34 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



The Other natives that we had juft quitted 

 approaciic . our party. As foon as we had re- 

 queficd hiin who carried the darts to ilievv us 

 his dexterity, he, with his right hand, feized 

 hold of one of them nearly about the middle; 

 then, railing it as hi'jh as his head, and fall 

 holding it in a horizontal pofition, he drew it 

 backtowards him three times in fuccellion, with 

 ajcik, cccalioning a very evident quivering at 

 both its extremities ; he then threw it near a 

 hundred yards. This weapon, fupported in all 

 its length by the lower column of the air, fiew 

 upwards of three fourths of that diftance nearly 

 in a horizontal direClion. The tremulous mo- 

 tion that he communicated to it before he threw 

 it, doubtlefs contributed to accelerate its pro- 

 grefiive motion, and to fcpport it longer in the 

 air. 



This fa\agc readily yielded to our wiflies by 

 throwing the fame dart feveral times : he then 

 aimed at a mark which we pointed out to him, 

 and at each throw he came funiciently near it to 

 give us a great idea of his dexterity. A mo- 

 ment afier, another defired us to icmark, in the 

 fRin of a kangaroo, two hclcs which appeared 

 to have bjen made by t'le point of a dart, giv- 

 ing us thus to undcrfiand that his countrymen 

 eir.ploy it to kill thcfc quadrupeds. In facl:, 



they 



