In his childhood, adolescence and maturity the black
of to-day so graphically summarises a chapter in the history of his race
that he who runs may read.
In the origin of the boomerang and the shell fish-hook we have
instances, hardly to be doubted, of direct inspirations from Nature,
proofs of the art and the infinite patience with which she sets her
copies and expounds her texts.
WILD DYNAMITE
All the blacks of my acquaintance have had the rough edges of savagedom
worn down. Consequently I lay no claim to original research or to the
possession of any but common knowledge of the race at large. Learned
societies and learned men have done and are doing all that is possible
to acquire and accumulate information of the fast vanishing race. I
merely record odd incidents, which may or may not prove useful and of
interest, or which may bear repetition. An occasional gleam of
satisfaction is vouchsafed even to casual and superficial students of
human nature.
The supply of bait run out one day when we were fishing off the rocks
with throw-lines. Mickie said--"We catch 'em plenty little fella fish
with wild dynamite!" I asked him what he knew about dynamite.
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