the one who threw it. It was a dangerous instrument in the 

 lianHs of inexperience ; for altliougli thrown with vigour at a foe, 

 it might in its peregrinations, attack your dearest friend. It was 

 not long before the climl)ing-sti(;k ga\e place to an iron bar, 

 •similarly shaped, and the hatchet, nail, and hoop iron have taken 

 the place of flint and the kangaroo's tooth. I have lived also to see 



manufacture of opossum rugs, discarded by the noble savage for 

 needle and whity-brown thread ; but the rugs were not improved. 

 Unlike the tribes inhal)iting Queensland and the Northern Terri- 

 tory, these liad no permanent shields. They only fought in the 



and the bark could be readily taken oiY. Out of this bark they 

 made their shields, which were only intended for temporary use- - 

 aftei- the battle they were thrown away. To be able to regulate the 

 time for war and to divert or control the surging passions of a tribe 

 of fire eaters must have seriously exercised the diplomatic skill of 

 some minds. That they only fought in spring was nevertheless a 

 fact. Strictly speaking tlu^ aborigines were not a fighting race, and 

 t they should be. Thatpicturescjuea 



theatre of hills, whi 



ich sentinel like 



guards the plains of Adelaide, 



and situated as it 



is eight or ten n 



liles from the sea, was a safe 



retreat and a natur 



al protection ag^ 



linst an enemy from the coast. 



And. although the 



eastern tribes would be down at times on the 



rampage, there was 



. nothing sufficiently attractive on the plains to 





tin away from tl 



10 luxurious lives which they 



enjoyed on the wat 



ors of the Murra 





rivers. Hence, to 



these tribes of the plain, fighting was not a 



prominent and nece 



ssaryart. Butt 



\w.y could fight, and most efiec- 





i-essity called th 





children,lndtlieira 





i-ounds, from an invading force. 



On one occasion 



by some means, t 



•ither with or without her con- 



sent (1 think it wa> 



i the former) a'g 









''otllnn^wordl, a marriageable 



young man of the plains, stole a nice 



young woman of the hill tribes 

 war. For days, hooting and 



and the result was 



a declaration of 



y<-l!ing messengers 





imp to camp. Tliis sort ot 



abnriginal ambassadorial, and veil 



ing diplomacy continued for 



iH-.-nly a week without anv satisfa. 



.torv results T suppose the 



blacks of tlie plain were thought to h; 



ive had the best of the bargam, 



because neither kin 



g, priest, fatliei 



•, mother, brothers nor- sisters 



nor the whole frat( 



'rnity of relatio, 

 ; her gallant l.ei 



,s, could induce the captured 





uHler. So the .Murray blacks 



, they prepared for the contest by stripping the bark from the 



