Peter Beveridge

“ Every now and again a bangal will disappear from the camp, and remain absent for many days together, and when he returns his eyes will be bleared and bloodshot, and his opossum cloak rank and covered with the miry ooze of the river. On these occasions he is full of wondrous tales of his adventures at the bottom of the river whilst being hospitably entertained by his friend the Konikatnie, and no matter how highly coloured the stories may be, or how glaringly patent the falsehoods are with which he duly embellishes them, his wide-mouthed, greedy audiences give implicit credence to every marvel. ”

“ The foolish Kurwie was but a very short time engaged in the destruction of her promising brood, whilst the cunning old Courtenie looked on all the time with badly-suppressed glee, and when but one of the late numerous clutch remained alive she clapped her wings and danced, ejaculating the while, "Geralka Beralka, Geralka Beralka," which brought the whole of her abundant brood speedily from their hiding places in the rushes to her heels. ”

“ Time passed on its course even in those times, when the sun did not shine upon the earth, and when the season came round when it was usual for the animals of the earth to add to their several kinds, the Kurwie had nearly forgotten that she had ever been other than a terrestrial bird, and the scene of her transformation had almost faded from her memory. ”

“ Wrong, indeed, not I. I even find one a greater tax on my energies than I care for, but I'll rear him now that he is so well grown. If I were in your place, however, I should kill (without the slightest scruple) every chick you have, and never think twice about it, that I should. Why, by the time that these young ones of yours are old enough to look after themselves you will be quite worn down to bones and feathers, when, if you don't take care, you will stand a fair chance of visiting your old aerial abode in the clouds through the agency of a whirlwind. ”

“ When their purpose has been achieved they await in ambush for the preconcerted signal to startle the game towards the net prepared for their reception. The signal being given, the scouts rise from their concealment simultaneously, and with shout and gesture so frighten the gigantic birds that they start away with the velocity of a locomotive engine, the thuds from their great feet almost making the very ground to tremble. If it so happen that the birds take off in the desired direction no word is spoken. The scouts merely keep following them up as fast as possible. ”

“ A casual observer would be inclined to think it an interminable affair at first sight, but this idea would only be of limited duration, for as the struggle advances, the wind of one begins to fail more rapidly than that of the other; the end soon becomes apparent; the short-winded one is raised from the ground for the last time; he is not quick enough to grapple his weary legs round the body of his opponent, so with a huge and final effort, he is flung into the air, and comes down with a thud of sufficient force to shake the ground. ”

“ When very old women die, or wittols of long standing (of whom there are generally a few in each tribe) , a shallow hole is merely scraped in the most convenient spot, both with regard to proximity and softness of soil, wherein the body is thrown without any preparation or ceremony, and covered slightly up, is so left, and forgotten; unless, indeed, the shallow grave chances to be scraped out by the dogs—which frequently happens—and the poor remains of humanity are voraciously devoured by the ghoul like brutes. ”

“ With a severe struggle, however, she managed to keep her countenance whilst she performed the required amputation, but almost before the delicate operation was finally completed, she gave unrestrained reins to her mirth, so spread wide her wings, bowed several times most gracefully to her all too confiding victim, and finished off by saying: "I hope, dear Kurwie, that you will be successful in your sport, even to the top of your heart, and that your vocal powers, when you try them, will far outrival in sweetness those possessed by any other bird which walks the earth." ”

“ I had no idea of killing myself by scratching for so many; no, not I. One is ample for any reasonable bird to rear."
"Ah, to be sure, I never thought of that," soliloquised the Kurwie, "it is not by any means a bad idea;" then aloud, "I say, Dame Courtenie, did you not think it very wrong to kill all your brood but one chick?" ”

“ The province of Konikatnie is to keep guard during the hours of darkness, when sleep weighs heavy on the eyelids of those whose turn it is to keep a vigilant watch, lest the stealthy footsteps of a vile bukeen should steal into the slumbering camp and extract the kidney fat of some oblivious victim. ”

“ When the bright, torrid summer displaced the moister spring, the disease gradually died out, or had run its course, leaving but a sorry remnant of the aborigines behind, and it was years before the panic then caused was even partially forgotten. To this day the old men speak of it shudderingly, and with such an amount of loathing horror, as it is impossible for any other evil to elicit from, their inherent stolidity. ”

“ When a trial for murder has resulted in the condemnation of the criminal, the capital ordeal follows immediately upon the passing of the sentence, in the presence of all the assembled tribe, including sexes as well as children. In short, it takes the form of a high holiday spectacle, wherein much delight is experienced; much criticism, laudatory and the contrary, obtains as a well or ill-thrown cast is made. Remarks also on the dexterous use of the shield by the culprit are freely interjected, culminating in a spontaneous shout, when a well-aimed spear is caught and smashed on the shield. ”

“ When all is in order, a Lyoore starts off with the ball in her hand. She walks a little way out from her own side, and towards that of her opponents, drops the ball with seeming carelessness, but ere it has time to reach the ground, she gives a dexterous, and by no means gentle kick, which being correctly aimed, sends the ball spinning high into the air. Thereupon the fun begins in downright earnest. Such screaming, jumping, and frothing at the mouth, we are certain was never seen at any other game outside the walls of Bedlam ”

“ After shaking the water out of her feathers upon reaching land, to console herself, as it were, for her decided failure in the fishing rôle which she had just adopted, she raised her head with no inconsiderable amount of pride, drew it well back, closing her eyes the while, and opening her beak to the widest possible extent, intent upon flooding the whole vicinity with a stream of unheard of melody ”

“ Your music, too, to which I have greedily listened with the utmost rapture, surpasses every sound I ever heard, and you excel so in dancing that in watching your frequent performances I have been so carried away by sheer excess of delight that I have caught myself on more than one occasion endeavouring to tread a measure in the air, taking your finished example as a guide, but, of course, failure to a most lamentable degree was the unvarying result. ”

“ Before the conversation had reached so far, at a sign from the courtenie with whom the kurwie was holding converse, all the assembled courtenies had placed their wings across their backs, making it appear to the simple kurwie that they were wingless. "You see, you have very long wings of your own, which carry you whithersoever you may wish to go; now it is a noted fact that birds with wings, capable of flying, can never learn to catch fish and frogs as we do, nor is it possible for such birds to be taught either singing or dancing." ”

“ After a fairish interval has elapsed, the victor, nothing loth, shakes himself once more together, gives his waist-belt an extra twist, walks into the arena, and round it as before; only in this instance, he gesticulates violently with his arms, whilst he challenges another to meet him in the wrestle, letting it be well known at the same time, that if any man has the temerity to attempt his proved prowess, it would not be advantageous to that man's welfare. ”

“ They are extremely partial to these rambles, as they can be done with the utmost impunity—that is, they have no fear of meeting with hostile tribes during such journeyings, and even although they have difficulty enough at these times in procuring a sufficiency of food, still they like the vast and arid desert, because of the immunity they enjoy there from the everlasting bodily terror which continually preys upon their spirits in less remote districts, keeping them awake at night, or colouring their dreams with no pleasant lines, when "tired nature's sweet restorer" weighs down their eyelids. ”

“ When the whole tribe are so decorated they give as perfect a representation of a host of demons as the most imaginative in demonology could well pourtray, and a stranger, unacquainted with the aborigine and his customs, coming suddenly on an encampment, where all the members thereof chanced to be figged out in this guise, could scarcely be blamed if a thrill of real terror did imbue his every nerve. ”

“ Young men, therefore, not having any female relatives under their control must necessarily live all their lives in single blessedness, unless they choose to take up with withered old hags whom nobody owns, merely to have their fires cared for, their water-vessels filled, and their baggage carried from camp to camp. This ill-assorted kind of engagement, however, is not of very frequent occurrence, as the young men are too much afraid of the ridicule which their more fortunate fellows would surely shower upon their uxorious heads. ”

“ When he has satisfied himself as to the arena, he stalks majestically into its centre, gives one defiant shout, stoops forward, places his hands on his thighs just above the knees, and in that position remains perfectly still, as though he were merely a bronze statue, instead of a muscular savage full of life, with the excited blood coursing exultantly through his throbbing veins. ”

“ In dress there is not the least difference between that of the male and the female. The opossum rug is the only covering of both sexes, and in both it is worn in exactly the same manner—that is, somewhat after the fashion (as seen in paintings) of the Roman Toga, across the shoulder, with one arm free. On the very old men and the young women it is an exceedingly graceful garment, and infinitely more becoming to them than the conventional garb of civilised life is to those belonging to that higher order of humanity. ”

“ The lyoors, taking their time from him, became equally energetic in their performance upon the mullangies, and their high, shrill treble, mingling with the leaders bass, made altogether the most hideous accord that it was ever our ill-luck to listen to. Meantime the dancing had become as vehement as the music, for the quivering and writhing of forty pairs of legs, strung up to high pressure by their tchowie and its barbarous accompaniments, made such an exhibition as it seldom falls to civilised man's lot now-a-days to witness. ”

“ Like unto muscular athletes those propelling the canoes stood up, nude from the waist, plying their tough and lengthy maroongies (canoe sticks) with a grace and elegance quite equal to that displayed by gymnasts whilst balancing their poles during an airy pas seul. ”

“ During our long experience amongst the aboriginal tribes, only one instance has come under our notice of a murderer endeavouring to evade the penalty of his crime by flight; and his endeavour, most wonderful to relate, was in every way successful, for he contrived to ingratiate himself into the favorable notice of a tribe at enmity with his own, by whom he was much thought of and admired. ”

“ When all this is properly completed, the relatives of the deceased fling themselves prone upon the grave—howling, tearing their hair out by handfuls, and rubbing earth in quantity over their heads and bodies; ripping up the unhealed ulcers in the most loathsome fashion, until with blood and grime they become a hideous and ghastly spectacle. ”

“ As a matter of course, the poor Ngarous thus destroyed were carefully hidden away, so that casual passing travellers might not have a chance of discovering the wicked character of the beastly ogre, and he and his spouse, worthy spouse for such a mate, would delectate upon the bodies of their victims as long as they lasted; and when the ghastly food had all been consumed, they wearied much, until dame fortune kindly sent them some other tired out Ngarou in search of rest and refreshments, when the same cruel proceedings would be pitilessly and ruthlessly carried out. ”

“ It frequently happens that a woman will be taken with the pains of labour during a trail from one place of encampment to another. When this occurs she merely drops out of the line of march, and under the shelter of some convenient bush brings forth her young, after which she picks up the trail again, and walks on to the new place of encampment, carrying her latest progeny with her in the most nonchalant manner imaginable, as though the penalty incurred by Eve had not descended to her aboriginal sisterhood. ”

“ When under the influence of spirits their savage nature runs riot to a frightful extent; nothing in fact can control it short of solitary confinement. Though one of their greatest antipathies is the lock-up, they will even brave the chance of twenty-four hours of its gloom rather than forego the fiery draught which opportunity may offer to their longing lips. ”

“ When the sun had thus made his glorions appearance, blessing the hitherto gloomy earth with his light and genial warmth, those of the birds and beasts who had been good in their respective generations, and had striven on all occasions to assist their fellows when overtaken by trouble, and had looked after their own food, without reference to what their neighbours fed upon, were at once converted into blackfellows, and their ancient fellows that had been discontented grumblers, and otherwise obnoxious were given them to prey upon. ”

“ It does occasionally happen that some too curious member of the tribe is caught prying rather closer into the mysteries of bangalism than the professor thereof has any thought of allowing. This always gives mortal offence; in fact, the death of the offender is the only means by which it can be wiped out; therefore the bangal lies in wait for the offender, and slays him by strangulation, which to the aborigines tells no tales as to the manner of his death. Of course the sight of Konikatnie is the cause to which the death is assigned. ”

“ All the very old men in the colony show distinct smallpox traces. In speaking of this scourge, they say that it came with the waters—that is, it flowed down the rivers in the early flood season, laying its death-clutch on every tribe in its progress, until the whole country became perfectly decimated by the fell disease. During the earlier stages of its ravages the natives gave proper sepulture to its victims, but at last the death-rate became so heavy, and the panic so great, that burying the bodies was no longer attempted attempted. ”

“ The innate terror of death, which the aborigines as a rule possess, gives rise to this peculiar characteristic, besides it is the cause which induces the cowardice so largely found in the aboriginal character, and altogether precludes anything approaching to combinations in their relations with hostile tribes, as (to quote their own adage) —"What would it advantage me if my tribe quite destroyed the Bukeen, if I should be killed in the struggle?" ”

“ Everything in the shape of clothes was doffed by them, and when reduced to perfect nudity they stood up, spear in hand, waiting for old Pinbocoroo to give the word of command; they represented a group in bronze far surpassing in their just proportions the puny efforts of a mundane modeller. Another phase of our sport was about to commence.
The sluggish fish had sought the cool depths of the river, and were not to be tempted therefrom by any kind of bait, however delectable or cunningly devised. The aboriginal fishermen were therefore determined to seek them in their cool retreats. ”

“ At night, when all in the camp are quiet, the Bangal carefully takes his prize from the Mocre Mocre (bag) beginning a low monotonous chant, whilst he thrusts one end of the prepared roll into the fire (the fire is small by design) ; during the process of gradual combustion the chant is continued, sometimes low as a weak child's wail heard a considerable distance off, and again swelling up into the sonorous tones of a strong man's agony, yet never losing its weird monotony. The chant consists of sound principally, with an occasional interjected request (always in the same tone) to Konikatnie. ”