Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-03-23
Tho Black Fellow. OF Australia.


1t is fact that 1t Is hard to teach the
Australian aborigines anything useful.
They are naturally lazy and indolent, un-
settled and of rowing disposition. They
will not stay long at any placs. and If
raised from their degraded position into
more comfortable conditions, necessitating
the breaking with their natural mode of
living, they will almost invariably return
to this at their first opportunity, and the
same may be said of the half castes, who
otherwise are far superior to their cable
parents and her relatives.
1t is an oft-repeated occurrence in Aus
tralia that half-cast child has been re-
moved, when eight or ten years old, to the
surroundings of civilization, has been
given an education equal to any white
child of the better classes of the commu-
nifty, and Notwithstanding this, upon COM
ing into contact with his own race has re-
turned to the black fellows camp, ignor-
ing book-lesrning, fine linen and the COM
forts of civilized life.
In two capacities the black fellows have
been found satisfactory-as trackers and
in the native police. can only find cor
rect expression for their power of tracking
by calling 1t instinct. l have been with
them searching for men whose every trace
had been practically lost, but the black
They are more sure than bloodhounds.
When the track ceases, through some mys-
terious agency they seem to know where
to go to find 1t again.
In the native police they are very useful
as trackers. This police consists of small
troops of mounted, uniformed black fell
lows under the command of European of
fcers. They act as gendarmes in the out
| lying districts and are principally used fol
the purpose of bringing msrauding blacks
| to account. 1t is not uncommon that the
up-country blacks spear tho cattle on the
station, or murder travellers or settlers
and 1t Is principally in such cases ths
the native polics becomes useful.
| The manner in which they surprise {
camp of savage aborigines ia chsrscteris
tic. Having ascertaioed that they art
near a camp some Of them dismount ant
strip to the skin. Then they fasten thei
| carbines to their ankle by means of piec,
of rope or a chain, and, trailing 1t through
the long grass, approach the camp.
The unsuspeoting blacks come to NEE
their sable brothers, when, quick as light
ming, the trooper stoops, brings his car
bine to level aud sends death and de
| struction into the camp.
The aboriginal thinks a good deal NOR
of his dogs than of his women. Dog
are always found about the camp in larg
numbers. They are of q mongrel bree'
and generally starved to ferocity. TIL
black fellow in most cases Ia q polygamis
and his wives are used for carrying every
thing from their babies to their hus
bands wespons-including all their cam
paraphernalia, rstions, or whatever els
they may wish to transport, while th
lordly master marches along with perhsp
wsddie or a boomerang as the only bun
den to impede his progress.
| But II, as in many instances, the black
be savage, the white men with whom the
come In contact are no less 30. The III
of black fellow is counted as nothing
and the depredations perpstrated upo
them by settlers are numerous and ofte
particularly cruel.
The spearing of a few head of cattle o
station, where thousands are grazing o
the runs, has often cost the lives {
many black fellows, and I know of se'
eral Instances whore the camp has bee
rsided and the women carried away
white men, while It Is q fact that thel
are settlers who have made 1t a point
shoot any black fellow found on the
vast domains, to svenge some murds
committed In the arst place BY the black