“Do you think they will dare to follow us?” I asked.

“Here is your answer,” cried the stockman; and as he spoke a slim poled spear whistled within an inch of my head, and passed out of sight, far to the other side of the road.

“And here goes my reply,” exclaimed Fred, who held his rifle in his hand ready for use.

He raised it, and hardly took time to sight a naked, black body, which was visible for a moment before he fired.

A yell of bodily pain followed the explosion, and for a moment we could hear a great commotion among the bushes, and then all was still.

“Help me to urge the cattle forward,” shouted Smith.  “Now is our time to escape, while the devils are with the wounded imp.”

We were about to comply, when a club, about three feet long, flew over our heads, touched the ground in advance of the cattle, bounded from the earth, and came towards us with undiminished velocity.

“Look out for their boomerangs,” shouted Smith, and we dodged our heads in time to save them from a blow that would have unhorsed us.

That was the first time we made the acquaintance of the most skilful weapon in use by the natives.  They throw the boomerang with unerring precision, and had we not heard of the manner of its working, and been apprised of the necessity of avoiding its flight, by the warning voice of Smith, one of us would have made a meal for an Australian native that morning.

The boomerang is a piece of hard wood about three feet long, slightly curved in the form of a bow; and when a native wishes to strike an object, he does not throw his weapon directly at it, but from it, and by some unexplained principle of retrogradation, the boomerang touches the ground, and then flies with great force directly at whatever it is aimed.  I have seen the natives exhibit their proficiency a hundred different times—­and the more I saw of the game, the more I became bewildered at the science displayed.

We did not stop to fight an unseen enemy, but continued our headlong course, and at length had the pleasure of reaching an open space where we could wait the approach of those disposed to attack us, although whether they would venture to make a demonstration on the plain was uncertain.

Smith, however, was determined to be prepared for the worst.  He unyoked his cattle, but instead of turning them loose, when they soon would have fallen a prey to the rapacious appetites of the natives, he grouped them around the cart, and chained them, to prevent their flight in case of an attack.  By this method they served as a shield to us, and did not interfere with our rifle practice.

We had no sooner got our arrangements completed, than a dozen or twenty of the filthy-looking wretches—­naked, with the exception of a mat around their hips—­appeared at the edge of the bushes, and seemed to survey our disposition of the order of battle.  Two or three of them, self-elected leaders, apparently wished for an immediate assault; but we could see that the proposition met with no approval from the mass, and the motions were made towards the men, as though to wait until night time.