The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-03-11

malaria as W &c q sure guarantee
against fevers of all kinds. A native
with two women, is camped on the
shore near by. Their camp is half
circle of piled-up logs, three feet high,
while on the open side, towards the
water, qlares a brilliant fire light
ing up them and the darkness
with q lurid, fantastic savage
ness. These natives resemble the Afri-
can more nearly than either of the
other four of the human races, and
come without doubt from that stock.
Their hair cannot be strictly said 10 be
either hair or wool. but most nearly re-
sembles the latter. They are of good
size, dark brown, wellmade, and don't
incumber themselves with much cloth
ing. One of their weapons of war is
the boomerang, and it is curious affair.
It is made OF very hard wood, three
feet long, four inches wide, one inch
thick the center, and bends edgeways
so as to make a third of q circle. With
the hand they are said to throw this
implement $50 yards, cutting off the
head of an enemy, aud having the
weapon return to the feet of the sender:
I have seen it thrown that distance and
return to the person who threw it.
The fuli-grown male kangaroo is
called ''boomer," and is about seven
and half feet long from his nose to
the end of his tail,-the tail being
about three and half feet of this, and
one foot in diameter at its base. He
lives on grass,- som etines invading the
fields of the frontiersmau and eating
up all he has. He stands on four legs
when fielding, and atpo other time.
His tail is full of powerful sinews, but
it is used only to assist in the equili-
brium while sitting, standing on the
toes and running. In sitting posture
he is about four aud half feet high ;
but when he stands. on his toes to sur.
vey the country or an enemy, he is
taller than man. He has soft ga
zelle-like expression; but the white
teeth gleam between the open lips. His
color is brown, tending in age. towards
red or gray, according to the species.
They weigh (the male) from $50 to 40
pounds each. The meat tastes some
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
aace 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
pounds, and long afterwards return to
it on appearance of danger. When the
mother is hard pressed by an enemy in
a chase she throws the young one ont of
the pouch, who thereby makes it's es-
cape.
There are kangaroo-dogs, very swift
and strong, especially adapted to hunt
ing the Kangaroo; but no experienced
dog will take one Of them without
somebody to back HIM. They jump
about fifteen feet at a time, usually, but
sometimes twenty Or more, and their
swiftness is prodigious. Nothing can
apparently overtake them in fair race,
and the usual way is to practically sur
round them. When hard pressed they
place their back to tree for the fight;
or, in preference, they always strike for
the water, if there is any near. They
try 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. They
will always leave dog to attack a
man.
After 9 O'Clock this morning, ten men
(inciuding myself started on horse
back, with four dogs, on a chase. All
were experienced in the business, ex.
cept young Englishman and myself.
I'VE took no frearms-a large
stick being the only. weapon to be
used. We mad no difficulty in finding
the animals. It was disdained
; to avoid such fences as we found, and
we jumped several of a height Of four to
five feet, always approaching them on
, full run. We divided the party, hall
lgoing 10 each side of partly open
plain. ] soon saw large kangaroo
and two small ones coming towards oul
party. We waited till they were nea,
enough TO see us, when they made q
right angle and went off st an astonish'
ing pace, in jumps of from fifteen te
twenty feet in length, going from eight
to ten feet in the air at each jump. VIZ
I lswent f6r,' the big one, but he quickly
!: Igot beyond our sight, the three having
J. already distanced the dogs. The kan
CARGO dogs hunt by sight, like the gray
hound. These three were all lost, VIZ
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