Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/96

91 lobster, or coarser mussel, with which the hooks were baited quite as readily as they had done in the morning; therefore it was one continuous floundering and spluttering of great fish as the natives kept pulling them into their conoes [sic] one after another, nearly as fast, in fact, as the hooks could be rebaited and thrown out; until tired with the long day's successful fun, it was mooted that a start should be made campwards. As the sun was then rapidly approaching the western horizon, the proposal was unanimously agreed to. Therefore, ere long the frail but graceful canoes were once more floating calmly on the bosom of the great river. This time, however, they were not propelled as when outward bound, but were allowed instead to drift along with the current. An occasional touch of the charroongie as they chanced to near either shore too much kept them well in mid stream. All on board the canoes had their lines towing astern, baited ready to haul in such fish as had temerity enough to snatch at the tempting morsels as they twirled along in the wakes of the canoes.

All at once our line was hauled tight by a sudden jirk [sic], which nearly pulled us overboard amongst the fishes. We shouted frantically to Pinbocoroo to back water, as we had got fast to a log; Pinbocoroo, however, only hurriedly replied to our urgent request, "Kurka, tumoo kurka, waty kulk, koorongiadoo mungie tine" (pull, again pull; it's no log, but a big fish biting). Following his advice, we did pull in right down earnest, when, to our unqualified delight, a monster whale-like codfish was soon floundering alongside of the canoe. The old king, watching his opportunity, quickly drove his spear through its vertibræ, close to the