Part 7 (1/2)

That evening a _corroboree_ on a gigantic scale was held in reat rejoicing at my return, which, of course, they never dreamed was involuntary Human nature is, as I found, the same the world over, and one reason for my elcome was, thattribe, and were convinced that if I would help them to retaliate, they could not fail to inflict tre beconed to my fate, I consented to lead them in their next battle, on condition that two shi+eld-bearers were provided to protectthe first time I had ever undertaken war operations with my friends, I determined that the experinity should in no way suffer I declared, first of all, that I would choose as my shi+eld-bearers the two most expert men in the tribe There was much competition for these honoured posts, and many warriors deth I chose two stalwart fellows, naa and Bommera, and every day for a week they conducted some trial manoeuvres with their friends There would be a kind of ahts of spears would be hurled atdexterity by my alert attendants All I was provided as my steel tomahawk and bow and arrows I never really became expert with the spear and shi+eld, and I knew only too well that if I handled these clu the blacks

After a week or two of practice and sham combats, I felt an organising an arether I collected about 100 fightingspears, a shi+eld ht wood, and a short, heavy waddy or club for use at close quarters When everything was in readiness, I marched off at the head of my ”army” and invaded the enemy's country We were followed by the usual crowd of women-folk, who saw to the commissariat department and did the transport thee streath reached a suitable place in which to engage the enemy It is difficult for e it to be between Murchison and Newcastle ranges The country in which the operations took place was a fine open grassy plain, thinly skirted with trees and with ht here to describe my personal appearance on this ireat chief, and led my people into battle, filled with the same enthusiasm that animated theht of nearly two feet from my head, and was decorated with black and white cockatoo feathers My face, which had now become very dark from exposure to the sun, was decorated in four colours--yellohite, black, and red

There were two black-and-white arched stripes across the forehead, and a yellow curving line across each cheek under the eye I also wore a fairly long beard, moustache, and side-whiskers There were four different-coloured stripes on each arm, whilst on the body were four vari- coloured stripes, two on each side; and a long, yellow, curving stripe extended across the stomach, belt-wise Around my middle I wore a kind of double apron of emu skin, with feathers There were other stripes of different-coloured ochres on ine I presented a terrifying appearance Of this, however, I soon grew quite oblivious--a fact which I afterwards had occasion bitterly to regret It were, indeed, well for me that I had on subsequent occasions realised better the bizarre nature of my appearance, for had I done so I would probably have reached civilisation years before I did

At this period, then, you findthem on to battle attired as one of their own chiefs in every respect, and with nearly all their tribal round,the fact of our invasion, and challenging the enee was pronals, but as at least a day onists could arrive I spent the interval in devising a plan of battle--oddly enough, on the lines of a famous historic Swiss encounter at Grandson five or six centuries ago

I arranged that fifty or sixty men, under the leadershi+p of a chief, should occupy soround in our rear, to form a kind of ambush

They were also to act as a reserve, and were instructed to conalled for the out their weird war- cry of ”Warra-hoo-oo,--warra-hoo-oo!” I concluded that this in itself would strike terror into the hearts of our opponents, ere accustoed at one ti about troops held in reserve, or tactics of any kind whatsoever The native method of procedure, as, I think, I have already remarked, was usually to dash pell- ht, until one side or the other drew blood, without which no victory could be gained

Just before the battle commenced I had a real inspiration which practically decided the affair without any fighting at all It occurred to hteen inches high, and shot an arrow or two from my bow, the enemy would turn tail and bolt And so it turned out As the armies approached one another in full battle array they presented quite an i appearance, and when a suitable distance separated them they halted for the inevitable abusive parley

Into the undignified abuse, needless to reround The spokes without pluck--said that they were cowards, and would soon have their livers eaten by the invaders There was any a For these blacks apparently find it i pitch without first being worked up to an extraordinary degree of exciteot perfectly delirious, and the first spear was about to be thrown, I dashed to the front on my stilts Several spears were launched at me, but my shi+eld-bearers turned them on one side I then shot half-a-dozen arrows into the enemy's ranks in alht of ”invisible spears” was perfectly indescribable With a series of appalling yells the eneave chase, and wounded ht being always upperht be a useful stroke of business to ht possibly be of service to me in that journey to civilisation, the idea of which I never really abandoned from the day I was cast upon my little sand-spit Furthermore, it flashed across my mind that if I made these nomadic tribes interested in ht travel enormous distances inland--perhaps even to the borders of civilisation itself

I communicated my ideas to my men, and they proreat readiness While I was speaking with them, the vanquished warriors had re-formed into position so our movements with much curiosity I now abandoned my stilts and my bow and arrows, and marched off with my chiefs in the direction of our late opponents

As we approached, with branches in our hands as flags of truce, I signed to the startled men that ished to be friendly; and e halted, several chiefs came forward unarmed from the ranks of the enemy to confer with us At first they were much surprised at my overtures, but I soon convinced theth consented to accept ed at once my superiority and that of my men, and presently all the chiefs came forward voluntarily and squatted at my feet in token of subjection The two arreat encampment, where the women prepared a truly colossal feast for conquerors and conquered alike, and the greatest harnificent, but I am sure it was not war The braves of both sides decorated the, and the two tribes united in one gigantic _corroboree_, which was kept up all night, and for several days afterwards We re continuous _corroboree_, and each day beco more and ame, and as the rivers were also well stocked with fish the supply of food was abundant At the end of the week, however, we retired to our respective hoer settle down to the old life a came over me, and I resolved that some day in the near future I would make yet another atte directly south For a ti thewith my devoted Yamba

CHAPTER IX

The children's sports--A terrible ordeal--Queer notions of beauty--How little girls are taught--Doroeary--Off on a long cruise--Astounding news--A foreign tongue--Yairls--A remarkable ”letter”--A queer notion of decoration--Ya interview--Jealousy of the native women

I was much interested in the children of the blacks, and observed all their interesting ways It is not too irls that they can swim as soon as they can walk There is no squeamishness whatever on the part of the mothers, who leave their little ones to tumble into rivers, and reenerally shi+ft for themselves Fro toy spears at one another as a pasti dry reeds, obtained from the swa them at one another fro the palms of their own little hands They never see dexterity at it At the age of nine or ten they abandon the reeds and adopt a heavier spear, with a wooden shaft and a point of hard wood or bone All kinds of interesting coanised to test the boys' skill, thethe approbation of parents and elders

A s of hide, or creeper, is suspended from the branch of a tree, and the coh it at a distance of twenty paces All the chiefs and fighting men of the tribe assemble to witness these competitions, and occasionally soles of sether with human hair The boys are initiated into the ranks of the ”e of about seventeen

This initiation ceremony, by the way, is of a very extraordinary character Many of the details cannot be published here As a rule, it takes place in the spring, when the mimosa is in blooum We will say that there are, perhaps, twenty youths to undergo the ordeal, which is conducted far froht of women and children The candidate prepares hiether for at least a week before the initiation ceremony commences In so over many days; and such ies are not even sent with the is carried out fairly They iven period, and without partaking of either food or water during the whole tireat the temptation may be on the route, they conform strictly to the rules of the test, and would as soon think of running the a water-hole The inspectors who judge at this a examination are, of course, the old and experienced chiefs

After the fasting comes the ordeal proper The unfortunate candidate presents himself before one of the examiners, and settles his face into a perfectly stoical expression He is then stabbed repeatedly on the outside of the thighs and in the arms (never once is an artery cut); and if he reh thecolours A ether fatal Not even a toe ive an uneasy and involuntary twitch If the candidate fails in a ain for the next exa unable to stand the torture, he is conteo and herd with the wo expression

While yet the candidate's wounds are strea speed for two or three iven spot a kind of toy lance planted in the ground Then, having successfully passed the triple ordeals of fasting, stabbing, and running against time, and without food and water, the candidate, under the eyes of his adth received into the ranks of the bravest warriors, and is allowed to take a wife At the close of the ceremony, the flow of blood from the candidate's really serious flesh- wounds is stopped by means of spiders' webs, powdered charcoal, and dry clay powder

With regard to the girls, I aed by our standard, the woht eyes, broad, flat noses, low, narrow foreheads, and heavy chins

But there are co _corroborees_ on the occasion of a e, the men always chanted praises to the virtue and beauty of the bride!

The girl who possessed an exceptionally large and flat nose was considered a great beauty Talking about noses, it was to me a re nose and large distended nostrils a , they consider his breathing apparatus exceptionally perfect

As a general rule (there are exceptions in the case of a very ”beautiful”

woman), when a woman dies she is not even buried; she simply lies where she has fallen dead, and the camp moves on to another place and never returns to the unholy spot And it may be mentioned here that the blacks never allude to a dead person by nareat horror of departed spirits And so childish and suspicious are they, that they someti about and frightening theoing out into the bush after dark, and pretending to commune with the evil spirits The voice of these latter was produced by e, hideous aroo skin, with holes slit in it for the nose, s, and prowl about the vicinity of the ca strange noises--so aloud in ht I was in my natural element as a spirit But they never ventured to followthem all the while Yamba, of course, knew the joke, and as a rule helped ood care never to tell any one the secret