The Sketcher.

Otago Witness, Issue 1461, 15 November 1879, Page 22

The Sketcher.

THE AUSTRALIAN BLACKFEL-

LOWS: Their Ingenuity, Mode of Life, and Power of Mimicry ; their Phyisique, Appearance and Manners ; their Amusements by Land and Water ; and their Weapons— the boomerang, spear,

(Written for the Otago Witness.)

By Richard Henry.

My earliest recollections of a home in Australia are pleasant in the extreme. The cloudless sky, the smoky atmosphere, and even the parched pasturage, have an enchantment in the distance of twenty summers that 1 cannot see in it now. Among the pleasantest features in my boyhood's memory are the blaokfellows, MY COMPANIONS IN HUNTING AND PISHING-, who wero 80 light-hearted {and jolly that I could hardly compete with them. At my suggestion a company of them would undertake an expedition for the day, and though I always returned completely knocked up, they were the happiest days of my life. Their skilfulness, activity, and energy in whatever they undertook in their own way, always excited my admiration for them and my contempt for those who class thatn as the lowest in the scale of Whatever they lacked in arta is to be accredited to their country and climate |and nob to their want of intelligence. With all our knowledge obtained through' the necessities of an European climate we have not found a fibre worth a button for manufacture in their country, neither is there any animal bearing wool or useful hair, so that they are excusable for having no fabrics for clothing. Then again, our clothing is of doubtful utility on the Murray or the Darling in summer time, and in winter we covet the blaokfellow's opossum rug. Their fishing nels, baskets, and rugs are equal if not superior to any that we could make out of the same material, while their weapons and their ingenuity in using them, and the ease with which they learn our language, is ample EVIDENCE OF HIGH NATURAL INTELLIGENCE.

Their powers of mimicry gare so wonderful that I have often had a good laugh at the attempt they would make to imitate a Frenchman or a German, and I am convinced that they could (learn/either language with one half the teaching an Englishman requires. I have seen their progress ia learning English from the first words to fluency, and have known some of them, in a year, to speak better English than millions of Englishmen speak in their own country. Their tact in using it when acquired is quite as remarkable. 1 remember scolding one fellow for being such a beggar for tobacco. I asked him rather 'crossly why he did not go to work and buy tobacco for himself. He seemed a little offended and answered,' " Whitefellow is best fellow to work," as much as to say he was not such a fool. I doubt if his intended meaning could be conveyed in fewer words or more to the point. They do not by any means like work, nor do any of us like it if we could do without it ; and they cannot be induced to stay for any length of time at any one thing, no matter what the promises may be, though sometimes THEY DO GOOD SERVICE AS STOCKDRIVERS, or in finding lost cattle ; heir ingenuity in tracking being I believe, by any race on the face of the earth. Some stations always have blackfellows about who are willing to do anything that is required,' simply because they are well treated, and this good treatment not only depends upon their employer keeping faith with them, bat also in seeing that other people do the sams, and that they are - not interfered with. Their character for inconstancy may partly arise from their being humbugged and cheated, when (as I have never known them to show feelings of resentment otherwise than by their prolonged absence) their only redres3 is to move away. Many a time I have felt sad and indignant by turns at thoir tales of unfair treatment.

THEIR MODE OF THROWING THS SPBAR.

A spear wa& always a common weapon in tho hands of man, and it seems a little strange that it remained through all time for an Australian to show the world how to throw it. In their hands it is a formidable weapon, with which a skilful thrower is able to kill a duck or a bullock at thirty yards — a feat for a rifle in the hands of many a European. It consists of a light bamboo reed, with a piece of very hard wood for a spoar head, and is thrown with a stick on the priuciple of a sling. I have seen them strike at target a 120 yards with auch force as to shiver the spear to pieces ; and I think they would have no difficulty in sending it through a bullock at forty or fifty yards. This may seem surprising to many as it often escapes notice, on account of

THEIR MODESTY. I have often been disappointed in my endeavours to got them to show off their skill with the boomerang or spear, being seldom successful without the aid of a glass of brandy ; but when I have succeeded in getting several warmly competing for a prize in the shape of some tobacco or grog, the accurate aim of some — especially the old ni9n — would put to shame an Indiau archer, Vv'ho ia called a noble savage, while my poor dusky friend* are hardly considered worthy of a place amoag savages, simply, I believu, on account of their peaceablo and kindly disposition. Had they been bloodthirsty and revengful— for which they had ample provocation — th«y -would soon have made a name for themselves, and have been comparatively respectable, but because they practised "peace and goodwill towards naon," they are despised amongst us who do not practice, but preach it with an awful fuss. As THEY WERE IMPOSED UPON ON ALL HANDS by lying bargain makers, thoy soon learned that it was safest to riiaLclievG everything out of a whitufollow'ti mouth. Aud v.s you may suppose — being imch good mioiics — they soon learned alao to deceive \uth bitch skill and apparent iunoce jjco as to bo generally successful. It must have been some o£

those who were living their few remaining days near public houses in the moat abjeot wretchedness that gave their race so low a character. It may be easily seen that those came always most prominently before travellers, but also it may be seen that they in no way were representatives of their people, because wo can pick out of our own company specimens that will not be much like the generality of us. They had no idea of restraint or dicipline of any kind, though they had kings with a badge of royalty in the shape of a breastplate bearing their name — King Billy, or Johnny, or whatever it might be ; yet those kings had no (more authority than anyone else. "They had to provide for themselves or go without. It was curious to see how absent the idea of dignity was among them j even the example of the whites could not impress on them that there was any difference in class. They valued the rich man or the poor man directly in accordance with his liberality and truthfulness, or otherwise. I saw one of them a- few years ago with only a rug on his shoulder go up to

THE GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES and with a jaunty air address him thus: — "Good day, sir." y- " Good day," Baid the Governor. ■ "What's your name ?" queried his Ev«l« lency's interlocutor. • ( My name is Belmore." "You are Governor belonging to Sydney, I believe ?"

"Yes, I am Governor belonging to Sydney," said his Excellency. " Well ; you know lam Governor belonging to all about here." Oh, indeed ! And what might your name be?"

" My name is • old Natty,' mind ye. Have you gob a shilling ?" " Oh yes, there's one for you." Immediately on receiving it, old Natty seemed anxious to close the conversation, and as he was edging away sideways, he said to Earl Belmore, " Maybe you'll come this way again Borne day ?" " I might." " Well, we will be very happy to see you. Good day, sir."

And he departed amidst roars of laughter from the crowd, in which his Excellency heartily joined. Natty alone being unable to see where the fun came in, examined his shilling in fear that it was a sell. Then feeling the enticement of two nobblers in quick succession greater than a conversation with the Governor, he quickly disappeared into the bar.

THEIR PHYSIQUE, ETC.

They are light men, well proportioned, of the average height of Europeans, and though they do not seem to have any abundance of muscle, yet they are very strong and active. Their walk being an emblem of airy grace, is in pleasing contrast to that of the Maoris. They are black but not so intensely black [as the African, and I have never seen a woolly head amongst them, neither is their hair so long and straight as the Indians or Maoris, but just a happy medium, either straight or slightly wavy ; and though they have not the well marked countenance of a Maori, yet taking them altogether, men and "women, they are fully as good looking — with this difference — that they have a jollier expression and a ringing hearty laugh.

THROWING* THE* BOOMERANG.

I have never seen a European who could make any decent attempt to throw a boomerang, solely I believe for the want of throwit with suffitiienfa force. The blackfellow takes off his clothes, stretches his arm.?, and makes sundry preparations ; then, leaning back, he takes a run, and bringing himself up with a snap he sends it whirling close to the ground, then upwards to its greatest height where it travels round in a circle of twenty or thirty yards, and then it descends without seeming to lose much of its impulse It ia a formidable missile among the dense flights of birds with which the country abounds. I have seen it knock off limbs of a tree as thick as as my finger, and continue on uninterruptedly in its course. It may come to the ground in any part of the circle, and I have no doubt that a skilful thrower could make it fall close to his feet, but certainly not if it had struck anything. Once under favourable circumstances I have seen it do more execution that I did with a double barrelled Bhot gun, and I am sure that if Professor Tyndal had seen it that day, he would have proclaimed it the most scientific instrument for its purpose in existence,' and would in all likelihood have drawn a parallel with it and the all puzzling topic of the motionless flight of the sea birds. They have vpry little

POWER OF ENDURANCE, for the absence of which nature seems to have compensated thorn by allowing them to concentrate all their strength for a momentary^ effort. They can go a couple of days without* food and then|eat a hearty meal without incon- ™ venience. I met a lad one day on the bank of a reedy lake, and as it was winter • time and too cold for him to swim, he begged me to take him in my canoe so that he could get some swan' a eggs. I did so, and we soon succeeded in getting eight or ben, which he took away to roast, as ha said he was very hungry. I came up to his fire sometime afterwards just to sec him finish the last of them and was not a little surprised at his eating capacity. As it was, he poked in the fire to make sure there were no eggs left, and to show that ho was not dead boat yet. Such is their life, and as they never provide for the morrow it either turns out to be a feast or a famine. Very little vegetable food is used by them, their principal depeudence being on the opossum, whose abundance and the ease with which it is ' captured accounts for their improvident habits.

IN TIIK WOODS.

In another necessary art to them, they have nearly attained perfection, that is climbing trees j at this accomplishment I may safely venture to say they have no living equals. TVith a tomahawk, which they use alternately in each hand to cut slight notches in the baik, they will go up a straight tree six foot thick, seventy feet high, and without a limb, with astonishing ejise and quickness. I once got an old fellow to climb a vemarkreinarkably high trco aa an exhibitition for a picnic party, which ho did iv tine stylo. He

walked about on the horizontal limbs above like a Blondin— ruffled up his hair, yelled, and danced, until my heart beat for fear he would fall and be killed. After some trouble he succeeded in finding a possum in a hole. Some of us assembled below with sticks to kill it when it jumped down, as it can do from any height without injury ; but though we could easily outrun it, we did not manage to hit it in consequence of its being such a dodger, so it escaped, much to the disgust of some lubras who stood restrained with rugs rugs and skirts grunting disapproval and contempt. Next time a possum came down they took care he did not get away, for they dropped their rugs and after him like deer, bringing him back by the tail in triumph, much to thejgeneral enjoyment, but seriously shocking some decorious members of our paity.

BTSHING AND FISHING APPLIANCES. In fishing they show a minute knowledge of tho habits of each particular fish. On the Murray I met a fishing party one day, one of whom was lazily trailing a long rod after him, with a punch of leaves tied on the end of it, another having a kind of pot net. Not understanding what they were goiDg to do, jff. went along with them to see. As the river •was low and clear, and full of old logs, moat Wof them being hollow— as all this hardwood *iots first in the 1 heart — they soon selected one in five or six feet of water, which, in their oj>inion, was the sleeping- place of aome Murray cod ; and they were right : for oDe of them fastened his net on one end, the other ran his brush Into the other, and in a moment they had left several fine fishes kicking on the bank ; again taking their net 3 down to repeat the process. This Murray cod, as it is called, ia an excellent fish for the table, sometimes weighing 601b. It is dull and slow in its, movements, and feeds mostly by night. There isa sorb of perch inhabiting the little lakeß along the banks of the Murray — another very good fish — which the blacks catch in greab abundance with a net 10 feet long and 3 feet deep. Having arranged an" expedition with them to catch perch, they instructed me to fetch a bag big enough to hold' what fish I wanted, and some bread and salt.. After half an hour's walk across the shady flats, we came to what might have been a pretty lake in the spriag, but now it was so far gone in the dry season' that the water had sunk away from its reedy banks, and formed a big water-hole in the centre. Into this one of them walked up to his neck, going right aoroES- to the other side, having the net mysteriously wound round his arm, his mate following in his track. At the other side they stretched tho net between them and came back, sweeping the muddy track they had just made, and threw me a dozen perch from 2lb to 51b weight, They then told me to ] , light a fire, which I did in high spirits, tioipating such fun among' the fishes, By the time I was ready they were back and forward twice, 'and came ' out, aaying they had got plenty now. When I looked disappointed, they asked me if I wanted any more: "because," said one of them, "no use you catch 'em, you not want 'em." Only then I realised ; that we had as much a» we couldifcarry. Some months before, a party of whitefellows took over a net to same lagoon, which was 50 yards wide and 8 feet deep, the net reaching right acroaa and to the bottom ; but they found they could not drag it on account of the snags ; so they set it with considerable trouble, having no boat. Next morning they came and took it up, finding so few fish that they thought them dearly earned. It seems that when the lagoons get low the fish have no cover to swim to, and instinctively, when alarmed, swim into a cloud of mud, where they cannot be seen, and where they cannot sco the nete. They are thus easily caught. THBIB, DWELLINGS. The house of the Australian, or mla-mia, a.9 they call it, consists of a few sheets of bark laid against a rail, sometimes continued round, in the form of a crescent, with a fire in the middle, but always of such a temporary character aa to require shifting with the wind.

ON THE WATERS.

Their oanoea were of bark — a single sheet stripped off a tree of the required shape. They are all expert swimmers and divers. I have Been one go down 16 feet for a whip, and bring it up the first time. He took care the owner did not see it, but swam over and concealed it. Slyly winking, he beckoned to me, and told me not to say that he had "got urn yet." I was puzzled, not knowing what little game he had on hand ; but I had not long to wait, aa the owner was coming down to the river. Then I learned that the darkie had bargained to find the whip for him for five shillings. Puffing and blowing in a bad way, he swam over for a rest, and called out :

" Big one — hard work, Mr Brown. Never can stand it, less you. shout." Of course a glaos of brandy was soon forthcoming, and more following it, until he waß satisfied, when he produced the whip— a ■valuable one — more to the satisfaction of every one than if he had done so at first.

CONCLUSION.

Reader, do not think, that my flattery is ever likely to bring a blush to one of their sable cheeks, even were it possible : for out of all that I knew in my boyhood there is not one left now ; and throughout all .Australia, like many other primitive races in contact with civilisation, but more completely, they are being " improved eff the face of the earth."

A canal 'scheme of even greater magnitude than that of the Panama project is at present under the consideration of the llussian Government, being a proposal to make a caual of five branches, the first of which i 3 198 miles in length, |from the river Terak to the watershed of the river Manytjch, which connects the valley of the Don with the Caspian Sea.

According to Professor Flower the Andaman inlanders are a raca of men possessing characteristics which bo completely separate them from all other races that they may be taken aa representing a family which has i;ndorgoae Jibtla if any change from my contact with others.

The German cavalry are shortly to be armed with revolvers in place of the pistol* now in use,

Shalt sJiow vs ?ww divi?ie a thing A woman may be made.

— WORDSWORTII.