His Name Was "Bilge." He Called Me Commandant, And Presented
Several Old Men To Me Under The Same Title.
Several natives joined us,
either using the canoe, or swimming across the lagoon, and, after having
been duly introduced to me, I took four of them to the camp, where they
examined everything with great intelligence, without expressing the least
desire of possessing it.
They were the most confiding, intelligent,
inquisitive natives I had ever met before. Bilge himself took me by the
hand and went to the different horses, and to the bullock and asked their
names and who rode them. The natives had always been very curious to know
the names of our horses, and repeated "Jim Crow," "Flourbag," "Caleb,"
"Irongrey," as well as they could, with the greatest merriment. Bilge
frequently mentioned "Devil devil," in referring to the bullock, and I
think he alluded to the wild buffaloes, the tracks of which we soon
afterwards saw. We asked him for "Allamurr;" and they expressed their
readiness to bring it, as soon as the children and women, who both went
under the denomination of Piccaninies, returned to the camp. The day
being far advanced, and their camp a good way off, they left us, after
inviting us to accompany them: but this I declined. About 10 o'clock at
night, three lads came to us with Allamurr; but they were very near
suffering for their kindness and confidence, as the alarm of
"blackfellows" at night was a call to immediate and desperate defence.
Suspecting, however, the true cause of this untimely visit, I walked up
to them, and led them into the camp, where I divided their Allamurr
between us; allowing them a place of honour on a tarpauling near me for
the remainder of the night, with which attention they appeared highly
pleased. The night was clear and dewy, but became cloudy with the setting
of the moon.
Dec. 9. - The natives came to our camp at break of day, and Bilge
introduced several old warriors of a different tribe, adding always the
number of piccaninies that each of them had; they appeared very
particular about the latter, and one of the gentlemen corrected Bilge
very seriously when he mentioned only two instead of three. Bilge had
promised to go with us to Balanda, but, having probably talked the matter
over during the night, with his wife, he changed his intentions; but
invited us in the most urgent manner, to stay a day at their camp.
Although no place could be found more favourable for feed and water, and
a day's rest would have proved very beneficial to our cattle, yet our
meat bags, on which we now solely depended, were so much reduced, that
every day of travelling was of the greatest importance; as the natives
told us that four days would bring us to the Peninsula, and two more to
Balanda. We crossed the plain to the westward, in order to avoid the low
rocks and rocky walls which bounded this fine country to the north and
east.
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