The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-10-23
WONDERFUL DEXTERITY.
The Boomerang and IT, Mysterious Pecu-
IiaritieS.

IiaritIes.
A traveller tells us something of the sim
gular weapon used by the natives of Aus
tralIa, the boomerang. lie saw them used
by the natives. They ranged from tao
feet to thirty eight inches III length, and
were Of various shapes, all curved little,
and looking, as he describes them, like a
wooden new moon. They were made Of a
dark, heavy wood, and weighed from one
to three pounds. In thickness they vary
from half all inch, and taper 70 a point at
each end
One Of the natives picked up the piece Of
wood, and, poising it an instant, threw it,
giving it rotary motion For the first
one hundred ftst Or more il went straight
ahead. Then it tackled to the left and
rlse lightly, still rotating rapidly 1t
Kept this latter course for hundred feet
more. PERHAPS but soon veered to the left
again, describing broader curve, and a
moment later fell % the earth six or eight
t.et ia front % the thrower, having de-
s,rbed nearly circle in the air.
Another native then took the same
boomerang and cast IT, holding it with the
same -rip. Ii took the same course, but
made broader curves, ana AS IL came round
the black caught It handsomely In his right
hand.
Another native next threw il. and lodged
II On the ground about twenty feet behind
him, after It had described circle Of two
hundred yards ,r upward. A ter him they
all tried 1t, and but one NJ them failed to
bring the weapon back tU che spot where
they stood
Caruboo. native, then selected from
the heap NJ tuumerangs another one, and
cast il with a surt VI jorh II flew very
quickly for 40 on 30 yards, whirlng like a
top. Then 1t darted INTO the air. mounting
fully one hundred feet, aud came over our
heads, where 1t seemed tu hang stationary
Tor a moment, then settle slowly, still
whiriIng, uIl he caught it. Two others of
blacks then dld the same thing.
Meauw lille | had with my knife shaved
a little Of the wood from the convex side Of
one uf the boomerangs This is now offered
to one Of them to throw. H. took ID with
out noticing v hat had done, poised it, bnt
stopped short, and with a contemptuous
glance al my Improvement threw 1t down
and exclaimed
Bale budgery !" (no gpod)
The others then looked at It cautiously,
No one could be ind need u throw it,
Myers asked them why they ala not use
it, but they could not give a definite an
sNer. II was plain that they did not like
the way it was poised, when held in the
hand, Yet | could not distinguish any diff
erence whatever between tins and the other
Weapons.
BurleIlh then walked to a distance of 200
feet or more from tie blacks and bid earn
boo throw to Inn. The native looked at
him a moment rather curiuusly. then. G. m
1 rehendu- what vas wanted, he selected
one ot tile heaviest of the missiles. and,
turning half round, threw it with great
force Iu a direction almost opposite from
THAT y h,rc Hurlc- d stood.
The weapon sped smartly f.r go III 10
feet, then tackled IN an instant and flew
directly at Burlelgh, and, had he not most
expeulLuusly dUched, ha would have re-
CcIyud hard tuuu. ,. II nothing worse 1t
struch the grosnt 20 OF 30 PAGES beyond
THIS feat brought uut broad grin and
something like chuchle from the whole
ut them ClrnboO even lutimated that he
would like 10 try another cast, bnt Bur
vi-h expressed himself fully satisfied.
Alr Smith, however, offered to take a
shot, But not at too short a range. We
were standing m front of one Of the store
houses Carnboo placed Smith ~ front ri
the duuT and stood with his back tu him,
with Smith hand on hs shoulder
None of as knew what sort OF a manoenvre
ne had in mind, not even Myers Standing
In hIs position. the black threw the boom
,raug straight ahead Immediately il
curved iu the air. Then il disappeared
around tine corner Of the building. and.
before he had time to guess what was
meant il came round the other end (hav-
ing passed completely around the store
house) and gave him sounding slap on
the back which made his ewes snap.