290 CONFESSIONS OF A BEACHCOMBER 



white grub resides, will know that the nut of the cycad has 

 to be immersed in a running stream before it is "good 

 fella," and how to grind the kernel into flour, and how to 

 mould the dough into a German sausage-shaped damper ; 

 she will be able to walk about the reef, picking up black- 

 lip oysters and clams, without lacerating the soles of her 

 feet, and to make a dilly-bag, and, finally, to enjoy a 

 smoke. 



Mickie appreciates a joke. When Jinny complained 

 that the scrub caught her brand new pipe and had broken 

 it short off, Mickie with an extravagant grimace softly 

 urged her to go along Townsville and buy another. 



He is also superstitious. After dark he will not move 

 a yard from his camp without a flaring torch of paper bark, 

 a fiery aspersorium for the scaring of the " debil-debil." 

 His opinions on the supernatural are unsatisfactory. He 

 does not know what the " debil-debil " is like, or what form 

 the ill-will of that mystic being would take — nothing but 

 " that fella sit down alonga scrub," and that he has " long 

 fella needle alonga hand " ; and so he carries and waves 

 about his paper bark torch to scare this viewless and 

 dreaded enemy. 



Mickie's views as to the future are not quite explicit. 

 " Suppose me go bung, me go alonga sky. Bi'mby jump 

 up 'nother fella." He is not at all certain whether the 

 transformation would be into a white man or not ; in fact 

 he appears absolutely indifferent. Another time he will 

 say — " Suppose me go bung. Good-bye, finish ; no come 

 back. Plenty fella alonga Palm Island go bung. He no 

 come back." Daylight disperses all his fears. In point of 

 fact he has nothing to fear. His foes are dead, and there 

 is no poisonous snake or offensive animal on the Palms. 

 Once he sprang suddenly and excitedly into the air as we 

 tramped through ^e long grass on the edge of the sweetly- 

 smelling jungle, with the exclamation, " Little fella snake ! " 

 Being reminded that he had boldly asserted that there was 

 no bad snakes on the island, Mickie replied — " That fella no 

 bad. Only make'm foot big." He never missed a chance 



