Part 21 (1/2)
George is not the least superstitious He takes everything for granted
Rain, in his opinion, co tank up above somewhere Asked as to his belief in the personal ”debil-debil,” of whom the mainland boys have such dread that feill stir out after dark, he said with a guffaw--”Me nebber bin see one yet Suppose e is, therefore, as yet unable to give a description of the fiend; but from hearsay authority declares that it possesses three eyes, two in the ordinary position, and one at the back of the head It is believed that the third eye insures the ”debil-debil” against all possible surprises, thus preserving the h he has not a shadow of respect for the ”debil-debil,” George has a firhbourhood of Cooktown of a cains” His experience with these mysterious subterranean sirens he thus describes--
”Little bit outside Cooktown ca corrobboree; o down, groun' close up hiood fella nice gin co that fella' Me say--'We go hoood place' Sargen' laugh little bit
He say--'No, a that fella gin--good nice gin' Me go up Me feel 'eht My word; han' belonga that fella gin--cold like anything That gin say--'Where you froin say--'What you look out?' Me say--'Me look out bullocky, a paddick Plenty hard work' Me dance little bit alonga that gin Not o down below Groun' shut 'eht tia sun Soft fella that Suppose coether”
Cooktown blacks, according to George, use a ue in these parts Instead of a slender sapling (preferably of red hened patiently over the fire, he would provide hirass tree (XANTHORRHEA ARBOREA), true and straight as a billiard cue, light, and 8 or 10 feet long Into a socket in the thicker end he would insert a single 1/4-inch steel point, 18 inches long, or three pieces of No 8 wire, with the sharpened points slightly spread
The merit of his weapon was the subject of frequent debate, the Dunk Island natives arguing in favour of a heavier spear, but George showed that his was effective as well as econo story, which, it will be noticed, has in soic incident in the history of England No attee:--
”This fella spear kill plenty Kangaroo, wallaby, fish--kill 'earoo One tia aroo Billy walk about close up, a rock; me plant me'self 'Nother boy close up He plant We no see that fella
Bi'mby a my brother 'Here wallaby Come this way; quiet!' my brother come up
'Tchuk spear, miss wallaby, catch 'e out--cry like anything My brother fright That boy sing out--'Billy, you; what for you spearout--'Billy No, you run away Come up; pull out spear, quick fella!'
Billy run away Me sit down quiet Noout like anything He carn walk about Me go quiet along a grass long way Coins--bigout--'One fella boy bin catch 'em spear He very bad Close up dead now' Billy plant hi out 'Carry 'ea ot hook All a ti out, 'Pull out spear' Bi'mby Billy come back He very sorry He say--'Me no wan' spear you Me no look out you
Me wan' catch 'ea a camp That boy look 'em all ri' Me say--'Me very sorry Me think you dead now' He say--'Me no dead Me feel all ri' Me want pull out spear' Old men pull out hard Carn shi+ft 'em Old men say--'We cut 'em now' Get knife, sharpen 'e boys pull 'ea that hook
That boy no sing out My word He carn stop Teeks dead Gins no bin bury 'em What you think? Cut 'ea bark, tie 'e My word, puff! Bi'e was not pressed to display his acco many months to hold hi quite a scholar, as far as scholarshi+p goes a blacks But in accordance with expectations, his pride and enthusiasot the better of him He produced two scraps of paper, on each of which were a nu
”You write all asame this kind?”
”No,” I said, ”I no write like that”
”This easy fella? All the tie's attention at once beca steadfastly on the paper for aof his wits, said--”This fella say Coleman Riber, Coen Riber?
Horse Dead Creek, Massac (Massacre) Riber, Big Morehead, Kennedy Riber, Laura Riber” These are the nae's country On the other scrap of paper, according to hihbourhood ritten Though the papers were transposed and turned upside down, George could read them with equal facility The list of rivers would be read for the islands, and the islands for the rivers, quite indifferently, and with entertaining naivete But he treasured the papers, and continued to delude his felloith the display of what they considered to be wonderful cleverness
YAB-OO-RAGOO, OTHERWISE ”MICKIE”
”Mislike me not for my complexion”
He said that his name was Mickie, and that he was an Irishreat Palm Island--40 reat h he asserts with pride his nationality, he ada 'nother side,” and his coh an artless layer of charcoal and grease, applied out of respect to the memory of his deceased brother-in-law, shows no Celtic trace Yet he has a keen appreciation of fun, has ready wit, and, according to his own showing, is not averse to a shi+ndy, so that, perhaps his given name is at least characteristic of his assu forehead, keen black eyes, a broad-rooted, unobtrusive nose, a most capacious mouth, beard and whiskers thin and unke moustache, a head of hair which in boyhood days had probably been a y tufts, nomy, and yet an ”honest Injin” in every respect and one ould always look on the happy side of life, but for twinges of neuralgia--”monda” he calls it--which rack his head and face with pain I saw only the peaceful side of Mickie's nature, and therefore this chronicle will be unsensational as well as imperfect There is a tradition that the Palm Island blacks are of a milder, less bellicose disposition, than those of the o when a party of bushmen, fresh from the excitement and weariness of the Gilbert rush, reposed for a few days on the soft grey sand of Challenger Bay, the spot was invaded by a band ofPalm Islanders awoke the friendly whites with the news that a ”big fellaacross in canoes Under ordinary circule-covered hills until the invaders had retired, but the knowledge that the whites had a couple of guns, and a good supply of shot, inspired a high degree of tee of the islanders in thus awaiting the attack put the invaders on their guard, for they would not approach nearer than 50 yards A closer range was desired, for there was a special barrel loaded with coarse salt, and the invaders were innocent of clothing However, a round of duck-shot had so slapped therossly-conterieved, for another round was fired, and each hero ood offices of his brother in distress in picking out the pellets This is said to be the last occasion on which the placid Palm Islanders saw an enemy land upon their shores Mickie did not remember the invasion, or if he did so, he was not anxious to demonstrate that his ancestors were not cast in the heroic mould Probably all recollection of the escapade is lost to the natives of the Palms, and I am driven to accept the white man's uncorroborated version of it
Mickie is very proud of his well-conditioned spouse, ”Jinny”--”Missus Michael,” as Mickie calls her when in the sportive vein--and Jinny, or ”Penti-byer,” her ard, and sees that the dilly-bag, which does duty for the larder, is supplied with ya responsible for the fish--speared in the lagoon at low tide--and the scrub-fowl eggs, and the ivory white grubs, etc, upon which they live when there is no ”white fella” sitting down When Providence sends a ”white fella,” they appreciate flour, tea, sugar, potatoes, -foxes Once Mickie was asked how he a her giv'ee cere out of a tooth, or the ad blow on the head with a nulla-nulla, no eating of ether, no ”hand fasting,” nor boring of the bride's ears by the bridegroo with each other's blood, nor binding together with ropes of grass; siiv 'em me!” Once in his possession, however, and Mickie proceeded to set his mark on his bride, so that should any dispute arise as to identity, he at least would have authentic brands With an apparently studied array of cicatrices, each 3 inches long and half an inch wide, on her arms and shoulders, Mickie irl--Mickie prefers to use the word ”daw-tah”--and his child had been but lately received into the boso the whites It is sootten her native tongue, and that her parents have to yabber to her in English According to theual facility In thetaken with her education, and her accoh entirely unornalance the particular kind of decayed tirub resides, will know that the nut of the cycad has to be iood fella,” and how to grind the kernel into flour, and how to e-shaped da up blacklip oysters and cla the soles of her feet, and to , and, finally, to enjoy a smoke
Mickie appreciates a joke When Jinny coht her brand new pipe and had broken it short off, Mickie with an extravagant gri Townsville and buy another
He is also superstitious After dark he will nottorch of paper bark, a fiery aspersoriu of the ”debil-debil” His opinions on the supernatural are unsatisfactory He does not knohat the ”debil-debil” is like, or what for but ”that fella sit down alonga scrub,” and that he has ”long fella needle alonga hand”; and so he carries and waves about his paper bark torch to scare this viewless and dreaded enemy
Mickie's views as to the future are not quite explicit ”Suppose a sky Bi'mby jump up 'nother fella” He is not at all certain whether the transformation would be into a white man or not; in fact he appears absolutely indifferent Another ti Good-bye, finish; no co He no coht disperses all his fears
In point of fact he has nothing to fear His foes are dead, and there is no poisonous snake or offensive ani suddenly and excitedly into the air as we trae of the sweetly-sle, with the excla reminded that he had boldly asserted that there was no bad snakes on the island, Mickie replied--”That fella no bad Onlya hatful of grubs, which, together with the chrysalides and the full-grown beetle (brown and glossy) were devoured after being warh on the ashes When the torub, Mickie with a leer of satisfaction would eat the wriggling insect with a feigned apology--”Me bin cut that fella” Baked in the ashes the chrysalids have a wholesome, clean appearance, with a flavour of coco-nut, and the ”white fella” always cae of the habits of birds and insects and the ways of fish, is enviable Signs and sounds quite indeter to his, no doubt he has ry, and the keenness of his appetite has so sharpened his perceptions that he is seldo decayed leaves is heard in the jungle at an extraordinary distance, and a splash or ripple far out on the edge of the reef tells hioon, where he may easily spear them He can tell to a quarter of an hour when the fish will leave off biting; he hears the scarass when the ”white fella” fails to catch a sound, and knohen the giant crabs will be ”walking about” in the , and ready to i thrower, a dead shot with a nulla-nulla, and an eater of everything that co had the pleasure of his acquaintance, I can cordially wish hi supply of ”patter” and tobacco, and surcease of ”monda”; and what more can the heart of a blackfellow desire--save rum?
TOM: HIS WIVES--HIS BATTLES
Tom has been thrice married--at least he has possessed three wives For a few months he had two at a time, and placidly endured the consequences