pair of little black cousins appeared at our door; there was no need to ask why they had come so early, as the grief in their faces betrayed their errand, and poor little Binnahan, throwing herself face downwards on Rosa's bed, moaned aloud as though her heart was broken. She went away with the two girls as soon as the first burst of grief was over, and about an hour afterwards some native women came to ask me if I would give them a covering to lay over poor Kitty in her grave. This was the only time that I ever had a similar request, and I sent them away much gratified with a piece of white calico. We had once had a sadder petition preferred to us by some natives; it was for the loan of our wheelbarrow to convey to her grave a woman who had been speared a few hours before, and whom we had seen at our door that morning alive and well, and had noticed as being remarkably handsome.
I went down to the river-side, soon after sending the white covering, that I might see the last of Binnahan's poor mother. I should have known, even at a distance, that there had been a death amongst the natives, from the monotonous wailing noise that is always raised on such occasions until after the funeral, with a view of keeping off the evil spirit Jingy, the official mourner being relieved, when wearied, by others in uninterrupted succession until the grave is closed. A fat old woman, thus enacting the part of exorcist when I got to the place, was doing so with all her might, shaking her hands incessantly from the wrists in a despairing manner, whilst she uttered her cries until the perspiration streamed off her face with heat and fatigue. Altogether she offered
