Page:Aboriginesofvictoria01.djvu/438

354 leaping along, and those who have been accustomed to traverse the country say that its movements have a wonderful resemblance to the long leaps of a kangaroo-rat, fleeing in alarm, with its long tail trailing as a balance behind it. A somewhat similarly-shaped missile is used in Fiji; but the Fijian instrument has a stiff shaft, and it is propelled by placing the end of the forefinger against the butt, and throwing it underhanded. It is only used in a game in which the competitors try to send it skimming along the ground as far as possible."

Fig. 171 shows four sides of a message-stick, such as is used by the natives of Queensland. It was sent to me by Mr. N. Bartley, who says, in a letter dated 21st June 1870, that it was given to him by the Honorable R. Pring, Q.C., Attorney-General of the colony. An Aboriginal named Jacob was condemned for a serious crime committed by him, and a plot was laid by some members of his tribe to rescue him. The message-stick, which had been conveyed to Jacob by some meausmeans [sic] of which the gaol authorities could get no knowledge, was found in his possession, and a native trooper, belonging to another part of the country, gave an interpretation of the symbols. "Charbig," the native trooper, said that the symbols conveyed the following intelligence:—"Two blackfellows come up in two days; seventeen days ago. One blackfellow come up to where this fellow (Jacob) sit down. The track shown on the stick means that from the place where the blackfellows set out to Brisbane. The message means that the Aboriginals were taking steps to aid Jacob in some attempt at escape."

This is certified by Mr. J. Hooke Rogers as being the translation given by "Charbig," but it is vague enough. The message-stick no doubt conveyed intelligence to Jacob of some sort; but even with the help of Charbig's translation it is hard to guess what that was. The stick itself is valuable, as showing that the natives can convey intelligence to their friends by symbols. The figure is the full size of the original.