East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-07-14
AMUSEMLIEN 7 S

Among worlds travellers seeking the
strange in out of way places. it is
commonly agreed that no spot on the
globe offers such rich rewards as the
unbeaten trails of the Australian bush.
The natives of this vast silent wilder
ness. as interesting as they have up
to the present time been unknown,
save to the few more venturesome
sightseers who have penetrated Kan
garooland's dense, great inland for
ests, have long given chronological
students much to ponder and have
inspired no end of fiction in every
countrys tongue.
Many of the present-day customs
of these oive-skinned antipodeans
are preserved from their primitive an
cestry and with so ancient an origin,
small wonder is their phenomenal
proficiency with the odd implements
they always have known. Scientists
concede to these bush dwellers the
palm for mathematical accuracy and
mechanical precision by human
agency in their throwing of the uner-
ring boomerang, the manipulation of
which the writer attempts to briefly
describe as follows. The thrower.
grasping his boomerang quite at one
end in his right hand by rapid cir
cular movement of the arm above his
head sends the weapon on its course:
so swift is the flight that the eye can
scarcely follow the shadowy form of
the weapon until it reaches its culmi-
mating point some ninety or one hun
dred yards away, when it is seen
to flutter and hang an instant in the
air. and then come spinning back to
the hand of the thrower. This is the
manner of throwing at flying ducks
or other birds. the object being to
make the boomerang return as near
as possible to the thrower in the event
of missing its mark. When used in
fighting. the boomerang is started
from about the level of the thrower's
hip. and is most certain and often
deadly in its eject In demonstra
tions of this latter use human tar
gets are employed, who. provided
with small wooden shields. engage in
several spirited conflicts of a hazard
Gus nature, showing remarkable dex-
terity as they bound lithely about the
ample arena in their efforts to
prevent hits from the swift-flying
boomerangs
Further examples of this same Won
derful development. in what seems
their natural gift to minutely judge
distance are evidenced in their mag
ical control of the javelin or spear
strenuous pastime, the kangaroo
chase.
The tomahawk or small axe to a
Bushman is considered about the most
formidable and general implement of
utility constructed. He is taught to
WELD it from very infancy in aiding
to clear the thick brush about his
fathers dwelling. and dairy through
all his life in warfare or in peace,
finds it Necessary to his welfare. It's
used also in many of their peculiar
games for testing strength and skill,
ranks it with the boomerang and
spear.
OF the more modern essentials to
the equipment of these natives of the
bush, the bull or heavy stock whip is
the most important, and in handling
these they have attained truly mar
velous skill The whips used by these
experts range in length from twenty
to eighty-five feet. and the apparent
ease with which they launch the long,
stout throng. and the infallible accur-
acy of the stlnging lash finding its
intended object with the force and
crack of a pistol shot. is a veritable
revelation and a remarkably fine OBJ
ject lesson in practice makes per-
feet"
The force of the stroke of these
great whips is absolutely under con-
troll of the master hand: it can be
made to inflict a bloody cut, or barely
flick a fly. and it is said rowdy
steer once cut by the severe lash needs
but to hear its snap to insure his good
conduct at any future time. In their
arenic exhibitions are many such diff
ficult tests, quite elevating this whip
manipulation up to scientific standards
Some of these are most novel and ex-
treme in contrast, such as whipping
stout bottles thrown in the air and