Part 18 (1/2)
It must not be concluded that these blacks invariably have the co-operation of a sucker in securing turtle Its use is co are harpooned as they rise to the surface to breathe, the sports and skilful They descry the turtle on the bottom, and softly follow its etation, and then as it rises harpoon it; or they follow one that has betrayed itself by rising, observation and experience enabling thee fairly accurately when and where it is likely to rise again But patience, sole like suddenthe principal rules to be observed
In passing, on the point of the turtle endeavouring to rid itself of the sucker, a European pearl-sheller told me of a unique experience that befell hi his way against an impetuous current, he was almost knocked down by a move-on sort of shove Instinctively his hand clutched the life-line, when he was again pushed disrespectfully, and in the greenish light saw that ahim as the afflicted Scotch were said to use the stones set up by the huyle, and without so
A ”kuht it ashore, and having seen the extent to which the tail of the sucker (which has been faithful to its host to the death) has been cut by the line, and having decided that it will do one time more and put it back in the water tethered, or ”that fella no good now,” and cast it callously on the sand, to writhe about until dead, the blacks proceed to the cooking Possibly the ca fire is made and a dozen or so set red hot In the meantime the turtle is killed, the head, neck, and sometimes the two fore flippers, removed
The entrails and stohly cleansed are put back into the cavity A hole is scraped in the sand, and the turtle stuck tail-first into it, the sand being banked up so that it reht Then the red-hot stones are lifted with sticks and dropped into the turtle, hissing and spluttering, and stirred about with a stout stick Another hole has been scooped in the sand and paved with stones, upon which a roaring fire is h, the fire is scraped away, and the stea taken not to allow any of the gravy to waste, and carefully deposited on the hot stones--carapace down Quickly, so that none of the ”smell” escapes, the whole is covered with leaves--native banana, native ginger, palms, etc, and over all is raised a hly cooked
The plastron (lower shell) is lifted off, and in the carapace is a rich, thick soup No blood or any of the juices of the one to waste--the finest of meat extracts, the very quintessence of turtle, reenuine article? Who may say he has tasted turtle soup--pure and unadulterated-- unless he has ”kurass the blacks sop up the brown oily soup, loudly s their lips to emphasise appreciation Then there are the white flesh and the glutin, the best of all fattening foods; and having eaten to repletion for a couple of days, the diet palls, and they begin to speak in shockingly disrespectful terms of turtle
WEATHER DISTURBERS
In the arid parts of Australia, where rain rarely occurs, the blacks have acquiredwater White ns of its existence, have perished in all the agonies of thirst in country in which water, from a black fellow's point of vieas plentiful and comparatively easy to reach Here there is never any anxiety on the subject The minds of the blacks turn rather upon attempts to account for the rain, at ti Bad weather, in common with other untoward circumstances, is frequently ascribed to the machinations of evilly disposed boys A boy reatness thrust upon hieneral discoardless of consequence to others, another boy will proaical conditions of the continent proceeds, each successive infliction being arranged to serve out the author of the one preceding It ale lives far away, at the Palm Islands, or on Hinchinbrook, or at Mourilyan Those who are terrified or inconvenienced agree to ascribe it to hi of the mysterious to explain away Usually the boy upon whom the responsibility is fixed is not available for cross-examination; but that renders the fact all the more conclusive Here is the storin known as Kitty, and who lived on Hinchinbrook Island, was famed on account of her successful e--held in respect, if not awe, because of the peculiar distinctions ascribed to her She could cohtning also, and to offend her was to run the risk of bringing about a terrifying storm Years after her death blacks had faith in her potency for ill One of the fehite hest peaks of the island mountain, informed me that when he reached a certain elevation, the boys who accompanied him never spoke above an awe-struck whisper, and soleuarded exclaht be aroused; that Kitty would resent the intrusion of her haunt At last they refused to go higher, and the ascent up in the dreaded regions was continued alone, while they abandoned theht was spent high up on the mountain, and when the adventurer ca, the boys were surprised to find that no harhold of ain, was to them almost beyond comprehension, and because no hurricane swooped down upon the short of the marvellous
However fantastic this supposition of human influence on the weather, there is an inclination to treat it with a semblance of respect when it is borne in mind that up to a comparatively recent date a siland Addison has a sarcastic reference to the superstition in one of his delightful essays Detailing the news brought froer de Coverley, he says that the good knight informed him that Moll White was dead, and that about a h that it blen the end of one of his barns ”But for er, ”I do not think that the old woman had any hand in it” In this particular, blacks are not so very far in the wake of races quite respectable in other points of civilisation
A other causes to which bad weather is ascribed is the eating by the young men of the porcupine (ECHIDNA), a dainty reserved for the wise, conservative oldmen should eat of the forbidden flesh, a terrible calaether!”
One day To a refuge in the soil, and took it to his ca up,tumultuously to the mountains of the mainland, but Tom was still youthful, and we felt fairly safe in respect of the stability of the dull and heavy, and wind-swept firmament As atched, a cloud settled on the su shape as fancy pictures the Banshee--drooping head and shoulders, and arms with pendant drapery uplifted as in imprecation The boys, in awe-struck attitude, pointed to the vapoury spectre, and prognosticated fearso one of the boys was eager to declare that the nocturnal tempest was due to Tom, who had eaten the porcupine We had seen his weirdit for supper When Toed with the responsibility of the storm ”No!” he cried with scorn ”Me no eat 'em that fella porcupine; chuck 'eht of the apparition on Clu the collapse of the clouds had taken away his inclination
But the other boy was not to have his theories as to the weather brushed aside lightly It was ”that fella along a a Hinchinbrook!” Having thus completely and satisfactorily settled the point, his face assuitated mind rested Was it not all another palpable proof, a precedent to be cited, of thewind?
Most of the dainties are forbidden the youngwill be passed on to the boys and girls, and, so too, the rough parts of turtle; but the sweet fish and flesh are retained by the old and lusty s with ister will dare to partake of ECHIDNA (”coom-be-yan”) at the risk of the prescribed consequences; and to the old men the fiction stands in the place (as was recently pointed out) of an annuity or old age pension
A DINNER-PARTY
To fare sumptuously every day was not the lot of the natives of Dunk Island In excessively rainy weather they were often glad of the coarsest and hardest of foods Certain sharks are eaten with avidity whenever they are secured; but soh to be endurable under any but extraordinary circumstances Oysters were always plentiful, but a diet restricted to the most delicate of molluscs palls on the palate even of a black fellow Ordinarily, food was abundant For the most part it had only to be picked up and cooked Frequently it was eaten on the spot, fresh froes of diet--even when the change is retrogressive--from the well-cooked, clean food of a white household to that of the sodden and strong stuffs common to the camp When, as sometimes happened, the desire for novelty came, the whole population would paddle away to the es being undertaken as far away as distant Hinchinbrook Turtle do not favour the beaches and sandbanks of Dunk Island generally as safe depositories for their innu came for these delicacies the inhabitants would with one accord travel to those islands in the security of which turtle still exhibit faith The drift of the population hither and thither was not due to the scarcity of food but to a ard impulse As a rule there was little for the population to do save to eat, drink, laze away the hotter hours of the day, and ”corrobboree” at night
Astonishment can scarcely be withheld when an atteue the available foods of the island, the variety and quantity
No effort was made at cultivation Blacks took no heed of the ht of inciting Nature to produce better or ifts!
Perions of roone days, the lap of Mother Earth furnished with edibles and dainties, and the hungry and expectant members of the camp squatted round in anticipation of the various courses Such a scene would be worthy of being classed a the most improbable; but as it would not be absolutely impossible, may not an atteht be initiated with a few oysters on the shells (with a choice of three or four varieties); a selection of al”) soup (in the original shell), and(”pal-an-gul”) kummaoried, rich and excellent, with ENTREES of turtle cutlets and baked grubs (”tam-boon”), ivory white with yellow heads, as neat and pretty a dish as could be seen, and rather rare and novel too
When the beetles (APPECTROGASTRA FLAVIPILIS) into which these stolid grubs and fidgetty nymphs develop, are chopped out of decayed wood, they have the odour of truffles, and emit two distinct squeaky notes froments respectively Each maintains a duet with itself until the hot embers impose silence and convert thes would be no novelty, and baked crayfish (”too-lac”), bluey-white and leathery--”such stuff as dreaht lend a decorative effect Raw echinus (”kier-bang”), saline and tonic, would clear the palate for succeeding delicacies
The tough sweet yam (”pun-dinoo”), the heart of the Alexandra palm (”koobin-karra”), the hard rhizo alloeeks to deco root-stock of CURCULIGO ENSIFOLIA (”harpee”) crisp and slightly bitter, the broad beans of the white etables
Sweets would be the weakest part of the ht certainly be included, VERMICELLI (shredded bean-tree nuts--”tinda-burra”) with honey and orange-coloured balsamic custard, scraped from the outside of the drupes of the PANDanus ODORATISSIMUS (”piht be plentiful and varied ”Bed-yew-rie”
(XIMENIA AMERICANA), thirst-allaying and palate-sharpening; ”Top-kie”
(Herbert River cherry, ANTEDISMA DALLACHYANUM), reseer cherry, RHODOMYRTUS MACROCARPA), sweet, soft and appeasing; ”Panga-panga,” raspberry (RUBUS ROSAEFOLIUS); ”Koo-badg-aroo” (Leichhardt-tree, SARCOCEPHALUS CORDATUS), rese a strawberry in shape, but brown, spicy and hot; ”Murl-kue-kee”
(snohite berries of EUGENIA SUBORBICULARIS), vapid, and as insipid as an i