13 December 1934

BULL FIGHTING ON MELVILLE ISLAND 

How Northern Territory Natives Hunt Wild Buffaloes On Foot

Joe Cooper, famous buffalo hunter, now too old to do any hunting himself , can handle a party of blacks and organise a hunt with the skill of a general at the front. The hunt under notice took place on Melville Island and, at the request of a visitor from 'down south,' Cooper arranged that the hunt should be carried out by Aborigines using native weapons only.

Cooper's camp was situated on the bank of a creek in which fish were plentiful. When the visitor arrived at the camp, just before sundown, a jaberoo was fishing in the water. A jaberoo is a bird with very long legs, long neck, and a strong, sharp-pointed beak about a foot in length. It can easily catch fish in three or four feet of water. 

In order to swallow the fish the jaberoo tosses it up in the air and catches it head on, so that it will easily slide into its gullet. Hawks watch the jaberoo. They sit on a low tree overhead and, when a fish is tossed in the air, swoop down with lightning speed and seize it. But the jaberoo goes on fishing, and soon another hawk is perched overhead. 

Cooper had a blackboy in his camp known as 'Cupertea,' an expert at spear throwing. 'Cupertea,' yelled Cooper, 'knock some of them darned hawks over. That jaberoo will be nosing round the camp for tucker directly.' 

Armed with a spear-throwing womera and half-a-dozen straight, thin bamboo arrows fitted with ironwood points, Cupertea stealthily approached the hawk, which was so intent upon watching the jaberoo that it failed to notice the spearman in the rear. 

Noiselessly the arrow sped on its way, piercing clean through the hawk's body, which fell with a heavy thud to the ground. In a minute or so another hawk took its place on the tree overlooking the jaberoo, and again a death dealing arrow sped with unerring accuracy. This was repeated several times until the jaberoo seemed to have had his fill of fish and came out of the water and followed Cupertea back to the camp. 

The buffalo hunt was to start early in the morning. Before daylight two scouts were sent out to a grassy plain about a mile away, and they returned in a surprisingly short time, and reported that a big buffalo bull was grazing in the centre of it. 

Cooper had everything ready. A saddle horse for himself and one for his guest; ten boys armed with ironwood spears, two boys each with a half-bred dingo cattle dog and a sharp stone axe; and Cupertea with a long, thin, keen-edged lance wood spear. 

The party set off without delay, the excited spearmen leading the way on foot at such a pace that the horsemen were compelled to keep their mounts at a smart trot to keep up with them. The party halted in thick timber on the south end of the plain, and Cooper sent five men with spears to the east and west sides. On the north side, where a track led from the plain towards a lagoon, he placed a boy with his dog and a stone axe. 

The horsemen then advanced into the plain. They were sighted at once by the buffalo, which galloped off towards the east, but the boys hidden in the timber ran out onto the plain, and waving flagged spears again appeared, and the flags made of paperbark, turned the bull back to the west. 

There the flagged spears again appeared, and the bull made north, where he was attacked by the axeman and his dog, and driven back again towards the centre, the attackers on all sides gradually closing in on their quarry. 

The bull frequently charged at a spear-thrower, but was invariably heeled by one of the dogs. Spears were now sticking all over the bull's body like quills on a giant porcupine. The dogs had no difficulty in evading his furious, head down charges, but at last one dog collided with a small, but very thorny bush, which diverted his attention for a second or so. It was long enough, however, for the bull to deliver a smashing blow with his front hoof, and then proceed to trample his enemy to death. 

A native's regard for his dog is even greater than that for his own child. Short of food at times, gins have been seen suckling pups at their breasts. Seeing his dog being trampled to death, the blackboy who owned it saw red, and rushed in with his stone axe. Fortunately for him the other dog heeled the bull just at that moment, and the animal turned round to charge his latest persecutor. 

That was the end of the fight. The infuriated boy with the axe, now close to the bull's heels, with one swift, blow cut the bull's hamstring, and the animal was at their mercy. At a gesture from Cooper, Cupertea advanced and thrust his lance deep into the flank of the bull, which tumbled over and lay still without further struggle. Old men, gins, and picanninies now appeared from all quarters, and in a few minutes nothing remained of the great bull but its hide and the larger bones.— J. A. P., Darwin.

Trouble Over An Oar

In the early days of South Australia there lived a short distance from the River Murray a young fisherman, who was a great fighter. That he could use his fists with dire effect was acknowledged by all who knew him. 

The few who thought to call his bluff soon found to their discomfort that there was no bluff about him, and repented bitterly that they had not kept out of his way. Not only that, but as time went on he became a real bully, and would take small things from his neighbors and annoy them in various ways. 

The time soon came when there was no one willing to oppose him in any way. This only added to his arrogance, and he became worse and worse. 

Now, it happened that within a few miles of Adelaide there lived a young Cornishman who was out of employment and thought he would like to try his hand at fishing on the Murray River. He looked around for a mate, and, having found one to his liking, he went up to the river and camped a short distance from its banks. They got a boat and fishing tackle and set out on the river to try their luck. 

Things went along well for time. The young Cornishman was neither looking for nor expecting to run against trouble of any kind. He kept his oars in his boat at night, and they were always there next morning. 

But one morning when he came to his boat, thinking to go out on the river, he found, to his annoyance, that one of his oars was missing. While this was very vexing, he did not expect to have much difficulty in finding it, as it had a private mark on it. However, he did not have to search long, as some kind neighbor told him where it was. It was in the hands of the fighting man. 

The Cornishman had heard of this man, but had never seen him. He went up to him and asked him in a very polite way to return his oar. To give up this oar was not the man's intention, however, and his reply was— 'You say this oar is yours? Well, let me see you come and take it!' 

The Cornishman knew trouble when he saw it coming, and, instead of accepting the invitation, he turned his steps towards his camp, amid the hoots and jeers of the fighting man. Was this another victory for the bully? It looked that way; but not many minutes had passed before the Cornishman had returned with his mate. He again asked for his oar, but was told that he would have to fight for it if he wished to regain it.  After a heated argument, the young Cornishman, with a set look on his face, decided to fight. 

Stripped to the waist, with muscles standing out like knotted cords, these two young men started to fight, the like of which had never before been seen in the neighborhood. What was lacking in science was made up by the ability of both men to give and take punishment. Quarter was neither asked nor given. 

They belted each other with sledge hammer blows, and for a long time neither seemed to have any advantage over the other. They fought round after round at a terrific pace. Both were getting badly knocked about. After the 15th round the Cornishman began to get the ascendancy, and from then to the 20th round he was the winner. 

Bruised and shaken he undoubtedly was, but his adversary was in a much, worse plight. Battered almost beyond recognition, his mates took him home. He was put to bed and remained there for two weeks. 

The Cornishman walked to his camp without assistance, but next morning he was too bruised and stiff to rise, and he spent the next three days in bed. 

From that time forth the bully became a changed man. The old bullying disposition had entirely gone, and in its place there came a gentlemanly consideration for the feelings of his fellow-men. Not only had he learned his lesson, but he had learned it well. — A.C., Houghton.

Some Jumper

Several years ago there lived in Auburn a man who used to drive a pair of upstanding horses. One day he pulled up in front of the hotel, and someone remarked upon the height of his horses. The man replied, "Yes, they are fairly tall." 

An elderly swagman, who was sitting in the shade of the verandah, looked up and grunted, "Huh! Tall as they are, I could take off my boots and jump over the pair of them." 

The owner of the horses looked at him and smiled, for if ever anyone looked lazy and useless, he did. But the tramp was not to be put off as easily as that, so he said, "Look 'ere. I'll lay you a wager, drinks all round. If I can't jump over the pair of them while they're standing side by side, I'll shout; but if I can, you'll shout."

The wager was accepted; the swagman undid his boots, placed them side by side, and jumped over the pair of them. Amid laughter from the spectators he put them on again, and went into the bar with the others to claim his drink.— 'Curly,' Spalding.

Some Linguist

'Now, if that were only Italian,' said Rumble, a rather bombastic war time censor, putting down a message in French, 'I could tell you immediately if it were all right.' 

On being told of this remark some time later Hugh Wray, the cablegram decoder— an inveterate practical joker—announced his intention of composing a right royal message in Italian for Rumble's edification. A few days afterwards the following message found its way into the the censor's basket: — 

Commendatore Battista, Via Appia, Roma. Perambulatore sic gloria mundi tuesdi con admiratione ora bio nosis pluri phulo rumboli cave canem con expres sione fortissimo viva censorio dum spiro asparo sacramento. 

'Ha!' said Rumble. 'No need for that to be decoded.' 'Why?' asked Wray, professing astonishment. 'Because,' replied Rumble haughtily, 'I happen to know Italian, and can tell as a glance that it is all right.' 'Wish I could treat them all like that,' said the cable operator, who was in the joke, as he tore the message up and placed the pieces in the waste paper basket. 

Next day when Rumble was on duty another censor, who was also in the joke, walked into the office and remarked, 'I've just been talking to the chief and he's very angry. Some stupid gink passed a message in Italian yesterday containing enemy information. Luckily the London censor spotted it, but there is going to be a fine row here, all the same.' 

Rumble turned a ghastly color, and was never afterwards heard to boast of his linguistic prowess. — 'Corstep.'

Translation from Latin: Commendatore Battista, Via Appia, Rome. The wanderer thus glorified the world, with wonder the mouth of the bio nose, beware of the rumble of the roaring dog, with the expression of the strongest living censure, while I breathe the harsh sacrament.

Dismissed The Whole Team

At a recent cricket match in a country town a feat was accomplished which, as far as my knowledge goes, is unique in the annals of the game, in this State at least. 

The batting side was collapsing before a young left-hander who, bowling into the wind, had obtained the nine wickets that had fallen. The last man came in and, as only one ball remained of the successful bowler's over, the crowd was on tip toe with excitement. Down came a slower delivery, and the batsman, cocking it to mid-off, started to run. The bowler dived at the ball, held it, and then threw it to the wicket-keeper, who ran the other batsman out. The whole eleven batsmen were thus dismissed by the one man.— A.B.