almost dead cabin-boy lying under a tree.

a local party of Aborigines camc upon the

tribes people who called themselves the

Pclletier recovered his strength among the

ness and took him to their camp. Slowly

They treated him with the greatest kind

clothes and lived as they did. Indeed he had

member of the tribe. He discarded all his

In the years that followed the teenage

mented with a large piece of wood.

a pencil. The lobe of his right ear was orna

leave a raised line of flesh of the thickness of

and ashes were rubbed into the wounds to

sliver of quartz on his arms, chest and back,

monies. Long wounds were cut with a sharp

underwent the agony of the initiation cere

Slowly he learned their language and

ever been anything else.

blackfellow", almost forgetting that he had

young girl as his wife and in the next 17

fend tribal territory. Narcisse even took a

carried his weapons into battle to help de

were a peaceful people but sometimes he

He learned to hunt and fish using the

About the year 1875 a pearling schooner

with a lighter skin and different colouring.

ber on the John Bull noticed one of the tribe

south. Or perhaps a sharp eyed crew mem

natives as James Morrell had done further

heard stories of a European living with the

ed into North Queensland, the white people

It may be that, as British settlement extend

Pelletier and other tribesmen were fishing.

and the crew landed near the place where

named the John Bull came along the coast*

rescue attempt until the John Bull put out to

later that only the fear of the guns stopped a

off the rest of the tribe with guns. He said

aboard the schooner while the others held

trade goods and then kidnapped and hustled

have been lured to the boat by the offer of

ever to be "rescued". Eventually he seems to

But Narcisse Pelletier had no desire what- .

English and had forgotten most of his

tion was difficult at first because he knew no

one in a frightened way. But communica

sitting like a bird on a rail watching every

He was described as restless and uneasy,

where Pclletier spent some weeks ashore.

pearling capjtal of far north Queensland,

The schooner sailed to Somerset, the

tage. By the time Pelletier was put aboard a

him to rediscover his almost forgotten heri

the castaway in hand and gradually helped

Navy, apparently able to speak French, took

Then a Lieutenant Connor of the Royal

appeared in the newspapers.

down his account of his adventures as it

ficer, befriended him on the ship and took

novel for pleasure. Lieutenant Ottley of the

Queensland capital, he was reading a French

ship called the Brisbane, sailing south to the ,

the French Consul helped him to sail for

to make a fresh start in life. In due course

subscription fund was opened to assist him

days ahead of him in his native France. A

intelligence and promise, with many happy

tures that he was a young man of great

end of the long account of Pelletier's adven

The Brisbane Courier commented at the

strange footnote to this tale.

was the end of his story. But there is a

As far as the historical records go, that

Line 10.14.0 Many old timers on the Queensland coast

Line 10.14.1 used to say that by the year 1881 Pelletier

Line 10.14.2 was back with his tribe in the north. He

Line 10.14.3 could not settle down in his native France.

Line 10.14.4 He missed the sunshine, the fishing, the

Line 10.14.5 freedom and his friends in the tribe. Perhaps