58 AUSTRALIA AND THE AUSTRALIANS. 



A tribe finding itself hemmed in and pressed for 

 food would not consent, on the one hand, to wrong 

 their native neighbors, nor, on the other, to starve 

 while food was so near at hand, as that which now 

 occupied the former grazing grounds of the kangaroo 

 and the emu, so they did that which any one of us 

 would expect them to do, they speared the squatter's 

 sheep and cattle. 



At once war was declared on the part of the 

 squatter. He and his men made no conscience of 

 shooting down the blacks as they would shoot down 

 a dingo. Resistance with clubs and spears was of 

 small account when it arrayed itself against the rifle. 



Sometimes the Government stepped in to aid the 

 squatter in his work of usurpation of the rightful 

 property of others, and his extinction of the possessors. 

 Native mounted police were employed under the con- 

 trol and direction of a white " inspector." 



There was no difficulty in getting these men to do 

 their unnatural work most effectually, if only removed 

 200 or 300 miles away from their own tribe, and, of 

 course, nearly as far from any tribe whom they had 

 formerly known. 



These fellows, set on by their " inspector," and 

 thoroughly trained by him in the use of the rifle and 

 revolver, were as eager for their work as bloodhounds. 



