Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-27

white men quite as in the natural
course of events. and showed no curl
osity whatever as to where they came
from or why their color was different
from theirs.
When one of the explorers lit his
pipe, the islanders casually remarked
one to another, "Why, he is burning
himself" The lighting of a fire with
match instead of by the use Of fire
sticks excited only their passing inter-
est, as did the boiling of water in a
billy or tin can.
They were armed with spears and
some of them had boomerangs, but
they made no unfriendly demonstra--
lions. whatever from first to last A
lot of penny whistles from Sidney
which Mr.. Hedley dealt out among
them as presents tickled their souls,
and presently the primeval forests of
Mornington Island rang with much
footing.
Primitive Notions.
When Mr.. Hedley showed one saw
| age how to whittle with a clasp knife
the savage insisted on scraping with
the blade, just as he would do with a
shell or sharp stone. and but for Mr.
Hedleys intervention he would have
cut his finger badly, for he could not
distinguish between the edge of the
knife-blade and its back.
| The island is not much use CONNER
cially. Mango swamps, poor grass
and poor soil make it undesirable for
white men, Yet the savages, notwith
standing these discouraging environ
ments, are well set up, strong and ac
| tive. though somewhat short of stat
| ure.
Kangaroo and other wild animals
abounded and bounded wherever the
explorers went. There was plenty o.
| timber, blood-wood. oak, beef-wood
and eucalypti, but the trees were mo-
very large The island was well water
ed. DIS
The scouting and sense of direction
displayed by the tame blacks Were
marvellous and fully up to all the tradi
tons of Australian aboriginal bushman
ship. Both DR.. Roth and Mr.. Hedle.
are good bushmen, but they were simp
ly beginners beside their attendants.
These boys would hold up hant
from time to time and ask their white
bosses if they did not hear savage
talking in the distance. The bosse
could not hear sound.
Then again, the guides would hea
insects hummnig far up in tree to-
which was far beyond the sense 0
hearing of the two whites. The part
would come upon a footprint or two Il
the dust and with but barely loo
at them the dark guides would explai
!. that man and woman had passed tina
place at 8 o'clock the night before
that the woman bore a heavy load c
something and several more particl
lars, la Sherlock Holmes.
Most Remarkable Feat.
, But their most remarkable feat wa
, their finding the party's boat, no ma
) ter how many zigzags the party ha
taken and no matter how deep the
were in the jungle. They woul
bring the whites out upon the beacf
: every time, withinia quarter of mil
of the boat, without any appal
= ent effort at all. With absolut,
{ ly no marks, such as blazed trees c
n paths, or with the sun to diret
n them, but by sheer savage instint
I of locality, they. would accomplis
! this.
/ In 1892, Capt. Matthew Flinders {
:, the British navy, one of the heroe
4 of Australian discovery, surveyed tn
il Gulf of CaIpentaria and found Nor
{ ington Island. He did not land upo
it, so ia" a, known, so DIR. Roth an
Mr.. Hadley were the first white me
ever to set foot upon it. Sewers
e times when on it they saw clouds {
# smoke rising from the bush on tn
o mainland in the far distance, The