94 HORN EXPEDITION NAKUATIVE. 



It was by tliis time quite dark in the chasm and the blacks were preparinii; 

 for their feast. It was a strange sight to watch tliese natives, wlio were in a 

 genuinely wild state, none of them having seen a white man l)efor(\ Hitting 

 round their fires two of the men prepared the kangaroos for cooking. First of all 

 the two large tendons were extracted from eac^h hind linil). To do this the skin 

 is cut through close to the foot with the .sharp bit of Hint wliich is stuck on to tlie 

 end (if the womera or spear-thrower by nutans of the resin obtained from the 

 leaves of the Porcupine grass. A hitch is then taken round the tendon with a 

 yam stick, and then with one foot against the rump of the animal they pull until 

 the upper end of the tendon gives way. Then the loose end is held in the teeth 

 and when tightly stretched the lower end is cut through with the flint and the 

 tendon thus e.xtracted is twisted up and put l)eneath the waist girdle for safe 

 keeping. These tendons are of great use to them in various ways such as that of 

 attaching the points on to the end of their spears and wonieras or for Innding 

 round the splicings on their spears. After this is done a small opening is made in 

 the abdomen wall with the flint and tlwough this all the intestines are pulled out 

 and cut off. The hole is stitched up with a short pointed stick, the limbs are 

 dislocated, the tail cut ofl' at the stump, and then the animal is ready for cooking. 



The women and children took the intestines and at once cooked them by 

 means of rul)liing theui continuously in the hot sand and ashes. Meanwhile .some 

 of the othei's had dug with yam sticks a shallow hole in the ground just large 

 enough to hold the body and had made a fire in it. When this had burned down 

 and nothing was left Ijut hot ashes the kangaroo was laid on the latter, .some of 

 which were also scattered over it but not so as to cover it entirely. After lying 

 here for an hour it was supposed to be cooked and was taken out and placed on 

 Acacia branches. It was then cut open and first of all tiie liver and heart were 

 taken out and eaten. The carver took the burnt skin oir of ten using his teeth to 

 tear it away and with a yam stick cut the body up roughly into joints, helping 

 himself as lie went along to such dainty morsels as the kidneys. Everyone, 

 women and children included, had their share of the meat, and if not done enough 

 it was well ruljbed in the hot sand and cooked therein to suit the taste of the 

 eater. There did not appear to bo any special portions given to any individual, 

 but the men were .served before the women and the chiidi'en received pieces from 

 the men and women. Ft was by no means an appetising sight and the whole 

 method was very crude, and nothing like so much care was taken in tiie cooking 

 as is often the case amongst other Australian natives, who make a deep hole and 

 cook their g;inie on hot stones, the former being completely covered with earth. 



