BY E. PALMER, ESQ., M.L.A. 169 
be accomplished is that of secretly removing the kidney fat 
from a black fellow, for subsequent employment in catching fish, 
great luck befalling the fisherman by reason of its use. The 
invariable consequence of this however is the death of the 
victim of the operation. A black is described as preparing a 
rope from fibre or bark and then, having watched for an op- 
portunity whilst his enemy is asleep, partially choking his 
victim by winding this rope about his neck. The sleeper is not 
aroused and his enemy proceeds to open his side under the “ short 
rib” and, having removed the kidney fat, fastens up the inside by 
a cord, quickly replaces the skin, whereupon the opening immedi- 
ately heals over. No blood is lost during the operation, of which 
too no signs subsequently remain. The man awakes and, 
unconscious of what he has undergone, pursues his daily life as 
if nothing amiss had befallen him. In progress of time how- 
ever he has some misgivings and imagines he has been the 
victim of Wingo. He is hunting and has ascended some tree in 
quest of an opossum, and in jumping down to catch it as it 
would escape, he makes an unusual effort, he feels something 
give way, the cord by which his enemy has fastened him inter- 
nally has snapped asunder, he is aware of the hopelessness of 
his condition, returns to the camp, and fully alive now to every 
thing which has been done, resigns himself to his fate and 
passes away.* 
A feature in the habits of these aborigines, which is certainly 
worthy of note, is the care which the sick, aged, or infirm 
receive at their hands. These they occasionally carry from camp 
to camp, reserve the best of food for their share, and suffer no 
one to make a jest at their expense, in allusion to their suffer- 
ings. And when, in spite of this attention, death ensues, they 
* This superstition, with certain modifications, is very prevalent 
amongst the different tribes of the continent. In some tribes the victim 
is stunned by a blow of a stick and his kidney fat abstracted, a bunch of 
grass inserted, and he is left to linger till death. 
