THE NORTHERN CANNIBALS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 153, 7 April 1876, Page 7

THE NORTHERN CANNIBALS.

++ A packer from Cooktown to the diggings, who called at Brisbane on his way to Sydney this week, relates two instances which lately occurred to him on the track where his life was in con* siderable danger from these irreclaimable denizens of the forest. On the first occasion — travelling alone — he was preparing to camp at the second crossing of the Palmer, and wa9 stooping to kindle a fire previous to unpacking, when three spears were thrown by an invisible enemy, one of which buried itself to aconsiderable depth in the sand close beside him. He immediately resumed his journey and continued travelling without further molestation until a friendly camp was reached. The next occasion was on the Normanby, when himself and several Chinese packers were camped for dinner. He had started a fire of his own some thirty or forty yards from tha Chinamen, and was laying on the grass waiting with tea and 6Ugar in his hand for the billy to boil, when, happening to turn his head, he discovered three or four armed blacks within twenty yards of him. To jump to his feet and run towards the Chinamen was the work of a moment, but such is the terror of these people wherever the blacks are concerned, that they no sooner caught sight of the flying white man than they started helter-skelter, leaving packs, revolvers, their halfcooked dinner, and everything else behind them. Our informant, however, here made a stand, and after a time — the blacks making no further demonstration — the Chinese braves cautiously ventured back. The blacks, however, had not been idle in the meantime, but had speared to death a valuable pack-horse, close to the spot where they were first seen. Great loss and annoyance is experienced by the telegraph construction party between Junction Creek and Pahnerville, by the presence of the aborigines in considerable numbers in the vicinity of the telegraph camps, who, without venturing an attack, watch their opportunity and rifle the tents, &c, of provisions, clothing, blankets, and everything else that suits them. This has been done so frequently that men cannot be induced to remain in sufficient numbers,and the contractor experiences the greatest difficulty in making headway with the work. It need scarcely be added that the great number and persistent hostility of tbe blacks render the work of pro-pecting extremely dangerous, and tend very materially to retard the exteosion of the I goldiields. — ' Courier.'