Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/326

 244 THE PORT LINCOLN TRIBE. goodnature, yet it will happen that friends disagree. The most common causes of quarrels arewomen not conducting themselves as they should do, or are often unreasonably required to do; children quarrelling and hurting each other, thereby setting their parents at variance; or any of the men being overlooked in the distribution of food. The practice of dividing their provisions with friends is so universal, that it is considered a mark of very great illiberality in any person not to do so. An angry word or offensive action about any of these or similar matters operates like an electric shock, and everyone grasps his weapons, prepared to repel insult and aggression. Abusive language, though commonly made use of by women without any dangerous consequences, is rarely employed by men without ending in a fight; for though the friends of the aggrieved party generally try to appease him, and even to hold him back by main force, they but seldom succeed. First, waddies are flung, and when these are expended the opponents close, seeking to batter each others’ heads with midlas. Dreadful gashes are often inflicted with this instrument, from which the blood flows in streams, and the sufferers are sometimes insensible. Spears are next resorted to, when the women and children run in all directions, the former screaming and abusing the fierce and passionate men. Whether it is to give more effect to their wrathful utterings, or merely to make themselves heard through the uproar, I cannot say, but they always give vent to their feelings in a sort of chant, dwelling upon the last syllable of each word, and dropping the voice towards the end of every sentence. Should any of the combatants be severely wounded, a wail on the part of the women and his relatives soon becomes the prevailing noise, and gradually puts a stop to the fight; after it is over perhaps every person that has been engaged in it is sorry that it has occurred, and the man who has inflicted a severe wound on his opponent will lament it as much and as sincerely as any of the rest. If any serious consequences should result from the fight, they generally cause another battle at a subsequent period, but if slight wounds and bruises be all, it is never more mentioned, and the parties that to-day attacked each other with a fury that nothing but