56 THE ABORIGINES OF THE LOWER MURRAY, LOWER 
It is only when the ordeal is too long drawn out, and the dexter 
arm becomes fatigued in consequence, that a fatal result ever 
ensues. r 
The running of this gauntlet is of frequent occurrence, as will 
murder, and in a murder case the trial takes place immediately on 
the discovery of the crime ; in most instances of the kind too, the 
culprit voluntarily gives himself up to be judged 
_ During my long experience of the aboriginal tribes I can onl 
ite one case of a murderer endeavouring to evade the penalty of 
his crime by flight, and most wonderful to relate his endeavour 
the camp, although suffering the acutest agony, where, before he 
ed, he gave an account of the murderous assault, together with a 
lucid description of the perpetrators. 
Put a short space of time elapsed after the recital of this dia- 
bolical outrage ere the aboriginal troopers had started on the trail 
of the murderers ; they soon discovered where the vagabonds had 
crossed the river, and made but very small bones of crossing 
