The Red Cloud chief., 1880-05-06
HUNTING THE KANGAROO.

ACNlINU IHE
A CORRESPONDENT of the Chicago
Tribune writing from the interior of
Australia says:
1 will make, if you please, q slight
sketch of a kangaroo-hunt The kan.
CARGO, as is well known, is found only
in Australia and Tasmania. Its means
of lOcOmotion and defense are so pecu-
liar, and its swiftness SO great, that the
chase OF it is attended with excitements
and dangers wholly unique. The hunt
ing the fox in England Is over compar-
atively smooth ground and moderate
sized fences, with well-trained horses.
while the kangaroo has TO be chased
over new country, full of holes covered
with wild grass, over bitches, fallen
trees, amongst trees and their branches,
on horses that have no superiors in the
world in speed, and whose power in not
lost In civilization. Then the dangers
That you are 10 encounter when you
oyertake the kangaroo, though not in
reality extreme, are as great as those
met in the tigar-hunt as usually con-
Quoted. while in the latter you have not
the excitement and danger of the chase.
The place where I write is about
TWO hundred miles from the ocean
shore, on the banks Of a beautiful riv-
er, shaded with eucalyptus trees. These
trees ere the natural growth of the
country, cover a large part of it, and
a:e believed, both here and i'm Europe,
to so destroy malaria as Il be a sure
guarantee against fevers of all kinds.
Tho nnr,oba, o.. a -
ing at night, TO see if there are any
snakes in them; but none are found. A
native, with two women, is camped on
the shore near by. Their camp is a
half-circle of piled-up logs, three feet
high, while on the open side. towards
the water, glares a brilliant fire, light
ing up them and the darkness with a
lurid, fantastic savageness. These ma
tiveS resemble the African more nearly
tina either of the other four of the hui
man races, and Come without doubt
from that stock. Their hair cannot be
strictly said TO be either hair or wool,
but most nearly resembles the latter.
They are of good size, dark-brown, we'll
made and don't incumber themselves
with much clothing. One of their
weapons of war is the boomerang, and
it is a curious affair. 1t is made of very
hard wood, three feet long, four inches
wide. n inch thick at the center, and
bends edgeways SO IS to make a third
OF a circle. With the hand they are
said to throw this implement hun
dred and fifty yards, cutting off the
head OF an enemy, and having the
weapon return to the feet of the send
or. l have seen it thrown that distance
and return to the person who threw it.
The full grown male kangaroo is
called "boOmer," and is about seven
and a half feet long from his nose to
the end of his tail-the tail being about
three and a half feet of this, and one
foot in diameter at its base. He lives
on grass--sometimes invading the fields
of the frontiersman and eating up all
he has. He stands on four legs when
feeding, and at no other time. His tail
is full of powerful sinews. but it is used
only to assist in the equilibrium while
sitting, standing on the toes and run
ming. In a sitting posture he is about
four and a half feet high; but when he
stands on his toes to survey the cOun-
try or an enemy he is taller than a
man. He has a soft, gazelle-like ex-
preston. but the white teeth CLEAN be-
tween the open lips. His color is
brown. tending in age toward red or
gray. according to the species. They
weigh (the male) from one hundred
and fifty to one hundred and seventy
pounds each. The meat tastes ome
what like ~venison, but is not very
good, though the tail makes excellent
soup.
The female is under six feet in length.
and is different somewhat in appear
ance from the male. The young, when
born, are only an inch long, and are
first seen nursing the mother in the
pouch in front, where she carries them.
They remain in this pouch till they are
eight months old and weigh about ten
and long afterward return to
1t on appearance of danger. When the
mother is hard pressed by an enemy
In q chase she throws the young one
out of the pouch. who thereby makes
its escape.
There are kangaroo-dogs, very swift
and strong, especially adapted to hunt
ing the kangaroo; but no experienced
dog will tackle one of them without
to back him. They Jump
about fifteen feet at a time, usually, but
twenty or more. and their
swiftness, is prodigious. Nothing can
overtakc them in q fair race,
and the usual way is to practically sur
round them. When hard pressed they
place their back to a tree for the fight;
in preference, they always strike for
the water, if there is any near. They
to seize their enemy with the fore
paws, and then rip it from top to bot
tom with the middle claws of their hind
feet, which are very sharp. If they are
In the water they try to hold their ene-
my under it till he is drowned. They
viii always leave a dog to attack a MAJ.
At 9 O'Clock this morning. ten men
(including ..myself) started on horse
back. with four dogs. on q chase. All
were experienced in the business ex-
cept . young Englishman and myself.
took no 6rearms.-alarge stick be-
ing the only weapon to be used. We
had no difficulty in finding the animals.
It was disdained to avoid such fences as
we found, and we jumped several of a
of four to five feet; always ap-
them on q full rum. We di-
vided the party, half going to each side
of q partly open plain. l soon saw
. large kangaroo and two small ones
toward our party. We waited
I'LL they were near enough TO see us,
when they made a right angle. and
vent off at an astonishing pace, in
Jumps of fifteen to twenty feet in length.
yoing from eight to ten feet in the
sir 1t each jump. We "went for, the
BIG one, but he quickly got beyond our
light, the three having already as