Evening star., 1928-12-09

where the marks of some score Of
naked feet converged upon them.
Rod could read the story on the
ground as readily as written page.
Here's where they caught him!" he
said. 'See how they came with run
the length of stride shows that, and the
weight on the ball of the foot" Then
after glance around, he breathed With
relief. mo signs of blood, so they
curious about him. Notice how they
grouped around him! nearly all in front.
See! He started off with them"
A couple of miles farther on we came
to a place where the aborigines had
| joined a larger mob and camped for
| the night.
For the greater part of the next day
| we followed in the tracks of the tribe,
but failed to overtake them.
That large muster of blacks was
| converging on some rendezvous became
obvious from the number of smoke
signals that kept rising from various
points of the compass.
"All these smokes going up looks bad
for Madison" Rod remarked presently.
'The blacks are excited at having caught
white man, and they're passing the
news around"
Watching the smoke signals and fol-
lowing the tracks we came at last. after
long walk to place where the blacks
had turned off at a sharp angle and
apparently made detour around some
scattered quartz ridges.
Here we picked up Maddison's tracks
again. For perhaps half mile we fol-
lowed on, then, quite suddenly, the
character of the country changed. The
soil turned to gravelly loan, thickets
1f fpna H.
passable mulga trees grew in favored
spots.
We had entered a comparatively fer
tile stretch, and we went cautiously
forward. We had not gone far when
We came to a big "break-aWay" from
which the ground fell rather sharply,
SO that we could get good view for
miles. Down below on the fiat the
number of fires seemed to indicate that
the locality was literally alive with
black fellows. Over a space of perhaps
10 acres We could count quite a score
of camping places.
At the near side of the fiat, directly
beneath us, lay the corroboree ground.
This was simply large cleared space
such as people might make for the
holding Of a circus. The blacks were
busily at work on it, the women of the
tribes, assisted by immature boys, be-
ing engaged in carrying armfulS OF
Spinifex and bruShwood to various bon
fires piled at intervals around the big
circle. These, so Rod informed me,
were to be the illuminations. Closer to
us a number Of men were building a
brushwood ring.
That" said Rod, in answer to my
question, sis the big sacred circle.
What happens in there is a mystery,
but have an idea that at the close
of each nights corroboree the initiated
bucks indulge in a little cannibalism.
Down Coolgardie way the blacks call 1t
chance they may take it into their
heads to try Madison as bit of a
change from 'picaninny.'
x X X
DARKNESS came at last, and then
~ the fiat, with its numerous camp
fires, took on the appearance of little
town. For time we could see dark
figures moving to and fro, and then
we noticed a general movement toward
the corroboree ground.
We'll have a look there" Rod de-
cided.
Now to approach the corroboree
grounds of wild natives meant taking
ones life in ones hands, but Rod was
equal to the occasion.
BLACK fellow tricks" he remarked
laccnically as, with his big clasp knife,
he Topped some leafy branches from a
nearby ti-tree.
These branches we thrust into our
waist belt so that the leaves formed a
canopy over our heads, thus camou-
faging us so completely that IN the
darkness we blended readily with the
surrounding scrub.
From the glare of the big fires we
perceived that the corroboree was now
! in full swing, so, moving carefully for
ward. slipping stealthily from bush to
! bush. we were able to approach right to
| the edge of the clearing. Rod chose the
end farthest away from the sacred
circle.
Apart from the big central fire the
whole scene was lit by four other f1res
| which were kept fed from heaps OF
brushwood Behind the big blaze squat
ted the orchestra-the women OF the
| tribe-each armed with short stick,
with which she beat time either on the
ground or on a block Of wood brought
| for the purpose. This beating ran in
kind of rhythm, which was added to by
| ia la" chorus, thus producing gen.
eral effect that was not unmuSlcal.
| When we arrived the stage was empty,
but very soon three strong young bucks
came prancing into the freight and be-
gan a sort of spear-dance.
| AS I watched, fascinated, Rod WhiS-
pered that I was to stay where was
while he secuted around for some sign
of Madison.
He returned carrying bundle. Mad
dison's clothes. he explained laconi-
cally. Hes sitting over there among
| the bucks showing off his tattoo marks.
He's quite mad and don't know how
we are going to get him away from this
crowd. I found his clothes hung on a
bush, with the boots underneath"
Even as we considered the situation 1t
!, solved itself.
From the mems end of the clearing a
dozen or more performers emerged and
came gliding toward the fire. This was
evidently to be mass scene, probably
war dance.
Suddenly Q naked white man came