The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1875-06-23
4 siNeiJLAR wE4alpoA s's'' s'


! Mey muke eftde !" 6ooaicraagn 81
a Traveller tells us something of tllia
sirgularweapon used by the natlvesd
Australia, tho boomerang. lie saw thesn
used by the natives. 1fiey ranged from
two feet IL lhiriy~eight inches IN length.
and We're Of various shapes, all curved ~
little, and lonking as he describes them
something like wooden new mooh.
They are made Off dask, heavy wqad.
and weigh from one to three pound. IN
thickness they vary from half an inch to
an inch, and laper to a point at each end.
One or tic natives picked upthe iiece Of
wood, poised ii an instant, and threw y.
giving i d tolary motion. For the hFst
hundred feet or iiiore il went straight a.
head with deep, humming sound. Then
II tackled 10 tle left, aud rose slightly, sill
rotating rapidly. IL kept this later course
for hundred feet more, perhaps, but soon
yeered 10 tile left again, describing
broader curve, and moment laler fell to
tie earth six or eight feet III front ofthe
lhrower. having described nearly acircie
III the air.
Another native then took the same
boomerang and EAST 1t, holding itwith the
same grip. Ittook tine same course, but
made BROADER curves; ami as i came
round, the black caught il handsomely in
his right iland.
Another native next threw il, and lod-
ged il on the ground about twenty feet
behind iiiin, alter il had described a Circle
oftwo hundred yards or upwards. After
him they all tried IL, aud but one of them
lai,ed 20 bring the weapon back 10 the
sI,nl where they stood.
CarnbOo, il native, then selected from
the heap of I.,oinerangs another one, and
rasl il with sort of jelk. IL ilew very
swiftly for forty or fifty yards, whiriing
like Il top. Then il darted into the air,
mounting fully hundred feet and came
Overour heads, where il seemed 10 hang
stationary lOr a moment, then settled
slowly. siiIl whirling. till he caught ii.
rwO others ollhe blacks then did tile same
thing.
Meanwhile | had with my knifeshaved
a little of the wood from the convex side
af the boonrangs This one now offered
20 one Of them To throw. He took it,
wilhnu. noticing what ! had done, poised
II, but stapped short, ald with acOntyml'-
luous glance al my Improvement threw il
down. exclaiming:
/" Bate Jadyegy!p tno good@
The other then looked at il curiously,
hut twas bale hudgery also to them.
Not one could lie induced to throw IT,
Myers asked them why they did hot
NE II. but they could give no driiuite
answer. IL was plain that they did nol
like the way II lnised. when held IN the
hand; yet I euulJ not distinguish any
differences whatever brtween this and the
other weapons.
Burlrigh then walked 10 a distance Of
iva hundred lrcl ur more from the blacks
aud bid Carnboo throw 10 him. Tie
,,..ivc l,1ked III him moment rather
curiously, lhen cuniprehcudhIg what was
wanted, be elected ule Of The heaviest OF
the missiles, an,l turning half round,
threw Il With great force ina direction al-
most opposite lruln that where Burleiyh,
stood.
The weapon sped sn,artly for sixty or
seventy feet, thea tackled. in ali instant
aud ilew directly 1T Burleigh, and had lie
not most expeditiously duckcd, he would
have received hard thump, II nothing
verse. Its:nltk tile ground twenty or
thirty PAGES beyond. This feat brought
out broad grin, and something Ikea
cllucsls. iron, the whuleuf them. Carn-
bno even IntImatea that lie would like to
try another east, but Burleigh expIcssrd
himself fully satisfied.
Mr.. Addition tanotiier one ofouvpartyl,
however, Offered TO " take shot, ," bat not
al too slovt range. We wete stmiding 10
front al une ofthe slore.house. Carnboo
placed Addition III front 81 tile door, aud
stood Nth his hack 70 him, with Ad.
,IitIun's hai,tl on lis shoulder i
Nome Of Us knew what SOFT ufA man.
oeuvrc he liAd II niiid, not even Myers.
standing III this position, the black tiiFew
the boo,nerany straight. ahead. Imme.
diaiely II curved Ia tie air. Then u dis
appeared around tile right corner ofthe
buiiding. and before We had time togutss
What WAS meant, came rouud from the
other end shaying passed completely a.
round llir siore-huusel, aud gave ADJ
diiion n sounding rap ON the back, which
made his eyes snap
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NJ, pe.lar y s,d1uul mnstpr living Iii