N'Oinil (.irKKXSI.AND ETilXCHiRAPHV liOTH. 387 



they liad nevei- had any qiuin-el, and finislies ])\ trying to shift 

 the blame on to somebody else ; his efforts in this direction may 

 prove successful or not. At any rate, some one is fixed upon, 

 guilty or not, who I'ecognising it to be a ease of " needs must when 

 the de\il drives " offers expiati<^n^"' by challenging his accusers to 

 spear him. Two of his mother's brothers, or, if these are not 

 handy, two of his own brothers, standing on either side are 

 allowed to lend assistance, tlieir weapons of defence however being 

 oidy three woninieias, one apiece. The first whom the accused 

 cliallenges is usually tiie deceased's mother's-brother, then come 

 the brothers, fiienfls, etc., though in the excitement of the moment 

 some two or three will rush up to a distance of some tenor twelve 

 yards or so, and simultaneously let Hy their spears at him. The 

 alleged culj^rit, notwitlistanding the immense mental and physical 

 strain, may thus, with the help of his two friends, succeed in 

 escaping ajiy serious effects from the thirty or forty spears which 

 have been thrown during the good hour and more that he has ex- 

 posed himself. .Should he come through the ordeal successfully, 

 aiuJ a lot depends upon his previous conduct and the influence of 

 powerful friends, his accusers will ultimately run up and cling 

 i-ouiid his neck, indulge in a certain amount of weeping, all make 

 friends again, and finally fix the guilt a second time, generally 

 upon tlie weakest tribe and its most friendless member. Tn this 

 district, some oue nnif'f he killed for the death of every "impor- 

 tant " male aboriginal. The l)ark-trougli containing the remnants 

 of the corpse is now carried about from camp to cam}) by one of 

 the brothers ; it is supported on his head witli a pad, and may go 

 oil its peregrinations for fiom two to three months, a renewed 

 wailing taking place at each fresh camping-ground. Ever}' now 

 and again, just about dusk, the brother with one or two friends 

 infdces a circuit of a mile or so with the remains round the camp, 

 and so soon as they can assure themselves that they hear the 

 bi.'iies rattle**' as the package is jogged along, they know that they 

 are in the neighbourhood of the alleged murderer. In this Bloom 

 field River District, the Bannabilla natives at the mouth of the 

 i-i\er are deemed to l)e the weakest and most friendless, and one 

 of this tril)e is generally, as a last resource, fixed upon as the cul- 

 jirit : the latter is enticed away on some hunting expedition, for a 

 coriobboree, etc. and then mercilessly speared from l)ehind. The 

 bai-k-trough with its contents is not necessarily buried immediately 



Bull. H ^^i-ct. 13. 



Noeflless to i^av, tlicsc arc iiiadc tn rattlr wlicii the siiitalilr u])|iort unity 

 ofi'er.-. 



