Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/328

 246 THE PORT LINCOLN TRIBE. uttered simultaneously one deep tremendous shout; after repeating this several times they marched back to their own camp in the same order as they had arrived. The evening and great part of the night was spent in singing and dancing by both hostile parties alternately. Early the next morning the fight commenced by eight men coming forward on either side with the customary inimical demonstrations of biting their beards and spears, but perfectly silent; forming themselves in opposite lines at a distance of about twenty paces, the combatants stood face to face and man to man, with legs spread out and firmly placed on the ground. Several spears had been thrown by each man, and warded off with great dexterity by merely bending the upper part of the body slightly to one side, and hitting the adversary’s spear with the grubbing stick or reserved spears held in the left hand, when several of the party who had sent the challenge ran over to the other side in order to indicate, as I was told, that they wished the fight to end. One querulous old fellow, however, who had been the originator of the quarrel and who stood opposed to a young man of barely twenty years of age, seemed determined upon bloodshed; he threw several spears when the others had given over, and used the most provoking language, which was tartly returned by his young adversary. At length, however, the old man was interrupted by his own friends, who gave his spear a knock every time he hooked it to the wommara. The skill of the natives in avoiding and parrying spears is really astonishing; I saw this old man, who is reputed by his fellows a famous warrior, take such sure aims at his opponent that I thought he could not miss him, yet every time the spears were diverted from their direction by the sticks in the young man’s hand, and passed over his shoulder within a few inches of his ear. A steady, bold eye alone could insure such a result, and this is also the warlike quality that the natives most applaud and principally pride themselves upon. It has been said, I believe, that the Aborigines of this country are great cowards; it may be that they evince a want of courage when opposed to white men who are provided with superior arms, generally mounted on horseback,