Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-06-05
BOOMERANG AND SPEAR.
How the Natives of Australia Use Thes
Two Peculiar Weapons.

How the Natives of Australia Use These
Two Peculiar Weapons.
More has been written, and less is under
stood, of the boomerang than of almost any
other weapon, writes Springfield (Mass.)
Republican correspondent from Hobart,
Tasmania. 1t is generally known to be
fat stick of wood bent into shape which
suggests combination of "V'' and a 20"
although with the extremities spread apart
until they are at right angles with each
other. In point of fact, boomerangs are of
almost every shape, from Semicircular to
nearly straight, and seem to depend for their
efficiency not 50 much upon the evident
form as upon the curves which are shown
upon their fiat sides. IL one takes a boom
erang and looks along the sharp outer edge,
it is seen that this edge presents a wavy
appearances delicately adjusted sinuosity
like the line of long screw. This curve is
not deliberately 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.
What rule of construction the savage
artifcer 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 it's edge to see how
his curves are progressing. l have never
seen two boomerangs that were just alike,
but all are similar in their relations of
curves along the nat side. The boomerang
maker knows instinctively just where his
boomerang will go when he throws it, al
though he never seems to aim any two in
the same way.
More lies have been told about the BOOM
erang than can be well enumerated, and
nearly every Australian traveller comes
back with fresh assortment. One hears
of men who can so throw boomerang that
it kills an enemy behind a tree and then
comes cheerfully futtering back to its
owner, who thereupon hurls it on a fresh
mission of carnage. A flock of frightened
cockatoos, speeding in intricate gyrations
through the air to escape the attack of
natives who want a bird for dinner, are
pursued at every turn by these cratic
weapons, which strike them down dozen
each, and so return to the hand that cast
them Old 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
body of the adversary. These are of hard,
heavy wood, and ugly things to be hit
withal; but the return boomerang is sim
ply play thing, or to be used in light hunt
ing, and, although it might give a man a
painful rap, could not seriously injure him.
AS for the cockatoo story, it has this much
of truth-that native boomerang hurler,
if he saw flock flying by him in a straight
course, could so cast his weapon as to come
how
perhaps, knock one down; but his boom.
erang would drop too, having no power OF
flight after it has struck any thing.
The boomerang is sufficiently remarkable
without being regarded in the light of a
long bow, and drawn by every tourist in
the colonies. 1t is held perpendicularly and
taken firmly in the hand by one of its ex.
tremltles, with the other pointed forward
and Is hurled with full arm and assisted
by run and swing of the whole body. A
slight turn of the wrist at the moment OF
discharge causes it to assume various err.
ratio courses. Sometimes it will fly straight
forward for one hundred or even two hun.
dred yards, then rise sharply to a great
height, lose its force, and f1utter down to
the feet Of the thrower. Again, it will rise
In the air, swoop down with immense rap
ld1ty, and skim around in great semi
circle few inches from the ground, rise
once more, and return to the spot whence il
started. 1t will also start off in great
swoop to the right, reverse it and turn to
the left, skim around the thrower in a
series of ever-narrowing circles, and, find.
! ing their center, fall into it like an ex-
| hausted bird. There is something uncanny
about the thing; its movements are so un.
| expected and out of reason that it seems to
be alive, and to take savage delight in
strange shoots and dashes, which make the
new chum" australian equivalent fol
''tenderfoot') dodge every time it turns
lest it should knock him on the head.
| The yarn about the Australian blacks al
ways throwing the boomerang with theil
backs to the object they desire to hit is
| piece off the same ''whole cloth' as the
cockatoo fable, and the lie about the missile
returning to its owner after killing the
gentlemen behind the tree. An exper
thrower can cause his boomerang t.
shoot behind him after short preliminary
excursion in front, and come very near
given object, but if he wants to hit any thing
either in hunting or war, he doesn't foo
away his time with the return boomerang
but throws heavy, nearly straight one
which goes direct to the mark without an,
hourishes. Such is the boomerang-a two
formed utensil, with one shape for business
the other for sport.
Another ingenious continuance used b.
the natives is the handle and thong wnicl
they use in propelling their spears-thes
being generally of taperlng, sharp pointe,
sticks of hard wood, although sometime
| tipped with flint or iron. To add to tn
force of their discharge some sable philosc
pher whose name is lost took a bit of thicI
stick about foot long, fastened to one ga
OF it strip of leather or cord terminal
ing in socket, wherein to set the bntt @
his spear, and was ready for action, Whe
the cord or stripot leather was laid alon
the spear, the handle came In the center
and was held on the under side of tn
weapon when it was cast. When the spea
left the hand, the handle and its appendag
of leather or cord remained, and by deS
ferrous movement on the part of the throwe
acted Ikea sling to accelerate the fight c
the shaft By this device. the spearma
gained the same advantage that a SINCE
enjoys over person who hurls a stone b
his unaided arm-so that cases are know
I where spears thus hurled have flown tvs
hundred yards, and gone completely throug
the body OF the man who was unluck
enough to serve as target.
An Electrical Trumpet.