145. Saturday, 18 September 1948. There being so little for me to write about in connection with my department of the scientific side of the expedition while in this locality, I have been rather wondering what is to appear in the daily entries in this journal. It seems to me that a more clear explanation of the treatment meted out to the aboriginals might be of interest and have value to me for reference. Another thing which I must find out about, is the method used in educating the children of white bush dwellers. On the latter subject, I have no information now but can get it. In the matter of the abbos, I have found out quite a little, though just where to start is something of a problem. One must understand primarily that the abbo does not, nor ever did, possess the ferocity and fighting ability of the majority of other peoples whom we call natives, the North American and South, the Burman, the Soudanese and many others. The abbo certainly killed white men but always by stealth and when the whites were greatly outnumbered. This is apart from such motives as the abduction of a woman or a personal cause of that sort. The last concerted stand or attack on white men took place somewhere near where Annie River Landing now is and its result was the hunting of natives by whites, much as kangaroos are hunted; a line of men formed, walking slowly across the area and putting up and shooting the natives like so many rabbits. The revenge exacted by the whites was so ferocious that the natives were glad to be herded together on the Missions and have showed no desire to escape from that form of living, with its lack of responsibilities. The Missions are located on both sides and the tip of the Cape and are under the charge of local men named Protectors, the whole lot coming under the jurisdiction of Mr. O'Leary, the Protector of Aboriginals. They are permitted the use of certain fire-arms, shotguns up to 12 gauge, but no rifles; they are issued with strong wire from which they make their fish spears, but are not allowed to make the barbed fishing spear. When there is work to be done and their services are required, they are compelled to take the jobs and their pay is standardized at two pounds, ten shillings weekly, of which they get the ten shillings and the two pounds are sent direct by the employer to the Protector. The money sent to him accumulates and is credited to the man's individual account and according to his balance on deposit with the Protector, so is he clothed and fed, but even though he may have no deposit, he is not permitted to starve. The local Protectors have the power to marry and divorce and, I believe, may sentence a malefactor to serve time on the penal islands. He also decides which native will go on which job, presumably being guided by the amount of an individual's cash balance, but the total of those balances may have an effect on the Protector. If he is unscrupulous, large sums may be abstracted and there is no redress for the native, but in general the local Protectors seem to be men of honor and and there rarely is any such charge or basis for it. The abbos therefore have exchanged their original life, one of the most primitive forms ever to exist in the world, for a regimented existence during which they are always sure of food and a modicum of clothing; they make their own huts or gunyahs, either of corrugated iron issued to them or of palm or other natural materials. They are all allowed their corroborees whenever they want them, though of course no alcohol is allowed. During a corroboree they will sing of past greatnesses or else make up a monotonous dirge covering their current activities. Our boys a few nights ago sang a long song to themselves which described how they had travelled a long way from Cowall Creek, had climbed a mountain, captured a python and put it in a bag to bring back to camp. On their arrival there will be a series of corroborees during which they will sing of all their accomplishments and add descriptions of us, dwelling, I very much fear, on our weaknesses rather than our strength.