"Not
white fella's dynamite. Wild dynamite--I show you."
Growing on the blistering rocks, with roots, down in the crevices, was a
lowly vine, or rather a diffuse, creeping shrub with myrtle-like leaves
and racemes of white flowers. "That fella wild dynamite," said Mickie,
as he tore up several strands of the plant and bunched them, leaves and
all, in his hand. He made a small bundle, and going to an isolated pool
in the rocks in which were small fish he beat the leaves with a
nulla-nulla, dipping the bruised mass frequently in the water. In a few
minutes the fish were darting about erratically, apparently making
frantic efforts to get out of the water. One by one they became
stupefied and helpless, floating belly up. Mickie filled his hat with
them, and as the soporific effects of the juice of the leaves passed
off, the remaining fish recovered and were soon swimming about again as
if nothing had happened. Mickie had seen dynamite used to kill fish
wholesale, hence his adaptation of the name of the plant known to him as
"Paggarra," and to botanists as DERRIS SCANDENS.
Another method by which the blacks secure fish in pools left by the
receding tide is to scrape off the inner bark of the "Koie-yan"
(FARADAYA SPLENDIDA) with a shell and spread it evenly on the bottom of
a shallow pit in the sand, and place thereon stones made hot in the
fire, or they may rub the powdered bark on hot stones.
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