in particular of the Port Lincoln District. 197 



friends. The most common motives of discord are attri- 

 butable to the facts, firstly, that the Avomcn do not always 

 deport themselves as is becoming to their sex; and, secondly, 

 that the children quarrel among themselves, and do each other 

 bodily injury, which involves the parents and relations in 

 sometimes a bitter contest ; or again, that one or other of 

 the men is neglected or forgotten in the distribution of the 

 necessaries of life. 



The custom of dividing their food amongst each other is so 

 common, that he who fails to observe this rule is branded 

 as a sort of miser. An angry word, or an offensive action in 

 respect of any of the before-named cases, acts like an electric 

 spark. Each one springs up, grasps his weapons, and is ready 

 to retaliate upon any verbal or actual insult offered to himself 

 or to his friends. Although abuse made use of by the 

 women seldom carries any bad effect along with it, still 

 should it di'op from the mouths of males, a fight is sure to be 

 the result. The friends of the insulted person often endea- 

 vour to appease him, and even have resort to force in order 

 to hold him back, but they generally fail in their object. 

 Clubs are first thrown, and then they rush upon each other 

 like tigers, beating each other wdth the middla, whicli 

 instrument inflicts such severe wounds that the blood flows 

 in streams, and the injured person falls senseless to the 

 ground. Should the fight become still more furious, they 

 have recourse to theii* spears ; thereupon the women and 

 children take to flight, and watch at a distance the terrible 

 play of the men^s fierce passions. They give vent to their 

 feelings in a sort of monotonous song, drawing the last 

 syllable of each word out to a great lengh, and suffering the 

 voice to sink at the end of each sentence ; they do this with 

 a view perhaps of making themselves heard amid the confused 

 noise and clatter, perhaps in order to give more force and 

 energy to their invectives. Should one of the combatants 

 fall dangerously wounded, the groans and lamentations 

 in which his friends and the women indulge put an end 

 to the predominant noise, and gi'adually to the fight as 

 well. After peace has been restored, each one seems 

 sorry for having caused the momentary interruption ; and 

 should any one have wounded his antagonist severely, 

 he feels for him as truly and as sincerely as any of the otlicrs. 

 Should loss of life or serious hurt be the result of the combat, 

 it often hap])cns that these must be expiated by again renew- 

 ing the contest. On the other hand, if little damage has 



