"So Much," Thought I, "For Trying To Catch A Black Fellow
Single-Handed."
My companions had shot plenty of pigeons, after roasting which we started
for the interior of the island, and without
Meeting with anything beyond
the ordinary routine of bad bush and mountain travelling; certainly
encountering nothing that would justify me in inflicting a prolix
description upon the reader - we arrived late on the following evening at
the rendezvous, found the 'Daylight' safely at anchor, and thus completed
one portion of our search, without having obtained the faintest clue to an
elucidation of the mystery of the 'Eva'.
The pilot reported that, to the best of his belief, no blacks had succeeded
in making their escape to the mainland; several canoes had attempted to
cross, but they had been seen and intercepted, though none of their
occupants had been captured. One canoe he had taken possession of, and now
showed us, which was, I think, the most primitive piece of naval
architecture any of us had seen. Canoe it could hardly be called, for it
was only a sheet of bark curled up by the action of fire; the bow and stern
formed by folding the extremities, and passing a tree-nail, or, rather, a
large skewer, through the plaits. When placed in the water, the portion
amidships, which represented the gunwale, was not four inches above the
surface, and so frail that no European could have got into it without a
capsize, though the black fellows are so naturally endued with the laws of
equilibrium that they can stand upright in these tiny craft, and even spear
and haul on board large fish.
We slept in the hold of the 'Daylight' that night, after making all
arrangements for a start at early dawn. We trusted that the Cleveland Bay
party would have performed their portion of the task, and thoroughly
overhauled the southern part of the island, and fully expected to fall in
with them on the following day.
Our road lay through most abominable country - stony, precipitous, and in
places covered with dense vegetation. The traces of blacks were abundant,
and we could travel but a short distance without falling in with some of
the numerous camping-places. In many of these, the fires were still
smouldering, but the inhabitants had cleared out, most probably warned by
those whom the whale-boat had intercepted. Each camp was subjected to a
rigid scrutiny, but without revealing anything European, except fragments
of bottles, to which we attached no importance, for they were probably
flung over-board by some passing vessel, and carried ashore by the tide.
These are highly valued by the blacks, who do not use them for carrying
water, but break them, and scrape down their spears with the fragments.
To make a spear must be a work of many weeks' duration, when the imperfect
implements at the natives' disposal are taken into consideration. In the
first place, his missile must be perfectly straight, and of the hardest
wood; and no bough, however large, would fulfil these requirements, so it
must be cut out bodily from the stem of an iron-bark tree, and the nearer
the heart he can manage to get, the better will be his weapon. His sole
tool with which to attack a giant iron-bark is a miserable tomahawk, or
hatchet, made of stone, but little superior to the rude Celtic flint
axe-heads, that may be seen in any antiquarian's collection. These are of
a very hard stone, frequently of a greenish hue, and resembling jade; and,
having been rubbed smooth, are fitted with a handle on the same principle
that a blacksmith in England twists a hazel wand round a cold chisel. The
head, and the portion of the handle which embraces it, then receive a
plentiful coating of bees'-wax, and the weapon is ready for use. Fancy
having to chop out a solid piece of wood, nine feet long, and of
considerable depth, from a standing tree, with an instrument such as I have
described, which can never, by any possibility be brought to take an edge!
I have frequently examined the trees from which spears have been thus
excised, and the smallness of the chips testified to the length of the
tedious operation; indeed, it would be more correct to say the segment had
been bruised out than excised. Having so far achieved his task, there is
still a great deal before the black can boast of a complete spear, for the
bar is several inches in diameter, and has to be fitted down to less than
one inch. Of the use of wedges he knows nothing, so is compelled to work
away with the tomahawk, and to call in the aid of fire; and when he has
managed to reduce the spear to something approaching its proper size, he
gets a lot of oyster-shells, and with them completes the scraping, and puts
on the finishing touches. It may easily be imagined what a boon glass must
be to the savage, enabling him to do the latter part of the operation in a
tithe of the time.
I am afraid that it is often the habit with us Australians to either
destroy or carry away as curiosities, the weapons and other little things
that the blacks manufacture, utterly regardless of the loss we thus inflict
upon them; for without his weapons the wretched native is not only
defenceless against neighbouring tribes, who would not scruple to attack
him when unarmed, but he is also literally deprived of the means of
subsistence. Without his spear, he is unable to transfix the kangaroos and
wallabies on which he so much depends for his daily food, and, robbed of
his boomerangs and nullah-nullahs, the wild duck can pass him scatheless,
and the cockatoo can scream defiance from the lofty trees. I know that
this practice of returning laden with native spoil is more frequently the
result of thoughtlessness or curiosity than anything else.
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