UY RICHD. HELMS. 403 



trying to get another from a friend who had still two left. He 

 complained bitterly to me that " white fellow " destroyed all the 

 " possum," a gTievance, I was later informed, he was constantly 

 harbouring and generally ventilated to new acquaintances. He 

 died recently at Cooma, and with him it may be said the last 

 remnant of the real old stock of manl}^ savages belonging to this 

 tribe disappeared, reaching a good old age and weathering the 

 tempest of vice and demoralisation foisted U2:)on these unhappy 

 people b}^ civilised whites. 



I have been told a few stories of individuals who have been 

 illtreated and even murdered by white blackguards, but these 

 isolated instances are nothing compared to what the rum bottle 

 and diseases have accomplislied towards wrecking these tribes. 

 Forty years ago they could muster several hundred individuals, 

 although from time immemorial they had been in constant and 

 bloody contentions wath most of their neighbours, and to-day, 

 after such a short span of time, owing simply to altered conditions, 

 they have all disappeared but two. 



Not far below Jindabyne, where the valley of the Snowy River 

 somewhat narrows between rather rugged hills, used to be in 

 olden times a favourite camping place of the natives who assembled 

 here (even within the knowledge of some settlers) in considerable 

 numbers, mainly for the purpose of making stone implements. A 

 shingle bed near one of the bends in the river furnished excellent 

 and abundant material for tomahawks amongst the flattish and 

 more or less oval j^ebbles. 



Many half finished tomahawks and pel^bles, the shaping of 

 which had just been commenced, have from time to time been, 

 picked up near this locality, and some may still be found there. 

 The blacks were not likely to encumber themselves with too much 

 weight, and therefore only the finished articles were carried away, 

 the unfinished being left behind to be taken in hand again on the 

 next return to the place. 



Plate xxix. represents three such pieces of stone showing- 

 the commencement of the work, and one finished tomahawk. The 



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