Another boy gave quite a different personality to the “debil-debil!” “Big fella.  All asame dead man.  All bone, no more meat.”  Eyes of fire were added as finishing touches.

CLOTHING SUPERFLUOUS

The parents of our domesticated blacks not only never wore clothes, but hardly knew what clothes were.  They needed none for warmth.  At anyrate, blankets or cloaks beaten out of the inner bark of a particular fig-tree (ficus EHRETIOIDS) were the only covering they had.  Not every one possessed even a fig-tree blanket.  During inclement weather they squatted in their humpies, or braved the elements “with honour clad.”  Thinking no evil, clothing for decency’s sake was superfluous.  Clothes are worn at the present day, partly as a concession to the fastidiousness of the whites, and largely from vanity.  Our blacks are exceedingly fond of dress; the more glaring and clashing the colours the greater the joy of possession.

The party go off in the shimmer of Sunday’s finery, and just out of sight all will be discarded and “planted,” for the favourite costume for the walk-about is that of the previous generation.  Having spent the whole day in blissful innocence of clothes, they return in the evening in their gaudy attire, fresh as from a comic garden-party.

BROTHER AND SISTER

As they grow up, brothers assume towards their sisters an attitude of reserve almost amounting to repugnance.  The boy will not eat anything the sister has cooked, nor knowingly touch anything she has handled.  The more contemptuous and austere his bearing towards her the more proper it is.  Nelly’s brother paid a visit to the island, and she cooked a huge damper at the kitchen stove.  When it was taken to the camp, hot and fragrant, “Billy” at once inquired who had cooked it.  Nelly, wishing that her brother should not deprive himself of his share, told a white lie in the one word, “Missis!” Billy ate heartily and was none the worse, while Nelly, who is fond of Billy, notwithstanding his official detestation of her, chuckled at the successful deception.

THE RAINBOW

One of childhood’s most fascinating fables was, that at the places where the rainbow touched the earth would be found a bag of gold and glittering gems.  Among some North Queensland blacks almost exactly the same fairy tale is current.  “Muhr-amalee,” remarked a boy, pointing to a rainbow which seemed to spring from the Island of Bedarra.  “That fella no good.  Hot, burning.  Alonga my country too many.  Come out alonga ground, bend over, go down.  Subpose me go close up kill ’em along spear, run away and plant.  Bi’mby come back, find plenty red stone, yalla stone.  Fill ’em up dilly-bag.  Old man bin tell ’em.  Me no go close up along Muhr-amalee.  Too fright!”

SWIMMING FEATS