BLACKS AS FISHERMEN 183 



former flies off from the dart the instant its velocity 

 becomes greater than that of the hand, but it remains 

 on the finger ready to be used again." 



It is obvious that the Australian implement is much 

 the more reliable and effective. Cook mentions that 

 with the dart the Tanna Islanders "are sure of hitting 

 a mark within the compass of the crown of a hat at a 

 distance of eight or ten yards ; but at double that distance 

 it is chance if they hit a mark the size of a man's body, 

 though they will throw the weapon sixty or seventy 

 yards." Such a standard of marksmanship would be 

 regarded with contempt by the average black of North 

 Queensland. The use of this becket (introduced very 

 many years ago by the Kanaka) is a fairly common 

 accomplishment among coastal blacks. 



In shallow water, too, fish are chased until they 

 become so exhausted and nerve-shaken that they 

 partially bury themselves in the sand, or endeavour to 

 elude observation by concealing themselves beneath 

 stone or coral, or by remaining passive among seaweed, 

 trusting, no doubt, to protective tints and assimilation 

 with their surroundings. Few of these stratagems of 

 the fish are of avail when once a hungry black is on its 

 track. The science of war, we are bidden to believe, is 

 not designed for the slaughter of mankind, but so to 

 impress the enemy with a demonstration of over- 

 whelming power, force, and majesty, that he may 

 become mentally unable or unwilling to offer resistance, 

 because of its obvious futility. So it is with the black 

 in pursuit of a fish or turtle in shallow water. By noise 

 and bluster he works on the senses of the fish until it 

 becomes semi-paralysed. Then he proceeds callously 

 to the killing, which, in the case of fish, if his right hand 

 is encumbered, he generally accomplishes by a crunching 

 bite into the back-bone at the shoulders. 



