The following is a specimen of their extempore composition on sight of a railway train:—
“You see the smoke in Kapunda,
The steam puffs regularly,
Showing quickly it looks like frost,
It runs like running water,
It blows like a spouting whale.”
A settler who frequently employed aboriginal labour, having heard some complaint of their ill-treating a white man, ordered the tribe instantly to decamp. He was somewhat surprised at one of their number appearing before him quite naked, ornamented with pipeclay, and carrying two nullas. The black asked the gentleman to fight, offering one of the nullas. The gentleman, however, determined to choose his own weapon, and produced his gun, which he loaded with ball in presence of the champion, and, pointing to the dial of his watch, said, “If you are not out of this stockyard in ten minutes, I will shoot you.” The black champion watched the hands of the watch, and when the time had nearly expired, he gracefully said, “Good evening, massa,” and disappeared.
As an instance of their fidelity, a squatter in the north, whose house was surrounded by blacks threatening assault, had a domesticated native, who had got mixed up with the savage tribe. He watched his opportunity and seized a horse, and, with a piece of stringy-bark for a bridle, galloped several miles to a police station, giving the alarm. The police immediately mounted horse, galloped furiously to the station, took a circuit round the house, and then followed on the trail of the blacks, whom they overtook encamped; they fired into them, and killed and wounded several. The sergeant, a white, however remained at the station, leaving these desperadoes to do their bloody deeds of carnage; probably he felt he could not restrain them. The fidelity of the black, however, saved the lives of the station-holders.
A black in Port Macquarie stole on Mr. ——, while lying on the grass. He had pipeclayed himself, and then stealing along, made a noise like the burring of a quail. Mr. ——, in fright, leaped on his horse and fled; this amused the black very much.
Mr. James R—— had a lad as coachman, who drove well, was a perfect dandy, kept his horses in fine order, used much oil for his hair, and prided himself on his coach and appearance, but withal went back to the bush. A gentleman at Molesmane had a lad for several years. He could read and write, cast up accounts, and do anything on a farm. At the age for the ceremony of knocking out teeth he went back to the wild state.