coast of the Australian continent, and that the central point of our camping ground at this time was near the mouth of the Victoria River, which flows into Queen's Channel.
Almost every evening the blacks would hold a stately _corroboree_, singing and chanting; the burden of their song being almost invariably myself, my belongings, and my prowess--which latter, I fear, was magnified in the most extravagant manner.

Besides the _corroboree_ they also would assemble for what might not inaptly be termed evening prayers, which consisted of a poetical recital of the events of the day.

I ought to mention that at first I did not accompany the men on their excursions abroad, because I was far from perfect in their language; and furthermore, I was not skilled in hunting or in bush lore.

Therefore, fearful of exciting ridicule, I decided to remain behind in the camp until I was thoroughly grounded in everything there was to be learned.
Supposing, for example, I had gone out with the blacks, and had to confess myself tired after tramping several miles.

Well, this kind of thing would certainly have engendered contempt; and once the mysterious white stranger was found to be full of the frailties of the ordinary man, his prestige would be gone, and then life would probably become intolerable.
Thus everything I did I had to excel in, and it was absolutely necessary that I should be perpetually "astonishing the natives," in the most literal sense of the phrase.