The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-04-18
PRICE THREE CENTS.
THE BOOMERANG.
WHAT THIS CRUDE WEAPON CAN
ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH.

Many Of the Fables Told About II Ex-
ploded-The Cockatoo story Made Out Of
'whole Cloth"-There Il No OccsriOu "a
Invent Stories About the Uncanny Thing.
More has been written and less is un.
derstood Of the boomerang than of almost
any other weapon. II is generally known
to be fat stick of wood bent into g
shape which suggests the combination
Of v and U, although with the ex-
tremities spread apart until they are at
right angles with each other. In point
Of fact, boomerangs are Of almost every
shape, from semi-circular to nearly
straight, and seem to depend for theii
efficiency not so much upon the evident
form as upon the curves which are
shown upon their fiat sides. If one takes
a boomerang and looks along its sharp
outer edge it is seen that this edge pre-
sents d wavy appearance-a delicately
adjusted sinuosity like the line of long
screw. This curve is not elaborately
fashioned or smoothed into evenness
the hard wood of which the boomerang
is usually made. being picked out with
short blows from sharpened flint held
in the hand, almost always shows, in
deed, infinite Irregularities.
| NO UNIFORM PLAN.
What rule of construction the savage
artificer follows even he himself would
! probably be unable to say. Yet he has
some. definite plan in mind, no doubt, for
while he chips and pecks away at the
wood he takes frequent squints along its
edge to see how his curves are progress
ing. have never seen two boomerangs
that were just alike. but all are similar
in their relations of curves along the fiat
side. The boomerang maker knows in
stinctiyely just where his boomerang
will 20 when he throws it, although he
never seems to aim any two in the same
way.
More lies have been told about the
boomerang than can be well enumerated
and nearly every Australian traveller
comes back with fresh assortment
One hears of men who can 80 throw 6
boomerang that it kills an enemy behint
a tree and then comes cheerfully f1utter
ing back to its owner, who thereupor
hurls it on fresh mission of carnage
A flock of frightened cockatoos, speed
ing in intricate gyrations through air te
escape the attack Of natives who want 9
bird for dinner, are pursued at every
turn by these erratic weapons, which
strike them down dozen each, and sc
return to the hand that cast them. Ole
wives fables these, at which Australians
laugh, knowing in the nature of things
their falsity.
In the first place the war boomerang
is not made for return, and is only
slightly bent, so that it may go hopping
and bounding along the earth like hoop
and make capacious holes in the bodiel
of the adversary These are of hard
heavy wood. and ugly things to be hi
withal; but the return boomerang il
simply a plaything, or to be used il
light hunting. and although it might giv'
man a painful rap. could not seriously
iniure him. As for the cockatoo story
it has this much of truth, that nativ'
boomerang hurler, if he saw flock fly
ing by him In straight course, could st
cast his weapon as to come upon then
unawares at given point in their fight
and, perhaps, knock one down-but hi
boomerang would drop, too, having nj
power of fight after it has struck any
thing.
WHAT IT WILL REALLY DO.
The boomerang is sufficiently remark
able without being regarded in the ligh
of long bow, and drawn by every tour
ist in the colonies. 1t Is held perpen
dicularly and taken firmly in the hant
by one of its extremities, with the othe
pointed forward, and is hurled with
full arm and assisted by run and SWIM
of the whole body. A slight turn Of tn
wrist at the moment Of discharge cause
it to assume various erratic courses
Sometimes it will fly straight forwar,
for 100 or even 200 yards, then ris
sharply to great height, lose its force
and futter down to the feet Of tn
thrower. Again, it will rise in the all
swoop down with immense rapidity, an
skim around in a great semi-circle fey
inches from the ground, rise once NOR
and return to the spot whence it started
It will also start off in great swoo
to the right, reverse it and turn to tn
left, skim around the thrower in serie
of ever narrowing circles, and, fndin
their center. fall into it like an exhauste
bird. There is something uncanny abou
the thing: its movements are so uneX
pected and out Of reason that it seems t
be alive and to take a savage delight il
strange shoots and dashes, which max
the NEW chum" (Australian equivalen
for "tenderfoot') dodge every time
turns lest 1t should knock him on tn
head.
The yarn about the Australian hlark
always throwing the boomerang wit
their backs to the object they desire t
hit is piece of the same whole cloth
as the cockatoo fable and the lie abou
tho missile returning to its owner afte
killing the gentleman behind the tres
An expert thrower can cause his boomer
ang to shoot behind him after shol
preliminary excursion in front, and com
very near a given object; but if he reall
wants to hit anything, either in huntin
! or war, he doesn't fool away his tim
with the return boomerang, but throw
the heavy, nearly straight one, whic
goes direct to the mark without an
hourishes. Such is the boomerang
/ two-formed utensil, with one shape use
for business, the other for sport.-Col
: Springfield (Msss.) Republican.