My Great Portrait

The Adventures of Louis De Rougemont, As Told by Himself   

Louis De Rougement

Page 145...

I had often puzzled my brain for some method whereby I could convey to these savages some idea of the magnitude of the British Empire. I always had the British Empire in my mind, not only because my sympathies inclined that way, but also because I knew that the first friends to receive me on my return to civilisation must necessarily be British. Over and over again did I tell the childish savages grouped around me what a mighty ruler was the Sovereign of the British Empire, which covered the whole world.  Also how that Sovereign had sent me as a special ambassador, to describe to them the greatness of the nation of which they formed part. Thus you will observe I never let my blacks suspect I was a mere unfortunate, cast into their midst by a series of strange chances. I mentioned the whole world because nothing less than this would have done.  Had I endeavoured to distinguish between the British Empire and, say, the German, I should have again got beyond my hearers' depth, so to speak, and involved myself in difficulties.

Half instinctively, but without motive, I refrained from mentioning that the ruler of the British Empire was a woman, but this admission dropped from me accidentally one day, and then what a falling off was there! I instantly recognised the mistake I had made from the contemptuous glances of my blacks. And although I hastened to say that she was a mighty chieftainess, upon whose dominions the sun never set; and that she was actually the direct ruler of the blacks themselves, they repudiated her with scorn, and contemned me for singing the praises of a mere woman. I had to let this unfortunate matter drop for a time, but the subject was ever present in my mind, and I wondered how I could retrieve my position (and her Majesty's) without eating my words. At length one day Yamba and I came across a curious rugged limestone region, which was full of caves. Whilst exploring these we came upon a huge, flat, precipitous surface of rock, and then - how or why, I know not - the idea suddenly occurred to me to draw a gigantic portrait of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria! At this period, I should mention, I was a recognised chief, and periodically - once every new moon - I gave a kind of reception to my people, and also to the neighbouring tribes. At this interesting function I would always contrive to have some new wonder to unfold. My visitors never outstayed their welcome, and I always managed to have an abundance of food for them.

Well, I came upon the cave region a few weeks after my unfortunate blunder about the Queen; and I determined to have my great portrait ready for the next reception day. Taking some blocks of stone of handy size, I first wetted the surface of the rock and then commenced to rub it, until I had a pretty smooth face to work upon. This took some time, but whilst I was doing it Yamba got ready the necessary charcoal sticks and pigments such as the blacks decorate themselves with at corroborees. I had a slight knowledge of drawing, and climbing up on some projecting stones I commenced to draw in bold, sweeping outline, what I venture to describe as the most extraordinary portrait of Queen Victoria on record. The figure, which was in profile, was perhaps seven feet or eight feet high, and of more than equally extravagant proportions in other respects.  Of course, the figure had to be represented entirely without clothing, otherwise the blacks would simply have been puzzled. Now to describe the portrait as much in detail as I dare. The crown was composed of rare feathers such as only a redoubtable and cunning hunter could obtain; and it included feathers of the lyre-bird and emu. The sceptre was a stupendous gnarled waddy or club, such as could be used with fearful execution amongst one's enemies. The nose was very large, because this among the blacks indicates great endurance; whilst the biceps were abnormally developed. In fact, I gave her Majesty as much muscle as would serve for half-a-dozen professional pugilists or "strong men." The stomach was much distended, and when I state this fact I am sure it will excite much curiosity as to the reason why.

Well, as the stomach is practically the greatest deity these savages know, and as food is often very hard to obtain, they argue that a person with a very full stomach must necessarily be a daring and skilful hunter, otherwise he would not be able to get much food to put into it.

This extraordinary portrait was finally daubed and decorated with brilliant pigments and glaring splashes of yellow, red, and blue. I also used a kind of vivid red dye obtained from the sap of a certain creeper which was bruised between heavy stones.  I spent perhaps a week or a fortnight on this drawing (I could not give all day to it, of course); and the only persons who knew of its existence were my own children and women-folk. After the completion of the great portrait, I went away, and waited impatiently for my next reception day. When the wonder-loving blacks were again before me I told them that I had a remarkable picture of the great British Queen to show them, and then, full of anticipation and childish delight, they trooped after me to the spot where I had drawn the great picture on the rocks. It is no exaggeration to say that the crowd of cannibals stood and squatted in front of my handiwork simply speechless with amazement.  Eventually they burst out into cries of wonderment, making curious guttural sounds with their lips, and smacking their thighs in token of their appreciation. I pointed out every detail - the immense size of the great Queen, and the various emblems of her power; and at last, stepping back from the rock, I sang "God save the Queen," the beautiful national hymn of Great Britain, which I had learned from the two ill-fated girls, and which, you will remember, has the same air as that of a Swiss song. 

The general effect not merely removed any bad impression that might have been created with regard to my damaging admission about the sex of the great ruler; it more than re established me in my old position, and I followed up my success by assuring them that her Majesty included in her retinue of servants a greater number of persons than was represented in the whole tribe before me. Furthermore, I assured them that whilst the mountain home I had built was very large (judged by their standard), the house of Queen Victoria was big enough to hold a whole nation of blacks.

The Adventures of Louis De Rougemont, As Told By Himself 

http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=1&fk_files=1444888

Louis De Rougemont  http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/de-rougemont-louis-5961

Swimming in the Whale's Head

The Adventures of Louis De Rougemont, as Told by Himself   

by Louis De Rougemont 

Louis De Rougement

page 50...

The result was that when the tide turned, both the mother and her calf were left stranded high and dry on the beach, to the unbounded delight and amazement of the natives, who swarmed round the leviathans, and set up such a terrific uproar, that I verily believe they frightened the mother to death.  In her dying struggle she lashed the water into a perfect fury with her tail, and even made attempts to lift herself bodily up. Furious smoke-signals were at once sent up to summon all the tribes in the surrounding country - enemies as well as friends. Next day the carcasses were washed farther still inshore - a thing for which the blacks gave me additional credit.

I ought to mention here that the loss of my boat was in some measure compensated for by the enormous amount of prestige which accrued to me through this whale episode. To cut a long story short, the natives fully believed that I had killed single-handed and brought ashore both whales! And in the corroborees that ensued, the poets almost went delirious in trying to find suitable eulogiums to bestow upon the mighty white hunter. The mother whale surpassed in size any I had ever seen or read about. I measured her length by pacing, and I judged it to be nearly 150 feet. My measurements may not have been absolutely accurate, but still the whale was, I imagine, of record size. As she lay there on the beach her head towered above me to a height of nearly fifteen feet. Never can I forget the scene that followed, when the blacks from the surrounding country responded to the smoke-signals announcing the capture of the "great fish." From hundreds of miles south came the natives, literally in their thousands - every man provided with his stone tomahawk and a whole armoury of shell knives. They simply swarmed over the carcasses like vermin, and I saw many of them staggering away under solid lumps of flesh weighing between thirty and forty pounds. The children also took part in the general feasting, and they too swarmed about the whales like a plague of ants.

A particularly enterprising party of blacks cut an enormous hole in the head of the big whale, and in the bath of oil that was inside they simply wallowed for hours at a time, only to emerge in a condition that filled me with disgust.  There was no question of priority or disputing as to whom the tit-bits of the whale should go. Even the visitors were quite at liberty to take whatever portion they could secure.  For about a fortnight this cutting-up and gorging went on, but long before this the stench from the decomposing carcasses was so horrible as to be painfully noticeable at my camp, over a mile away.  Some of the flesh was cooked, but most of it was eaten absolutely raw. The spectacle witnessed on the

beach would have been intensely comical were it not so revolting. Many of the savages, both men and women, had gorged themselves to such an extent as to be absolutely unable to walk; and they rolled about on the sand, tearing at the ground in agony, their stomachs distended in the most extraordinary and disgusting manner.  It may amuse you to know that smoke-signals were at once sent up for all the "doctors" in the country, and these ministering angels could presently be seen with their massage shells, rubbing the distended stomachs of the sufferers as they lay on the beach.  I saw some men fairly howling with agony, but yet still devouring enormous quantities of oil and blubber! Besides the massage treatment (with the thumbs as well as shells), the "doctors" administered a kind of pill, or pellet, of some green leaf, which they first chewed in their own mouth and then placed in that of the patient.  So magical was this potent herb in its action, that I feel sure it would make the fortune of an enterprising syndicate. Other patients, who had obtained temporary relief through the kind offices of the medicine-men, returned to the whales again, and had another enormous gorge. In fact, the blacks

behaved more like wild beasts of the lowest order than men, and in a very short time--considering the enormous bulk of the whales--nothing remained except the immense bones.

and so it started ...

The First Ship at Rivoli Bay 

About the year 1822 or 1823 the first ship was seen by the natives in Rivoli Bay. Some of them thought it was a drifting island, and all that saw it became alarmed, and began to think of a hiding place. Mothers with their children secured themselves in some safe retreat, while others courageously watched the movements of this strange visitor. One morning some of the women went along the beach for shellfish, and returning were surprised by two white men.   In running away one of the women dropped her child and on stopping to pick it up was captured and taken away to the ship. About three months after the ship put into Guichen Bay and the woman took opportunity to escape, taking with her some clothing. She reached the Narrow Neck, and she came across a posse of her countrywomen lamenting her loss. She did not give a favorable account of he treatment she received from the crew. Even as late as 1846 the black women, in speaking of this event, made all sorts of grimaces signifying disgust! The woman's son (Panchy, brother of John Ball ) related the story to me, adding I do not know the truth myself, but just what I was told by the "drual". (men)

from The Booandik Tribe - a Sketch of Their Habits, Customs, Legends and Language by Christina Smith 1880 

The End of the Last of the Giants

The End of the Last of the Giants

A man while out hunting left his wife at a temporary camping place. On his return he saw traces which led him to conclude that the giant Brit-ngeal had carried her off. He tracked the giant, and found the partially eaten body of his wife. Close by was a deep narrow-mouthed cave, out of which the giant got water, and beside it lay the long drinking reed. The man got up into a tree that overhung the cave, having first crushed the reed to make it useless for its purpose. Presently the giant came to get a drink. He lowered the end of the reed into the cave, and tried to suck up the water, but he drew up nothing but air. He bit a piece off the end, but with the same result. He bit a piece more off, but again failed to obtain water. He repeated the same experiment; but to reach the water he now had to bend his head and shoulders right down into the hole. In doing so he exposed his only weak part to the watcher in the tree, who jumped down, struck his spear into the giant and shoved him head first into the cave. And in this manner the last of the giants met his death. 

from The Booandik Tribe - a Sketch of Their Habits, Customs, Legends and Language by Christina 
Smith 1880 

The Brit-ngeal ? 

Skeleton of a Thylacoleo carnifex in the Victoria Fossil Cave, Naracoorte Caves National Park

Another Petrified Native

POLICE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.

Monday May 26.

CHARLEY (a native, from Rivoli Bay, whose real name is unknown) was accused of stealing a quantity of sheep from the South Australian Company's station at that place. The prisoner had a wild and scared appearance. The adventures of the last few days must have been strange to him indeed. The fire-arms of the white men —the chain with which he was bound—the sea voyage— the buildings at the court and city—and now the justice-room, on every object of which he gazed with looks of wonder, the hand cuffs, too, annoyed him exceedingly, and he incessantly endeavoured to remove them. He several times spoke, and seemed most desirous of an answer, but his language was wholly unintelligible to Mr Moorhouse and the black policeman Jimmy, who addressed him in various dialects. The only word he seemed to comprehend was the English one of sheep. When brought to the bar he was alarmed, and evidently thought summary punishment was to be inflicted on him. 

Mr William Lillycrap, the Company's superintendent, deposed that on the 16th instant he had been passing two nights at the German Creek station at Rivoli Bay, and went to the Bluff Ranges to seek for sheep, 165 of which had been taken by the blacks in the course of the ten days previous. Returning at about four in the afternoon, he saw the sheep in the yard, and several blacks, who had made a fire and had possession of them, the two shepherds, who were without arms, having abandoned the hut. Witness, who was accompanied by Mr Frank Frew and Captain Underwood, all well armed, rushed towards them, and the prisoner (who had been the worst in the fray, and who was struggling as they came up with the shepherd) was secured, but the rest of the party had escaped. 

Remanded till Saturday.

South Australian Wednesday 28th May 1845