On a small tree
immediately south we marked "MK, 21st Oct., 61." Immediately this
was over we questioned the native further on the subject of his
death. He says he was killed by a stroke from what the natives call
a sword (an instrument of semicircular form, five to eight feet
long, and very formidable). He showed us where the whites had been
attacked when encamped. We saw lots of fish-bones, but no evidence
there on the trees to suppose whites had been there. They had
certainly chosen a very bad camp, in the centre of a box scrub,
with native huts within 150 to 200 yards of them. On further
examination we found the dung of camels and horse or horses
evidently tied up a long time ago. Between that and the grave we
found another grave, evidently dug with a spade or shovel, and a
lot of human hair of two colours, that had become decomposed in the
skin of the skull and fallen off in flakes, some of which I have
also taken. I fancy they must all have been murdered here. Dug out
the new-found grave with a stick, the only instrument we had, but
found no remains of bodies, save one little bone. The black
accounted for this in this manner--he says they had eaten them.
Pages:
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382