That was the first time we made the acquaintance of the most skilful weapon in use by the natives. They throw the boomerang with unerring precision, and had we not heard of the manner of its working, and been apprised of the necessity of avoiding its flight, by the warning voice of Smith, one of us would have made a meal for an Australian native that morning.
The boomerang is a piece of hard wood about three feet long, slightly curved in the form of a bow; and when a native wishes to strike an object, he does not throw his weapon directly at it, but from it, and by some unexplained principle of retrogradation, the boomerang touches the ground, and then flies with great force directly at whatever it is aimed. I have seen the natives exhibit their proficiency a hundred different times—and the more I saw of the game, the more I became bewildered at the science displayed.
We did not stop to fight an unseen enemy, but continued our headlong course, and at length had the pleasure of reaching an open space where we could wait the approach of those disposed to attack us, although whether they would venture to make a demonstration on the plain was uncertain.
Smith, however, was determined to be prepared for the worst. He unyoked his cattle, but instead of turning them loose, when they soon would have fallen a prey to the rapacious appetites of the natives, he grouped them around the cart, and chained them, to prevent their flight in case of an attack. By this method they served as a shield to us, and did not interfere with our rifle practice.
We had no sooner got our arrangements completed, than a dozen or twenty of the filthy-looking wretches—naked, with the exception of a mat around their hips—appeared at the edge of the bushes, and seemed to survey our disposition of the order of battle. Two or three of them, self-elected leaders, apparently wished for an immediate assault; but we could see that the proposition met with no approval from the mass, and the motions were made towards the men, as though to wait until night time.
"We shall have a sleepless night, and must be prepared for the black devils' mischief," Smith said, surveying the force and comprehending their meaning.
"Do they often attack teams?" we asked of Smith, who, now that his cattle were safe, had regained all of his cuteness and colloquial powers.
"During all my freighting to the mines, this is only the second time the scamps have manifested hostility. Once I got clear by giving them an ox, and thought I got off quite cheap at that. But this time they appear to be serious; and if we get clear with a whole skin, may think ourselves lucky. Some team ahead of us must have trespassed on their rights in an outrageous manner to render them as rebellious as they are."
"I have a great mind to try the range of my rifle," Fred said. "I think that I can send a ball into their midst, and make them scatter to the bushes, instead of standing there and quarrelling among themselves."