pipe ornamented with “lead,” for she has all the woman’s love of show.  From the most quarrelsome and vixenish gin of the camp she has been transformed into a decent-minded peacemaker—­always ready to atone for the misbehaviour of others, and to display without a trace of self-glorification the virtue of self-sacrifice.  Nelly is never happier than when working about the house, except when she saunters off on a Sunday morning, in the glare of a new dress, and with the smoke curling from her ornamented pipe, beneath a hat which, in variety of tints, shames the sunset sky.

Students of ethnology who may scan these lines may find food for reflection in the fact that Tom and Nelly offer exceptions to the rules that the totems of Australian blacks generally refer to food, and that those whose totems are alike do not marry.  Tom’s totemic title, “Kitalbarra,” is derived from a splinter of a rock off an islet to the southeast of Dunk Island.  “Oongle-bi,” Nelly’s affinity, is a rock on the summit of a hill on the mainland, not far from her birthplace.  The plea of the rocks was not raised as any just cause or impediment to the match when Tom by force of arms espoused Nelly.  “Jimmy,” Tom and Nelly’s son, born in civilisation, bears a second name, that of a deceased uncle, “Toola-un-guy,” the totemic rendering of which is now unknown.  Another “Jimmy,” a native of Hinchinbrook, is differentiated by “Yaeki-muggie,” the title of the sandspit of one of the Brook Islands.

The confusion of tongues between Tom and Nelly may be briefly illustrated—­

Tom ("Kitalbarra").  Nelly ("Oongle-bi").

Sun.  Wee-yee.  Car-rie. 
Moon.  Yil-can.  Car-cal-oon. 
Sky.  Aln-pun.  Moogah-car-boon. 
Mainland.  Yungl-man.  Mung-un. 
Island.  Cul-qua-yah.  Moan-mitte. 
Sea.  Mutta.  Yoo-moo. 
Fire.  Wam-pui.  Poon-nee. 
Water.  Cam-moo.  Pan-nahr. 
Rain.  Yukan.  Yukan. 
Man.  Mah-al.  Yer-rah. 
Woman.  Rit-tee.  Ee-bee. 
Baby.  Eee-bee.  Koo-jal. 
Head.  Poo-you.  Oom-poo. 
Foot.  Pin-kin.  Chin-nah. 
Leg.  Waka.  Too-joo. 
Hand.  Man-dee.  Mul-lah. 
Fish.  Tar-boo.  Kooyah. 
Bird.  Poong-an.  Toon-doo.

The big-eyed walking fish of the mangroves, which the learned have named PERIOPHTHALMUS KOELREUTERI, Tom knows as “manning-tsang,” and Nelly as “mourn!”

During one of his bachelordom interludes a smart young gin known as “Dolly” attracted Tom’s fancy.  He had just “signed on” for a six months’ cruise with the master of a beche-de-mer schooner.  Dolly smiled so sweetly upon Tom that Charley, her boy, raged furiously.  Tom—­never demonstrative, always cool and deep—­obtaining an advance from his captain, bought, among a few other attractive trifles, an extremely gaudy dress, and having artlessly displayed the finery, took it all on board the schooner, which was to sail the following morning at daylight.