hat
manner they spent their leisure hours. But occasionally some
evidence of their exploits came to light, and Mr. Tyers became aware
that his black police considered themselves as living among hostile
tribes, in respect of whom they had a double duty to perform, viz.,
to track cattle spearers at the order of their chief, and on their
own account to shoot as many of their enemies as they could
conveniently approach.

There were now ladies as well as gentlemen in Gippsland, and one day
the commissioner sailed away in his boat with a select party. After
enjoying the scenery and the summer breezes for a few hours, he cast
his eyes along the shore in search of some romantic spot on which to
land. Dead wood and dry sticks were extremely scarce, as the blacks
used all they could find at their numerous camps. He was at length
so fortunate as to observe a brown pile of decayed branches, and he
said, "I think we had better land over there; that deadwood will make
a good fire"; and the boat was steered towards it. But when it
neared the land the air was filled with a stench so horrible that Mr.
Tyers at once put the boat about, and went away in another direction.
Next day he visited the spot with his police, and he found that the
dead wood covered a large pile of corpses of the natives shot by his
own black troopers, and he directed them to make it a holocaust.

The white men brought with them three blessings for the natives--
rum, bullets, and blankets. The blankets were a free gift by the
Government, and proved to the eyes of all men that our rule was kind
and charitable. The country was rightfully ours; that was decided by
the Supreme Court; we were not obliged to pay anything for it, but
out of pure benignity we gave the lubras old gowns, and the black men
old coats and trousers; the Government added an annual blanket, and
thus we had good reason to feel virtuous.

We also appointed a protector of the aborigines, Mr. G. A. Robinson,
at a salary of 500 pounds per annum. He took up his residence on the
then sweet banks of the Yarra, and made excursions in various
directions, compiling a dictionary. He started on a tour in the
month of April, 1844, making Alberton his first halting-place, and
intending to reach Twofold Bay by way of Omeo. But he found the
country very difficult to travel; he had to swim his horse over many
rivers, and finally he returned to Melbourne by way of Yass, having
added no less than 8,000