Volume II Part 26 (1/2)

The next translation is that of a chant sung by an old woman to incite the men to avenge the death of a young man who died from a natural cause, but whose death she attributed to witchcraft and sorcery; the natives, who listened to her attentively, called her chanting goranween, or abusing. She stood with her legs wide apart, waving her wanna, or long digging stick in the air, and rocking her body to and fro, whilst her kangaroo-skin cloak floated behind her in the wind. She was thus quite the beau ideal of a witch. The following is the sense of the words she used, at least as nearly as it is possible to express their force and meaning in English.

The blear-eyed sorcerers of the north, Their vile enchantments sung and wove, And in the night they issued forth, A direful people-eating drove.

Feasting on our loved one, With gore-dripping teeth and tongue, The wretches sat, and gnawed, and ate, Whilst their victim soundly slept.

Yho, yang, yho yang, yang yho.

Aye--unconsciously he rested In a slumber too profound; The vile boyl-yas sat and feasted On the victim they had bound In resistless lethargy.

Mooli-go, our dear young brother, Where is another like to thee?

Tenderly loved by thy mother, We again shall never see Mooli-go, our dear young brother,

Yho, yang yho, ho, ho.

Men, who ever bold have been, Are your long spears sharpened well?

Is the keen quartz fixed anew?

Let each shaft upon them tell.

Poise your meer-ros long and true: Let the kileys whiz and whirl In strange contortions through the air; Heavy dow-uks at them hurl; Shout the yell they dread to hear.

Let the young men leap on high, To avoid the quivering spear; Light of limb, and quick of eye, Who sees well has nought to fear.

Let them s.h.i.+ft, and let them leap, When the quick spear whistling flies; Woe to him who cannot leap!

Woe to him who has bad eyes!

FEMALE ENERGY IN CHANTING.

When one of these old hags has entered upon a chant of this kind nothing but complete exhaustion induces her to stop, and the instant she pauses another takes up the burden of her song. The effect some of them produce upon the a.s.sembled men is very great; in fact these addresses of the old women are the cause of most of the disturbances which take place. The above translations, without being exactly literal, are as near the original as I could render them. As they are entirely uttered on the spur of the moment there is generally abundant evidence of pa.s.sion and feeling about them; and although I might have added a great variety, I think that the above will give the English reader as good an idea of the peculiar mode of address of this people as it is in my power to do.

CHAPTER 16. FUNERAL CEREMONIES, SUPERSt.i.tIONS, AND REMARKABLE CUSTOMS.

DEATH AND BURIAL OF A NATIVE NEAR PERTH.

Friday June 14 1839.

Yenna came to me this afternoon to tell me that Mulligo was now so ill there was but little chance of his living for many hours longer, and further to request that I would accompany him to see the sufferer. Nearly two months had elapsed since Mulligo had severely injured his spine by a fall from a tree; and immediately after the occurrence of this accident he had completely lost the use of his lower extremities, and had day by day declined until he was now reduced to a perfect skeleton. I was therefore but little surprised at the intelligence which Yenna brought me; and as I was anxious to see the ceremonies that would accompany his last moments I at once started for the native encampment.

CONTENTION FOR MULLIGO'S WIDOWS.

Mulligo was a Ngotak and had two wives, Kokoobung and Mugarwit, both of the Ballaroke family, and neither of them deficient either in youth, or in such personal charms as find favour in the eyes of the natives. I antic.i.p.ated therefore that from some quarter or the other objections would be raised to allowing Miago, the uterine brother of Mulligo (and therefore also a Ngotak) to carry off unmolested two such attractive young widows. According to native custom however they of right, upon their husband's death, became the wives of Miago.

On approaching the point where Mulligo was lying, distant about a mile from Perth, I found that my antic.i.p.ations were correct. I fell in with the encampment of the friends of a native named Bennyyowlee, of the Tdondarup family. This native had signified his intention of a.s.serting his claims to the possession of one of these young women, and even some of Miago's friends were disposed to favour him. Bennyyowlee was absent at the Canning River with a party of natives for the purpose of procuring spears, and thus preparing himself for coming events. His friends however had constructed their huts within a few hundred yards of those of Mulligo's relatives, so that in the event of the arrival of the Murraymen, who they were apprehensive would make an attempt to carry off Mulligo's wives, they might be able to a.s.sist Miago in his endeavours to prevent such an outrage, whilst at the same time their proximity to his party enabled them to see that no foul play took place.

As I pa.s.sed them they endeavoured to impress upon my mind that one wife was enough for Miago, and that if he surrendered the other to Bennyyowlee they would a.s.sist him against the Murraymen. I however resolved not to interfere in the business, and thus telling them I bent my steps to the other encampment.

DYING SCENE IN HIS TENT.

On my arrival I found poor Mulligo sinking fast; his two wives and his mother were watching by his side. He just recognised me, and faintly and slowly said, ”men-d.y.k.e boola nganya” (I am very ill.) The native women near him were much alarmed because he could not swallow, and to support him were slowly dropping water into his ear. His last moment was evidently near at hand, and, after having felt his pulse and paid him a few little attentions, which always gratify them much, I turned away to examine the dispositions of the encampment.

I found that Miago's hut was close to Mulligo's, and he himself was present, ready to a.s.sert his right to the wives of his dying brother should anyone appear to dispute his claims; he was evidently well supported, for the Nagarnook family mustered strong around his hut, and the two half-brothers of one of the ladies in dispute were members of it.

Weyup, the half-brother of the other native girl, was also present, and therefore evidently favoured Miago's cause. They were all in anxious expectation of the return of Moorroongo, who had gone off with a party for the purpose of cutting spears, with which the friends of his stepson (Miago) might be able to act either offensively or defensively as circ.u.mstances should require. As I conceived that there was every possibility of Mulligo's having sufficient strength left to linger through the night, and as the evening was fast closing in, after a little casual conversation with the natives I returned home.