Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/305

 CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES. 227 twisting the string of this whip, and swinging it rapidly through the air, a sudden and piercing sound is produced; not unlike the report of an air-gun. Next, two men procure a heap of green boughs, and hide themselves in it, in front of the spot where the boy is lying, and about twenty paces from it; one of the adults then opens a vein in his arm, causing the blood to run on the warrara’s head, face, and shoulders, and a few drops into his mouth. The latter is then told to uncover his eyes, in order to behold a most ludicrous and grotesque spectacle. While one aged man hums a slow and monotonous tune, and three or four others crack the above-described whips (with dire grimaces and furious gesticulations), a slight rustling, which gradually grows louder, is heard among the heap of branches, until at last a veritable black leaps out of them, all fours, biting his beard, wildly rolling his eyes, and assuming altogether an expression and position similar to that of a tiger, just in the act of pouncing upon his prey. At each crack of the whips, the man drops down upon his face, moving neither head nor foot, as if he were dead; but gradually recovering, he raises his head, gives a deep scowl on all around, and throwing now and then some dust about him, slowly moves forward, until another crack is heard, and he drops down again. When arrived at the spot where the warrara is sitting, he leaves the arena, making room for the other man still hidden among the boughs, and who now repeats exactly the same antics: hereupon, all present crowd round the poor warrara, giving him a number of precepts for his future conduct, accompanied by awful threatenings and severe thumps on his chest and sides. Although they assure him that by all this no harm is meant, but that his own good is solely intended, my informant has seen big tears ran down a boy’s cheek. The precepts that a warrara is required to observe are these: Not to associate any longer with his mother, or the other women, and the children, but to keep company with the men; to have no quarrels with the women, especially not to waddy, spear, or otherwise ill-treat them; to abstain from forbidden meats, such as lizards, &c.; and not to betray what he has seen and heard on the present occasion; and that if he did not