504 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
he is trying to rouse up, and, pointing his spear at each, 
will tell them what hzs lot will do to them if they don’t 
fight. If any one fellow thus individually challenged does 
not want to fight the one. who particularly wants to pick a 
quarrel with him, he will just put up his shield; his ag- 
gressor will thereupon taunt his tribe for owning such a 
coward; and thus, by pressure from his own people, he 
may be forced to act on the defensive. But even this may 
not draw blood, so one of the challenging side’ will pro- 
bably sneak right round and let fly a boomerang into the 
women and children squatting at a little distance outside 
the circle. Now, it is a well-recognised law that no fight- 
ing is permissible outside the circle, and any flagrant 
breach of the rule such as this generally puts the finishing 
touch on, and the battle commences in earnest. 
(d) The combat may be either single or general; the 
former due or not to some private or personal grudge, in 
which the others may or may not join. Thus, the others 
will not join a man challenging his own uncles (father’s or 
mother’s brothers), a thing he not infrequently does, if he 
considers himself to have been slighted by them—they not 
having been to visit him, or not having sent him any food 
present. Such a man will get his uncle into the ring, and 
whack with a sword at the shield with which the latter 
defends himself. Finally, the uncle puts the shield down, 
and kisses, or rather blows on, his nephew’s cheek—they 
are friends now. Another sign of friendship at a fight. or 
a sign of the fight having wiped out the cause for quarrel, 
is for the opponents to clash the flats (fronts) of their 
shields together. ; 
During the actual fighting spears are generally the first 
things to be thrown (generally at the legs, anywhere below 
the knees); then, as they get nearer, the boomerangs are 
let fly (at any portion of the body), and, finally, when they 
get to close quarters, the swords are used for striking at 
the head from the front. J+ is wonderful to watch how 
easily and how gracefully these cumbersome-looking 
weapons are swung in the one hand and raised from behind 
the shoulders forwards. There are rarely any fatal results 
unless the death of a man (for some crime or valid injury 
committed) has been determined upon. Barring this con- 
tingency, were a loss of life to take place, the victim’s mob 
would retaliate, run into the circle, pull out the individual 
who did ity and promptly make him pay the penalty. Of 
course, minor wounds often occur; thus, on the Sunday 
previous to one of my visits, five injuries took place by 
spear and boomerang—in the heel, thigh, one just above 
ae 
