The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-04-29
A SINGULAR WEAPON.
The Natives of Australia, nnd the Use they
Make of the Boomerang.o

The Natives of Australia, and the Use they
Make of the Boomernng."
A traveller tells us something of that
singular weapon used by the natives of
Australia, the boomerang. He saw them
used by the natives. They ranged from
two feet to thirty eight inches in length,
and we're of various shapes, all curved n
little, and looking, as he describes them,
something like wooden new moon.
They are made of dark, heavy wood,
and weigh from one to three pounds. In
thickness they vary from half an inch to
an inch, and taper to point at each
end.
One of the natives picked up the piece
of wood, poised it an instant, and threw
it, giving it rotary motion. For the
first hundred feet or more it went
straight ahead with o deep, humming
sound. Then it tackled to the left, and
rose slightly, still rotating rapidly. 1t
kept this latter course for q hundred
feet more, perhaps, but soon veered to
the left again, describing broader
curve, and q moment later fell to the
earth six or eight feet i'll front of the
thrower, having described nearly circle
in tile air.
Another native then took the same
boomerang and cast it, holding it with
the same grip. It took the same course,
but made broader curves and It's " eame
round, the black caught it handsomely
in his right hand
Another native next threw it, and
lodged it on the ground about twenty
feet behind him, after it had described a
circle of two hundred yards or upwards.
After him they all tried it, and but one
of them failed to bring the weapon back
to the spot where they stood.
Carnboo, a native, then selected from
the heap of boomerangs another one,
and cast it with a sort OF jerk. 1t flew
very swiftly for forty or fifty yards,
whirling like top. Then it darted into
the air, mounting fully q hundred feet,
and came over our heads, where it SEEM
ell to hang stationary for moment, then
settled slowly, still whirling, till he
caught it. Two others of the blacks then
did the same thing.
Meanwhile had with my knife shaved
little of the wood from the convex side
of one of the boomerangs. This one 1
now offered to one of them to throw. He
took it, without noticing what l had
done, poised it, but stopped short, and
with a contemptuous glance at my i'm
provement threw it down, exclaiming;
Bate budgeIy!" Oo good.)
The others then looked at it curiously,
but it was bale Gudge,y also to them.
Not one could be induced to throw it.
Myers asked them why they did not
use it, but they could give no definite
answer. 1t was plain that they did not
like the way it poised, when held in the
hand; yet could not distinguish any
difference whatever between this and the
other weapons.
Burleigh then walked to distance of
two hundred feet ormore from the blacks,
and bid Carnboo throw to him. The
native looked to him a moment rather
curiously, then comprehending what was
wanted, he selected one Of the heaviest
of the missiles, and turning half round,
threw it with great force in a direction
almost opposite from that where Burleigh
stood.
The weapon sped smartly for sixty or
seventy feet, then tackled in an instant,
and flew directly at Burleigh, and had
he not most expeditiously ducked, he
would have received hard thump, if
nothing worse. 1t struck the ground
twenty or thirty PAGES beyond. This
feat brought out broad grin, and some
thing like chuclle, from the whole of
them. Carnboo even intimated that he
would like to try another cast, but Bur
leigh expressed himself fully satisfied.
Mr. Addition (another of our party),
however, offered to "take shot," but
not too short range. We were standing
in front of one of the store-houses.
Carnboo placed Addition in front of the
door, and stood with his back to him,
with Additions hand on his shoulder.
None of us knew what sort of ma
neuver he had in mind, not even Myers.
Standing in this position, the black
threw the boomerang straight ahead.
Immediately it curved in the air. Then
it disappeared around the right corner of
the building, and before we had time to
guess what was meant, came round from
the other end (having passed completely
around the store-house), and gave Addi-
tion sounding rap on the back, which
made his eyes snap.