The Washington times., 1901-11-17
REALHUMAN BLOODHOUNDS
Black Australians Employed to
Run Down Fugitive Criminals.
TracIsers Who Possess a Mysterious
Power-MHrveIous Instinct Which
Never FniIs-Some Thrilling Man
Hunts Which Proved Successful.


; When a man commits crime in Aus
tralia he knows that his chances fo
escape are hopeless If "tracker'' is pu
J upon his trail within twenty four hour,
thereafter. A trucker is & native blacl
man, one of a tribe endowed with a mar.
velous instinct which enables them tC
run down to his hiding place any Grim
inal fleeing from justice. These men are
literally known as bloodhounds, and theiI
strange power is possessed by no other
race of people in the world.
1t has been my good fortune TO follow
a man hunt with these tracl1ers on sev-
eral occasions. not as an official, but as
a participant in adventure. I say it has
been my good fortune" because the ex-
perience of trailing with human blood
hounds is about as interesting. unusual,
and exciting a one as can be imagined.
Once given the scent tracker will pur-
sue and discover his game with never
| failing success, unless the criminal has
had sufficient start to enable him :s put
to sea, in which case the black man can
only follow him to the waters edge.
The peculiar power of the black detec-
| tives was first discovered by the white
surveyors in the antipodes through their
| extraordinary success in locating lost per-
| sons in the bush. An unerring instinct
| coupled with inexplicably keen judgment,
made 1t possible for them to take up a
| trail and follow 1t until the lost man was
! found, dead or alive, even though the
| Journey led through forests where the
| black pursuer never had been. Their use
fulness as trackers of criminals was thus
| suggested, and they have since proved
themselves invaluable to the police So
iRtf ic fla.., gg.Ig
| when black starts out on a man hunt
the officer who accompanies him merely
follows in his wake, leading his own
| horse. and does not question him or in
| any way interfere with him, no matter
| In what direction the guide may go, or
now apparently reasonless or futile his
method The officer knows that the sim
ple-minded aborigine possesses a cum
ning and sense of divination superior to
his own trained intelligence. and SO keeps
a respectful silence
The most expert etrackers are found in
the State of Queensland, near the borders
of New South Wales They are animated
by no feeling of Yengeans toward their
quarry and will travel faithfully for any
number of miles, intent upon their task
and unmindful of any obstacles or danger.
SEEMING to take delight in the accomplish
ward ridiculously out of proportion to
their labor-a few shiIlings, some tobacco
or gewgaws sufficing them. OF the value
of money they have no conception. Rum
is their weakness. 1 have known of a |
tracker employed to locate certain yaIu- |
able trees for a timber man travelling !
forty miles through a forest so dense that
he had to cut his way with a tomahawk |
ia necessary weapon down there for ex- |
plorers), and being content with a reward |
of a bottle OF rum, while the timber man |
realized $3.50 from the sale of the tree
They are submissive, courageous, and |
alert. Their knowledge of English is |
very imperfect. few broken words. !
signs. and gestures conveying their mean
ing.
My first man hunt was with Charlie
a splendid specimen of aboriginal sym
metry, and muscular development. His |
eyes were large, black. and dreamy, but
brilliant when aroused to the business of
tracking. His general appearance was
somewhat like that OF a negro, his COM
plexion and skin totally black, showing
tinge of copper in the sun. His fine
strong. white teth seemed capable of as
sisting him to devour any sort of wild
game. The usual loin garment of kan
of light cotton cloth provided by the po-
lice. He led a horse, for use in getting
over the ground quickly in the open coun-
try, where the footprints of the fugitive
are usually distinct enough to follow on
horseback.
l had business that took me to the
Queensland border, en- route through the
Nightcap Mountains, and was looking for
ward with little pleasure to the loneliness
OF the trip when l was overtaken by an
officer and Charlie like myself on horse
back, the officer having some wrist jewel
~ and warrant for the apprehension of
a cattle stealer. Now, cattle stealing in
Australia is a serious offense, the cattle
avs there being most strict. The offender
had two days start of his pursuers and
was known to be a well-seasoned bush |
man. who would resort to considerable
cunning to elude capture, being thorough
y familiar with the methods OF the track
srs. This made the chase the more ex-
,iting.
Charlie had struck the trail some fifteen
miles back L was glad enough to be
given permission to accompany them.
know all the trails myself. having been
over the ground pretty thoroughly from
point to point but Il is dull riding alone
y
he depressing silence but the whistle of
he ''coachman." a bird whose note is so
ike the sound of a cracking of whip
hat one could declare a team was about
o appear in the road, or the bellbird in {
he topmost tree branches, or the
laughing jackass,' a strange bird that !
nocks one from overhead with a start
ngly natural sound of derision that '
choes far into the wood Then. too, the
rails are deceptive, many times leading !
o a deserted wood camp beneath foliage {
o dense that it is impossible to catch even I
glimpse Of the sky.
There was comparatively little difficulty :
or Charlie in keeping to the track of the f
fugitive the next eighteen miles. although | d
or at least half that distance neither the ! !
ficer nor myself could discern anything /
hat locked like an imprint We con- n
ersed but little, and then in low tones,
hat we might not divert Charles atten- q
ion or disturb his meditations. =
Not once did the black raise his eyes 5
rom the ground. Several times he dis r
lounted and examined the earth closely, {
ausIng for some minutes before going h
orward. as though to get his bearings 7
rom other senses than that Of sight. n
Darkness closes in very quickly in the I
regions, and by nightfall we II
'ere glad to reach an accommodation d
ouse," or selector's (rancher'sl home, II
here travellers are usually allowed to i"
ut up for the night. Here the officer
red to get some information of his man. t,
ut no one had seen him. At daylight we | b
tarted out and followed the main road u
,r few hours. then Charlie turned into