About nine o’clock this morning Joseph Jones came in to report that a native had pointed a spear at him when he was on the riverbank with the sheep; and that this native, accompanied by a boy, kept his ground in a position which placed the sheep entirely in his power, and prevented Jones from driving them back.  He added that on his holding out a green bough the man had also taken a bough, spit upon it, and then thrust it into the fire.  On hastening to the spot with three men I found the native still there, no way daunted, and on my advancing towards him with a twig he shook another twig at me, quite in a new style, waving it over his head, and at the same time intimating with it that we must go back.  He and the boy then threw up dust at us in a clever way with their toes.* These various expressions of hostility and defiance were too intelligible to be mistaken.  The expressive pantomime of the man plainly showed the identity of the human mind, however distinct the races or different the language—­but his loud words were, of course, lost upon us.  Overseer Burnett very incautiously stole up and sat unarmed and defenceless within five yards of him.  All Burnett’s endeavours to conciliate and inspire confidence had but little effect upon the savage, who merely lowered his tone a little, and then advancing a few steps, addressed himself no longer to me, but to him.  I felt some apprehension for the safety of Burnett but it was too late to call him back.  We were seated in the usual form at a distance of at least one hundred yards from him, and the savage held a spear, raised in his hand.  At length however he retired slowly along the riverbank, making it evident by his gestures that he was going for his tribe; and singing a war-song as he went.  The boy in particular seemed to glory in throwing up the dust at us, and I had not the least doubt, but certainly not the slightest wish, that we should see this man again.

(Footnote.  Strange as this custom appears to us it is quite consistent with some passages in the early history of mankind.  King David and his host met with a similar reception at Bahurim:  “And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.” 2 Samuel 16:13.  So also we read in Acts 22:23:  “They cried out and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air.”  Frequent mention is made of this as the practice of the Arabians, in Ockley’s History of the Saracens, when they would express their contempt of a person speaking, and their abhorrence of what he publicly pronounces.  We find also this directly stated in Light’s Travels in Egypt page 64:  “One more violent than the rest, threw dust into the air, the signal both of rage and defiance, ran for his shield, and came towards me dancing, howling, and striking the shield with the head of his javelin, to intimidate me.”)