Tongues
of flame shot up in the air, a fire lit by our mates, but showing that,
in spite of Warri's instinct, we had not been walking in quite the right
direction. No welcome news greeted our arrival - the well was dry, and the
native obdurate. We all agreed she was useless, and since she refused all
forms of nutriment I feared she would die on our hands, so she regained
her liberty, and fled away with a rapidity not expected in one of her
years.
My companions had felt some anxiety at our continued absence, and again I
had evidence of the cordial friendship existing between us.
With reference to the bark sandals, the use of which is not so far
known, I append an extract from "The Horn Scientific Expedition," Part
IV., where we read the following:
"SANDALS.
"Arunta Tribe.
"KURDAITCHA SHOES. - When a native for some reason desired to kill a
member of another camp or tribe, he consulted the medicine man of his
camp, and arrangements were made for a 'Kurdaitcha Luma.' . . . Both
medicine man and Kurdaitcha wore remarkable shoes. These had the form of
a long pad made of human hair, with numberless emu feathers intertwined,
and with a certain amount of human blood to act as a cementing substance.
