The St. Johns herald., 1894-01-18
AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES
A Race That Defes the Influences
 of Civilization.
Native Policemen Who Track Their Own People Down and Slaughter Them in the CrueIest Manner for
 Personal Gain.

Itis fact that it is hard to teach the Australian aborigines anything useful, says an article in the Californian. They are naturally lazy and indolent, unsettled and of rowing disposition. They will not stay long in any place, and if raised from their degraded posi- tion into more comfortable conditions, necessitating the b 'eal1ing with their natural mode of living, they will al- most 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 sable parent and her relatives.
 It is an oft-repeated occurrence in Australia that a half-caste child has been removed. 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 community, and notwithstanding this, upon coming in contact with his own race, has returned to the black fellows camp, ignoring book learning, fine linen, and the comforts of civil ized life
 In two capacities the black fellows have been found satisfactory-as tracbers and in the native police. 1 can only find a correct expression for their power of tracking by calling it instinct. I have been with them searching for men whose every trace had been practically lost, but the black tracl1er has found them in spite of all. They are more sure than bloodhounds. When the track ceases, through some mysterious agency, they see m to know where to go to find it again.
 In the native police they are very useful as trackers. This police consists of small troops of mounted, uniformed black fellows under the commend of European officers. They act as gend- armes in the outlying districts, and are principally used for the purpose of bringing marauding blacks to account. It is not uncommon that the up-coun- try blacks spear the cattle on the sta tion or murder travellers or settlers, and it is principally in such cases that the native police become useful.
 The manner in which they surprise camp of savage aborigines is charac- teristic. Having ascertained, that they are near a camp some of them dis mount and strip to the skin. Then they fasten their carbine to their ankle by means of rope or a chain, and. trail ing it through the long grass, approach the camp.
 The unsuspecting blacks come to meet their sable brothers, when, quick as lightning, the trooper stoops, brings his carbine to level, and sends death and destruction into the camp.
 The aboriginal thinks good deal more of his dogs than of his women. Dogs are always found about the camp in large numbers. They are of mon- grel breed and generally starved to fe- rocity. The black fellow in most cases is polygamist, and his wives are used for carrying everything from their babies to their husbands weapons-in- cluding all their camp paraphernalia, rations, or whatever else they may wish to transport, while the lordly master marches along with perhaps a waddie ora boomeranga as the only bur den to impede his progress.
 But if, as in many instances, the blacks be savage the white men with whom they come in contact are no less so The life of black fellow is count ed as nothing, and the dcpredations perpetrated upon them by settlers ere numerous and often particularly cruel.