The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-12-02

ton and fall back of the protector. The
gyratory motion is impaired to it by sud
den jerk of the arm just before it is re-
leased The whole course of the boomer
ang depends upon the way in which this
peculiar jerk is given.
King Delaroo threw the first boomer
ang, and the people who saw its fight
said "Oh y He stood in about the cen
tire of the field, and apparently with no
exertion, threw his boomerang directly at
the bleaching boards where the spectators
were seated The missile came whirling
through the air, gaining speed as it flew,
Suddenly it appeared to be DETECTED from
its course by the resistance of the air, and
it began to circle toward the left and to
soar up Its flight resembled that of a
swallow and it was accompanied by noise
like buzz saw because Of its gyratory
motion Continuing on this upward circle
to the left, it passed behind Delaroo and
then Huttered down and dropped at his
feet. Every one except the black fellows
and the cannibal lady, who leaned against
goal post and looked bored, was sur
prised King Delaroos companions began
to show what they could do, and for an
hour there was an entertaining exhibition
of skill They threw boomerangs that
sailed along about six feet from the ground
FIR twenty rods and then circled to the
right, passing behind the protector and
circling around again, and finally dropping
at his feet They threw the missiles so
that they would make dozen different
circles, but, unlike the hero of the song,
they always came back,
\ black fellow who is skilled eau stand
on one side of house and throw a boom
erang so that it will hit man on the other
side They gave exhibitions of the way
they use boomerangs in hunting when they
are too tired to 90 and chase them. If a
rabbit happens to be hopping along twenty
yards away the hunter hurls his boomer
ang so that if it misses the rabbit it will
strike the ground, bound up in the air,
and circle back 10 him. This saves work
for the hunter and it doesn't annoy the
rabbit A dozen such boomerangs were
thrown yesterday The missile would
strike the ground in front of the thrower
once and sometimes twice, and then, as if
gaining new force, would soar up in the
air and come back gently to the throwers
feet Some writings on boomeIangs have
claimed that when they were thrown in
this way they would not return. They did
return yesterday.
\ boomerang can be thrown from 300
to 500 feet in such way that it will re-
turn to the thrower. 1t is apparently
pretty hard thing to get out from under
one of these missiles when it is hurled at
you, for no one except the thrower eau tell
what kind of motion it is going to have.
1t can play tag with victim all over the
lot. as a cat does with mouse, and sud
denly rush at him and deal him blow
fthat would do credit to a police. If 1t has
the right kind of an edge. It may cut man
open or rip him up the back. In fact, it
is puzzle, and this is the way Mr.. Gun
nineham explains it origin.
Once upon time, he says, there was a
cannibaI king who was very lazy. After
dining heavily on an old friend he stretched
himself out under bandanna sheet to rest
and save his complexion. He noticed that
as the leaves of this tree fell they would
sometimes sail out from the tree and then
come back again. He shaped a piece of
wood like one of these leaves, and after
little practice he found that he could hurl
it 50 that he might stab his friends in the
back while he was facing them in friendly
conversation This recommended it, and
it became popular. That was the boomerang.
After the black fellows had shown what
they could do with boomerangs yesterday,
they sang song without words and gave
some native dances. Mr.. Cunningham
says that tn y are going to exhibit in open
air gardens in England and on the Cont
nent The exhibition yesterday proves
that the term boomerang is not out OF
place in politics.