The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-01-26

do not assert that the boomerang
In incapable of INJECTING serious injury
II made when in full fight TO strike
an opposing body, but that the Aus
tralian blacks habitually employ IL as
an e1ectiue means Of offense do not be-
lieve.
For several years lived in the bush
and on the gold fields OF that country.
During that time ] came into almost
daily contact with members of various
tribes, and in no one instance did
ever see the boomerang used otherwise
than as a plaything. Its form, ma
terial, light weight and bluntness unfit
it, | think, for deadly execution, and
however skillfully manipulated, it is
next to impossible for its thrower to
hit with it an aimed at, even motion
less object, much less an active human
enemy or u moving beast or bird
Possibly some of the far interior
blacks may use a more heavily-con-
structed boomerang in war and for the
chase, but have seen good deal of
the belligerent tribes of the Murray
river and its tributaries, the Darling
and Murrum bidgee, and never noticed
any of them carrying other than the
light weapon.
1t is only fair to add, however, that
almost everywhere, among the early
white settlers-shepherds and the like
Il was met by more or less startling
stories of the fearful execution wrought
by the boomerang in battle, but the
narrator had always heard the story
from some one else.
profess to give only what my own
eyes have seen. do not pretend that
my few years wanderings in Australia
have given me an extensive knowledge
of that vast island continent and its
original inhabitants.
The blackfellow, with infinite toll
and patience and by the aid of fire and
such rude cutting tools as he possesses,
makes. hi. soolaera, or kyLee, out of any
SuitNofe hafd WOOD, 6Nuaxsy xfotn ~
naturally bent limb of the karraway,
she oak or box tree; and sometimes,
perhaps, from the body of an iron bark
sapling, if a crooked one can be found
When finished, the missile is any
where from two to three feet long, is
approximately parabolic in form, has
width of two and one-quarter to three
inches and thickness of about FIVE
Fights of an inch. Its ends are rounded;
its concave face worked fiat and its
convex side is brought to dull edge.
In hurting it the black grasps it firmly
by one end, convex side outward and
fiat side up, and then, with a quick mo-
ton, as if bent on striking an object
some way in advance, projects it vio-
lently forward, ut the same instant
withdrawing his hand, and the imple-
ment flies through the air with a rotary
motion, ascends to some height. turns
about, and finally falls to the ground
Behind, in front of, or at one side of the
thrower.
In the month of December, 1852, n
number of us, all shipmates, who had
come out in the sailing ship Revenue,
Capt. Seth Crowell, which left the port
of New York July Sd of that year,
were encamped on the river Lodden, in
the colony of Victoria. Among us
there was fine, handsome fellow of
twenty-six, a lawyer by profession,
named Richard O'Brien. He hailed
from Brooklyn, l.. l., had been only
two years married and had left his
young wife in the city of churches
while he came to seek his fortune on
the Australian gold fields.
Dick, as we called him, was subject
ed to good deal of pleasant banter
and, probably, some secret envy, be-
cause he always wore on the little fin
ger of his right hand heavy, plain
gold ring, his wife's parting gift. On
the inside of the hoop of this ring was
engraved loving woman's prayer in
the simple words: God keep my hus-
band" and verify believe that not all
the wealth of the mines would have
tempted Dick TO part with it.
The word was not then in use, else
O'Brien would undoubtedly have said
that the precious trinket was his mas
cot for, so far, his luck had been ex-
ceptionally good
A dozen times II day. when he
thought himself unobserved, he would
take off the ring, look yearningly at
the inscription and then fall to work
again with increased energy, as if to
hasten the day of his return to its fair
donor.
We were all young men under twen-
ty-eight, and, however we might af-
feet to laugh at their display, we fully
sympathized with Dicks feelings, for
every one of us was beginning to suf-
fer from that terrible home sickness,
the worst form of which is, perhaps.
endured only by those who. as we then
were. are separated from kindred and
country by thousands of miles of track
less ocean.
One morning-it was Sunday, and we
were not working-a swarm of black
fellows came about our tents, begging
by signs for damper (unleavened
bread), sugar and Tea, of which they
are excessively fond.