Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/55

50 places, and so the fun continues, until they are one and all pretty well fatigued by the violent though pleasing exercise.

They do not award any trophies for superiority in their various trials of skill. Even the historical "pickle parsley for their pains" is not given; therefore the victors must content themselves with a consciousness of their own superior skill, and doubtless this sense of premiership lends considerable self-importance to the deportment of the successful ones during these tribal gatherings as we have frequently seen demonstrated; yes, even to the very verge of the ludicrous. 

CHAPTER VI.

BREVITY OF ABORIGINAL LIFE; THE SICK AND HOW ATTENDED; BLEEDING AND OTHER MODES OP CURE; THE LAST DRAUGHT; SNAKE-BITE AND ITS TREATMENT; OBSTETRICAL.

As a rule longevity is not a feature which pertains to these people. Old age seems to set in ere thirty-five years have been attained; in fact, long before these few years have been passed they are quite grey, and often bald. About that time, too, their muscular development begins to tend towards attenuation. Few of the women reach even those years, being mostly worn out by drudgery and disease together before they are well past their teens.

Unless in the cases of old worn-out women or bedridden subjects of long standing (who are grudged the very slightest attention), the sick are attended carefully enough. Not being subject to infectious diseases, they have not any cause to fear infection; in fact, they are quite ignorant of the