Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/54

49 therefore not worth boasting of, although, perhaps, he never came even near doing such a thing in his life before.

Throwing the boomerang is another of their amusements. They do not, however, compete in this exercise, nor have they any object or mark at which to throw. It is merely thrown because of the whizzing noise it makes, and to witness its eccentric gyrations during flight, and notwithstanding the seemingly aimlessness of the pastime, many hours at a time are spent in the exercise.

Another favourite amusement of theirs is the skipping-rope—not the tiny clothes-line affair, with two handles of wood, which schoolgirls so much affect. No, indeed, their skipping-rope is from twenty to thirty feet long. It is usually made of a long duck net loosely twisted. It is worked by two young men, one at each end, and just far enough apart to allow of the rope to touch the ground. As it is being swung round and round the skippers jump in one after another, until there will be as many as a dozen skipping away at once. As they get tired they jump out, but the vacancies thus caused are always filled up as soon as made by fresh muscle and wind, abundance of which are generally waiting, in the shape of stalwart young men and vigorous girls. Thus the rope is kept going until those swinging it become tired, when two fresh hands take their