　to　the　wound　and；　beginning　to　sing；　held　the　other　end　to　her　own　gums；　which　she　rubbed　until　they　bled　copiously。　　This　blood　she　contended　was　the　blood　of　the　patient；　flowing　through　the　string；　and　that　she　would　thereby　soon　recover。　　Abaroo　became　well；　and　firmly　believed　that　she　owed　her　cure　to　the　treatment　she　had　received。　　Are　not　these；　I　say；　links；　subordinate　ones　indeed；　of　the　same　golden　chain？　　He　who　believes　in　magic　confesses　supernatural　agency；　and　a　belief　of　this　sort　extends　farther　in　many　persons　than　they　are　willing　to　allow。　　There　have　lived　men　so　inconsistent　with　their　own　principles　as　to　deny　the　existence　of　a　God；　who　have　nevertheless　turned　pale　at　the　tricks　of　a　mountebank。

But　not　to　multiply　arguments　on　a　subject　where　demonstration　（at　least　to　me）　is　incontestable；　I　shall　close　by　expressing　my　firm　belief　that　the　Indians　of　New　South　Wales　acknowledge　the　existence　of　a　superintending　deity。　　Of　their　ideas　of　the　origin　and　duration　of　his　existence；　of　his　power　and　capacity；　of　his　benignity　or　maleficence；　or　of　their　own　emanation　from　him；　I　pretend　not　to　speak。　　I　have　often；　in　common　with　others；　tried　to　gain　information　from　them　on　this　head；　but　we　were　always　repulsed　by　obstacles　which　we　could　neither　pass　by　or　surmount。　　Mr。　Dawes　attempted　to　teach　Abaroo　some　of　our　notions　of　religion；　and　hoped　that　she　would　thereby　be　induced　to　communicate　hers　in　return。　　But　her　levity　and　love　of　play　in　a　great　measure　defeated　his　efforts；　although　every　thing　he　did　learn　from　her　served　to　confirm　what　is　here　advanced。　　It　may　be　remarked；　that　when　they　attended　at　church　with　us　（which　was　a　common　practice）　they　always　preserved　profound　silence　and　decency；　as　if　conscious　that　some　religious　ceremony　on　our　side　was　performing。

The　question　of；　whether　they　believe　in　the　immortality　of　the　soul　will　take　up　very　little　time　to　answer。　　They　are　universally　fearful　of　spirits。*　　They　call　a　spirit　'mawn'。　　They　often　scruple　to　approach　a　corpse；　saying　that　the　'mawn'　will　seize　them　and　that　it　fastens　upon　them　in　the　night　when　asleep。**　　When　asked　where　their　deceased　friends　are　they　always　point　to　the　skies。　　To　believe　in　after　existence　is　to　confess　the　immortality　of　some　part　of　being。　　To　enquire　whether　they　assign　a　'limited'　period　to　such　future　state　would　be　superfluous。　　This　is　one　of　the　subtleties　of　speculation　which　a　savage　may　be　supposed　not　to　have　considered；　without　impeachment　either　of　his　sagacity　or　happiness。

＇*　〃It　is　remarkable；〃　says　Cicero；　〃that　there　is　no　nation；　whether　barbarous　or　civilized；　that　does　not　believe　in　the　existence　of　spirits〃。＇

＇**As　they　often　eat　to　satiety；　even　to　produce　sickness；　may　not　this　be　the　effect　of　an　overloaded　stomach：　　the　nightmare？＇



Their　manner　of　interring　the　dead　has　been　amply　described。　　It　is　certain　that　instead　of　burying　they　sometimes　burn　the　corpse；　but　the　cause　of　distinction　we　know　not。　　A　dead　body；　covered　by　a　canoe；　at　whose　side　a　sword　and　shield　were　placed　in　state；　was　once　discovered。　　All　that　we　could　learn　about　this　important　personage　was　that　he　was　a　'Gweeagal'　（one　of　the　tribe　of　Gweea）　and　a　celebrated　warrior。

To　appreciate　their　general　powers　of　mind　is　difficult。　　Ignorance；　prejudice；　the　force　of　habit；　continually　interfere　to　prevent　dispassionate　judgment。　　I　have　heard　men　so　unreasonable　as　to　exclaim　at　the　stupidity　of　these　people　for　not　comprehending　what　a　small　share　of　reflection　would　have　taught　them　they　ought　not　to　have　expected。　　And　others　again　I　have　heard　so　sanguine　in　their　admiration　as　to　extol　for　proofs　of　elevated　genius　what　the　commonest　abilities　were　capable　of　executing。

If　they　be　considered　as　a　nation　whose　general　advancement　and　acquisitions　are　to　be　weighed；　they　certainly　rank　very　low；　even　in　the　scale　of　savages。　They　may　perhaps　dispute　the　right　of　precedence　with　the　Hottentots　or　the　shivering　tribes　who　inhabit　the　shores　of　Magellan。　　But　how　inferior　do　they　show　when　compared　with　the　subtle　African；　the　patient　watchful　American；　or　the　elegant　timid　islander　of　the　South　Seas。　　Though　suffering　from　the　vicissitudes　of　their　climate；　strangers　to　clothing；　though　feeling　the　sharpness　of　hunger　and　knowing　the　precariousness　of　supply　from　that　element　on　whose　stores　they　principally　depend；　ignorant　of　cultivating　the　eartha　less　enlightened　state　we　shall　exclaim　can　hardly　exist。

But　if　from　general　view　we　descend　to　particular　inspection；　and　examine　individually　the　persons　who　compose　this　community；　they　will　certainly　rise　in　estimation。　　In　the　narrative　part　of　this　work；　I　have　endeavoured　rather　to　detail　information　than　to　deduce　conclusions；　leaving　to　the　reader　the　exercise　of　his　own　judgment。　　The　behaviour　of　Arabanoo；　of　Baneelon；　of　Colbee　and　many　others　is　copiously　described；　and　assuredly　he　who　shall　make　just　allowance　for　uninstructed　nature　will　hardly　accuse　any　of　those　persons　of　stupidity　or　deficiency　of　apprehension。

To　offer　my　own　opinion　on　the　subject；　I　do　not　hesitate　to　declare　that　the　natives　of　New　South　Wales　possess　a　considerable　portion　of　that　acumen；　or　sharpness　of　intellect；　which　bespeaks　genius。　All　savages　hate　toil　and　place　happiness　in　inaction；　and　neither　the　arts　of　civilized　life　can　be　practised　or　the　advantages　of　it　felt　without　application　and　labour。　　Hence　they　resist　knowledge　and　the　adoption　of　manners　and　customs　differing　from　their　own。　　The　progress　of　reason　is　not　only　slow；　but　mechanical。　　〃De　toutes　les　Instructions　propres　a　l'homme；　celle　qu'il　acquiert　le　plus　tard；　et　le　plus　difficilement；　est　la　raison　meme。〃　　The　tranquil　indifference　and　uninquiring　eye　with　which　they　surveyed　our　works　of　art　have　often；　in　my　hearing；　been　stigmatized　as　proofs　of　stupidity；　and　want　of　reflection。　　But　surely　we　should　discriminate　between　ignorance　and　defect　of　understanding。　The　truth　was；　they　often　neither　comprehended　the　design　nor　conceived　the　utility　of　such　works；　but　on　subjects　in　any　degree　familiarised　to　their