GREAT MEETINGS. 77 



challenged the Bung'andeetch natives to fight at Coleraine ; but, as they never 

 could get them to stand and give battle, they chased them to their own country. 

 According to the account of a native who accompanied his father on such 

 occasions, the fires of the associated tribes at the Wannon falls, ' Tuunda beean,' 

 were like the lights of Melbourne at night. 



Quarrels between tribes are sometimes settled by single combat between the 

 chiefs, and the result is accepted as final. At other times disputes are decided by 

 combat between equal numbers of warriors, painted with red clay and dressed in 

 war costume ; but real fighting seldom takes place, unless the women rouse the 

 anger of the men and urge them to come to blows. Even tlien it rarely results 

 in a general fight, but comes to single combats between warriors of each side ; 

 who step into the arena, taunt one another, exchange blows with the liangle, 

 and wrestle together. The first wound ends the combat. This is often followed 

 by an encounter between the women, who begin by scolding, and rouse each other 

 to fury, tearing each other's hair, and striking one another with their yam-sticks 

 or muurong poles. There is no interference by the men, however severely their 

 wives may punish each other. Both men and women, when quarrelling, pace 

 about, tossing up the dust with their toes, stamping, and making a hissing noise 

 like ' ishew,' or ' eeshwuur.' Eveiy license is allowed to the tongue. They wish 

 each other all kinds of evil in the coarsest and most violent language. The 

 mildest imprecations are such as — ' May your teeth project, and your eyes squint 

 and be closed with small pox ; ' ' May you lose your hair and be completely bald ; ' 

 ' May you have a deformed nose ; ' ' May you break j^our neck and become a 

 skeleton, for you should have died long ago ; ' and ' May many assist in putting 

 you to death.' Words failing to produce the desired effect, they will spit in each 

 other's faces. 



Sometimes a fight takes the form of a tournament or friendly trial of skill 

 in the use of the boomerang and shield. Ten or twelve warriors, painted with 

 white stripes across the cheeks and nose, and armed with shields and boomerangs, 

 are met by an equal number at a distance of about twenty paces. Each 

 individual has a right to throw his boomerang at anyone on the other side, and 

 steps out of the rank into the intervening space to do so. The opposite party 

 take their turn, and so on alternately, until someone is hit, or all are satisfied. 

 Every warrior has a boy to look after his boomerang, which, on striking a shield, 

 flies up and falls at a considerable distance. As the boomerang is thrown with 

 great force, it requires very great dexterity and quick sight to ward off such an 



