The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-01-30

which none dare to answer. But boom erangs are not the peculiar property of the Australian aboriginal. as they were WnoWn 10 and used by the Egyptians in days before the pyramids were built. and are still to be found among some Of the isolated aboriginal tribes of india. The peculiar property of the Australian black fellow, CuriOusly enough, is not a possession, but the absence of a pos session. It is not that he possesses the boomerang, but that he doea not pos sess the bow and arrow. In this. he is alone of all races and tribes of men upon the face of the earth, not even ex- cluding those of the lowest human type, and in spite of the fact that the in habitants of islands within a, cOmpara- lively speaking, short distance of his coast line are among the finest and most powerful archers humanity has ever produced. Throughout the Pacific islands the bow and arrow will every where be found; in New Guinea it is the staple weapon, and at the Prince of Wales Islands, just off the northern coast of Australia, the natives shoot six foot arrow with ease from bow that a muscular white man can barely draw to his elbow. But on the main- land of the continent bows and arrows are unknown, while the warriors 'wield the boomerang as it was wielded by the men who lived on the Nile centuries be- fore Thebes or Memphis was built. Wherefore is it difficult to trace the ori- gin of this curiosity, difficult, that is, for a white man. The black fellow knows whence it came and treasures the knowledge in legend, which is not altogether without a trace of poetry, whatever may, be it's character as to ve- racity.
 Plenty long ago." was the beginning of the story as the writer heard it. "Plenty long ago" the moon was a beautiful young gin Cor girD and the sun fierce, restless warrior of another tribe. The warrior, desiring the young girl as a wife, followed the orthodox aboriginal method of courtship and sought to bounce upon her unowares with the kindly intention of knocking her on the head and carrying her off to
 
 girl was opposed to his attentions, and in order to protect herself she wrapped herself in rug of black 'possum skins and only peeped around the end of it a little at a time lest her admirer should see her and carry her off. Sometimes he did see her. and bounced upon her, but ever was she able to dodgo~behind the shelter of the black 'possum skin rug and so elude him, for when she founded, and could only wander about wondering how she had escaped. At last the constant disappointment made him grow angry and sulky; yet when next he had a glimpse of her face peer ing around the shelter he sprang for ward. As was usual, the face van- ished; but he, being sullSy, swore he would try for her, no more, and lay down to sleep then and there.
 The young girl, crounching under the cover of her rug, listened for his rak- ing footsteps to pass on. For long time she listened,l1 but heard nothing, and then, being like all gins, more cu- rious than crafty, she must needs peep around the end of@the rug again to see what the silence meant, The warrior, lying still. saw the gleam of the face and gathered himself silently for spring. With, hersLcuriosity unsatisfed the girl peeped further, and the warrior, impatient in his angeh, leapt at her. His hands caught the edge of her face with mighty grip; but she, terrified at the sight of him,$flung herself back with so much vigor that fragment of her face broke off in the warriors hands Then did his rage burst all bounds, and with "a yell he flung the thing he held down upon the earth. There, later men found it. Idly they picked it up and, amarvelling what it could be, threw it from them. At once it whirIed through the air up toward the clouds, travelling round and round like the black cockatoos fly before they start on long journey, but going fur ther and faster than even onything thrown by man went before, until it suddenly plunged downward and stuck in the earth at the feet of the black fel- low who had thrown it, and then his comrades tried it, always with the same result, and at last the men, fearing