QSA846890 1871 Report by Henry Chester 10 August, Colonial Secretarys Office In letters, In letter 71:2499, DR61918

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other natives of the Strait with whom I have come in contact. They have never yet been known to take part in any of the massacres of whites, but the very qualities which distinguish them from other natives would render them all the more formidable if provoked, as recent events have shewn [shown].

Of all the natives employed in the pearl fishery, those from the island of Mare [with French accute accent on the "e"] are undoubtedly the best and bravest, but at the same time the most lawless and difficult to restrain. A boats [boat's] crew of these men were suddenly set upon by the Gamaleega in revenge for something they had previously done; their firearms were wrested from them and they were compelled to make a hasty retreat to their boat with one of their number badly cut about the head by a tomahawk - The guns were afterwards recovered through the Agency of the Warrior islanders -

My next visit was to Mulgrave island, called Badoo [with "-" accent to indicate long "a" sound] by the natives. For many years the Badooleega, who are very numerous, have borne the worst reputation for treachery and cruelty, and the evil influence exercised by the white man Wini who lived with them for years, but who has died since the settlement at Cape York was founded, still continues to bear fruit. A long series of massacres of defenceless people perpetrated with absolute impunity has accustomed these miserable savages to regard Europeans as an easy prey, and until last year they have congregated every S.E. season at the Prince of Wales group in readiness to take advantage of any disaster that might occur to shipping - It was these people who instigated the "Sperwer" Massacre in 1869 and of the three tribes who took part in that

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tragedy they are the only one that has escaped all punishment - Torrest Strait is probably the only part of the world were [where] outrages like these can be committed with impunity, although, perhaps, nowhere could they be more easily prevented or punished.

With some difficulty and after cruising right round [around] the island I found their camp in a small bay close to N.W. point - There were about a dozen canoes on the beach and at anchor in front of their huts, but not a man was visible. The two Marbiack men who were with us landed, and in a short time a number of natives emerged from a scrub close by from whence probably we should have been saluted by a flight of arrows had we attempted to land. A few tortoiseshell [tortoise-shell] masks and some stone clubs was all they had to dispose of, as the boats of the "Melanie" and "Kate Kearney" had left only a day or two before with full cargoes of pearl shell, which the Badooleega had assisted to collect.

The narrow channel between Banks and Mulgrave has been fished with great success, and the small islands North and South of the latter have been scarcely less productive; but for some time past no new patches of pearl shell have been discovered. The tides which flow with great rapidity through these narrow channels cause the shell to accumulate in certain sheltered spots just beyond their influence, and it is not improbable that after a few months' rest places that are now exhausted will again pay for working, but not upon a large scale. Patches like those on Warrior Reef are not likely to be again met with, and already there are signs of a general exodus of the pearl fishers to the N.W. coast of Australia -

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The diving apparatus with which several of these vessels are supplied, and from which so much was expected, have proved comparatively useless owing to the way in which the shells are scattered.

It was only after numerous attempts to communicate with the Italeega of Banks island that I at length succeeded in overcoming their timidity & inducing them to trade. Living in perpetual dread of their powerful neighbors [neighbours] of Badoo and Marbiack they are compelled to be constantly shifting their camps, which they take great care to conceal on the side to seaward; so that I passed and repassed several without any idea of their vicinity. The men complained piteously of the Gamaleega and bewailed the destruction of their tribe which was, they said, no longer able to contend with its numerous enemies; but if the whites would only assist them they would soon be revenged for all they had suffered. They argued that we ought to help them against the Badoo men particularly, who had so often killed white men while the Italeega had always been friendly, and, no doubt, should it ever be necessary to punish the Mulgrave islanders for future outrages it might easily be done with the assistance of these people, who are familiar with their country and camping grounds. I had no means of estimating their number owing to their distribution in several camps, but they cannot be very numerous. They appeared to have few canoes and being afraid to venture out on the reefs are mainly dependent for subsistence on the roots and fruits furnished by the island. They have a few small groves of cocoa-nut trees and their island appears to be

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the Southern limit of this useful tree in these waters.

The setting in of the S.E. trades, which have this year blown with unusual violence put a stop to further intercourse with these islands, as it was not prudent to go so far to leeward with a boats [boat's] crew consisting often of only two boys; but this objection did not apply to the Prince of Wales group, or the islands in the N.E. channel.

Since the Sperwer affair the Prince of Wales islanders have not visited Somerset in their canoes as was their custom previously; but the natives of the main land have kept them well informed of all that has transpired and have acted as agents in disposing of their tortoiseshell [tortoise-shell] &c [etc]. I had, however little difficulty in making friends with them on first going there in June last, and have since had from ten to fifteen employed in diving for pearl shell; but with very indifferent success. During this time I have camped for days together at the very spot where the cutter was burnt, and with the men who took part in the massacre of her crew, yet thanks to the terror inspired by the Police stationed at Somerset, I was under no apprehension of sharing their fate. For a time these men worked well, but it soon became apparent that they were quite incapable of sustained energy, - and tobacco with which I was amply supplied, they could hardly be induced to earn them.

A curious feature in their character is the readiness with which they condone the greatest offences and acts of treachery on the part of the Cape York blacks. It would seem as if they were utterly insensible to feelings either of hatred or affection,

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and even revenge which with savages is the most powerful of all emotions is subordinate with them to motives of self interest. They can only be controlled through their fears - Poor Capt. [Captain] Gascoigne had traded with them for a long time and bore the reputation of being a kind hearted and just man in his dealings with natives, yet they murdered him after all.

Like the natives of the main land, the islanders of the Strait and N.E. channel believe firmly in the power of certain individuals to bewitch them. In each tribe here is generally one or more old men supposed to possess this power, and who by working upon the superstitious fears of the younger men often manage to obtain an influence to which, perhaps, their prowess as warriors had not previously entitled them; but they are usually regarded with feelings of mingled awe and aversion. One of their modes of proceeding is to procure a number of small bones of the human arm and leg; these are sharpened to a point and the operator having selected a suitable spot in some dense scrub, retires to it at dusk and spends the night in darting these little spears into the imaginary body of his enemy, accompanying each dart with a cry of exultation as if it had actually taken effect. Should the person thus bewitched fall sick or die within the next few months it is universally attributed to "Takandinya" which is the name applied both to the ceremony and to the person practising it. Several Koraregas [Korraregas] whom I questioned concerning large ulcers on their legs gravely assured me they were victims of "Takandinya". If a strong breeze springs up while they are away in their canoes it is