or recitatives without understanding a word of
them.[232]

[232] W. E. Roth, _Ethnological Studies among the
North-west-central Queensland Aborigines_ (Brisbane and London,
1897), pp. 117 _sq._; (Sir) Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen,
_Northern Tribes of Central Australia_ (London, 1904), pp. 234,
235; _id._, _Native Tribes of Central Australia_ (London, 1899),
p. 281 note; _id._, _Across Australia_ (London, 1912), i. 244.

While the conches were sounding and the voices of the singers broke the
silence of night, about sixty men assembled before the grave, where they
awaited further orders. When the chanting was over, and the notes of the
conches had ceased to sound, one of the women mourners came forward, and
sitting down outside the graveyard addressed the men thus: "Men! ye are
gathered here to perform the duty imposed on you; bear up, and let not
your exertions be wanting to accomplish the work." With these words she
retired into the burial-ground. The men now approached the mound in the
dark, and, in the words of Mariner, or his editor, performed their
devotions to Cloacina, after which they withdrew. As soon as it was
daylight the next morning, the women of the first rank, wives and
daughters of the greatest chiefs, assembled with their female
attendants, bringing baskets and shells wherewith to clear up the
deposit of the preceding night; and in this ceremonious act of humility
no lady of the highest rank refused to take her part. Some of the
mourners in the burial-ground generally came out to assist, so that in a
very little while the place was made perfectly clean. This deposit was
repeated the fourteen following nights, and as punctually cleared away
by sunrise every morning. No persons but the agents were allowed to be
witnesses of these extraordinary ceremonies; at least it would have been
considered highly indecorous and irreligious to pry upon them. On the
sixteenth day, early in the morning, the same women again assembled, but
now they were dressed in the finest bark-cloth and beautiful Samoan
mats, decorated with ribbons and with wreaths of flowers round their
necks; they also brought new baskets, ornamented with flowers, and
little brooms very tastefully made. Thus equipped, they approached and
acted as if they had the same task to perform as before, pretending to
clear up the dirt, and to take it away in their baskets, though there
was no dirt to remove. Then they returned to th