POLICE OF THE “NEVER NEVER”

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 70, 15 December 1928, Page 26

POLICE OF THE “NEVER NEVER”

THE LAW IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

The attack by an aboriginal tribe on a lonely constable in the centre of Australia serves to recall to those who know something of the life led by such servants of the State their isolation, their resourcefulness, and the calm heroism now and then displayed ■ in the exercise of duty. Everything in a varied round is met and coped with as ordinary routine. Many of these mounted constables are stationed at places a day or two’s journey from the nearest white man. Some patrol an area equal to the size of Victoria. A patrol through the district may occupy any period from three weeks to two months. Every and any function of government may have to be exercised. Tact and discretion are necessary in dealing with the independent bushnian and miner. Red-tape has often to be dispensed with. At times the official eye has to be shut, especially when dealing with the aborigine; the laws are made for the settled parts of the Commonwealth. Above all, the constable must be skilled in bushcruft. For a week at a time he may not see a soul other than his black tracker. He must be a competent cook, unless he is content to subsist on corned (drysalted) beef and damper, and damper making is in itself a fine art. I knew one genial and fastidious mounted constable who managed always to make bread in a small camp oven for which he found room in his saddle-bags. Usually a patrol is monotonous in the extreme (says J. A. Gilruth in “The Argus”). Monotony is the rule of the constable’s life. He looks forward to his furlough at the end of live years’ duty, consoled by the thought of the bank balance which perforce is steadily mounting. There is also faint hope that unexpected official business will render his presence in Darwin for a few weeks . imperative. Such an occasion is rare. Sometimes it is a case; of cattle stealing. Again it may be a case of the Jdllijig of an aborigine, or very seldom ;r white man murdered by an aborigine. Hav-. ing mustered his prisoner together, with the witnesses, he '.proceeds on his long. weary 5 journey to Darwin. As night after night has'to be spent in the Open there is never a moment’of He has to supervise the' hobbling of the score of horses which comprise his “plant”; then cook meat and damper, and finally secure not only the prisoner but also the witnesses for the night. The last duty is often most difficult, for the farther they get from the tribal lands tile less does the journey, at first looked upou as a picnic, appeal to the native mind, and there is apt to be a serious “break-away.” But invariably the stolid constable lands his team, all happy and fit, into the hands of the keepers, at Darwin. If a mild misdemeanour lias been committed no one is much perturbed, even the prisoner. The sentence having been endured in comfortable quarters, with plenty to eat. ami, above all. lots of tobacco to smoke, the delinquent returns to bis tribe with a halo of experience, and much “yabher” to keep his friends entertained when tucker is plentiful and time hangs heavily. Rarely- does the aborigine interfere with a European unless be or some other white man has transgressed the aboriginal law.' For certain offences the penalty is death, be the offender white or black. If he be of another tribe, the penalty may be inflicted on a substitute; any. member of liis tribe will suit. The wild . or; "myii.ll” black looks on all whites as being of the one tribe. The. law must be vindicated, and according to the law. In .such a country as the north. where a thousand miles may separate the few white women, the commonest offence by the white against I he aborigine iff tis.soclflted with women, lirccrtain eases, often unknown to the white man. the penalty is death. Any white may be chosen as victim. We '"ill Hie result murder. And our prestige demands that the culprit he found ami punished. That is easily said. But I he task is difficult ami fraught with great danger. About ten years ago a lonely stockman who had served at Gallipoli was found murdered at a waterhole some ten miles from I lie homestead. There was no question of the man. so far -is was known, having broken tribal law. The nearest constable was summoned

from his station 50 miles away, He, together with all the available whites (three) and his tracker, commenced the pursuit of the gang of evidently half a dozen, who after the niurder had decamped into the wilds with all the portable goods of the stockman. Though the pursuit began two days behind the aborigines the trail was followed unrelentingly. Soon it approached unexplored wild and rocky country, where travel by horse was difficult. Gradually the fleeing natives were overhauled until they could lie seen in the distance. As the pursuit grew closer the aborigines took to the ranges, climbing up an almost perpendicular cliff several hundred feet high, where horses could not follow. Posting his- companions at points of vantage from whence they could shoot, the constable followed them on foot. Soon he found himself bombarded with rocks loosed from above, but dodging them, he crept upward. Finally he scrambled over the ridge, to find bis prey scuttling through the scrub down to ■ a broad, bamboo-fringed tidal creek. Occasionally he got a shot at the fugitives. one of whom had already been wounded by the outposts, as could be seen by the movements and the blood-stained herbage here and there. At last one aborigine fell, shot through the heart. The others took to the water and crossed the creek. Unhesitating, the constable, who by then had far outstripped his mates, followed, holding his rifle high and swimming with one hand. He knew that alligators abounded in the c eek, but he kept on. The far side was more rugged than ever and the scrub more dense. Yet one more aborigine fell to his rifle before the safety of the denser bush was reached. Realising then that it was not. only futile to continue the pursuit further but certain death for himself, but not until he had assured himself that the second .man was dead, he wisely returned to his assistants struggling in the rear.

Hjs report reached headquarters in due course. It was a simple story. The details were few ami bald. It hoped that his action in not continuing the pursuit would be considered wise in all the ci rcu ms taiices. His personal opinion was that justice having beeu fairly swift, two men having paid the supreme penalty for the death of o.ne, the native mind must have been impressed, perhaps even more than if the aborigines, huff been captured, taken to Darwin, and tried by a jury witli all the paraphernalia of a court. That lie bad succeeded in recovering tlie murdered man’s effects lie seemed to think the most satisfactory of all his efforts. . Another instance of pursuit ot a murderer may be told more briefly. Tlie native had been sentenced to death and tlie sentence commuted to imprisonment for life. Tlie novelty oi gaol having worn off. .tacky one morning disappeared from bis gang working on a road near the gaol and under tlie eye of the warder. No one saw him again until he was rearrested in tlie midst of his tribe some 100 miles away. The district constable set out alone, except for his two trackers, when advised of the escape, knowing that the man would make for home. Again the country was rough and crossed numerous tidal creeks, These had to be swum by men and horses. In one a laden pack-horse was drowned. The official narrative of this episode, together witli the constable’s attempts to recover the packs by repeated diving mid attempting to cut loose the straps, so recovering Government property, occupied most of the report. To tlffi st |,r .v °f 110W ’' e Pd Into the nboriginew' camp. Imving posted his trackers so that they would divert attention, ami how he had arrested tlie man. but a few sentences were devoted. But considerable space was devoted to excusing the loss of Government property, and expressing (be liope that it would be realised that he had done everything possible to save the materials. Otherwise, of course, tlie whole business was looked upon [,v the officer as being part of the job. which was accomplished within the mouth. Such are the men who supervise the real out-back, the real “ueverI never” of Australia.