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Praface Table of Content Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three . . . . .

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Chapter One The dust swirled in little eddies causing a few sparks from the open fire to lift into the cool air of the evening and be blown away in the light breeze as the old man and the young boy huddled about the open fire. Despite the fact they were sitting in the shelter of a wind-break of tree branches, the chill of the air was seeping into the bones of the elder aborigine and so as a protective measure he turned to one side dragged a branch from the pile lying on the ground beside him and placed it amongst the dying flames of his fire. This action was not only to warm him but also in order to increase the quantity of ashes available that he might later cook some meat for him and the boy; then, having achived this he moved even closer to the flames and drew his worn almost thread-bare blanket tighter about him. Hunting for the evening meal had taken them further afield than usual as a number of the tribe had ventured out as a group before him and whereas most of this early contigent carried spears there was one among them possessed a rifle to shoot his game. This compared favourably with the old man as he normally hunted alone when the boy was attending school in the township of St.George, or with the boy when the school holidays were on. During the hunt he used only the traditional weapons of his race - the spear (billah) and spear thrower (amera), boomerang (arkana) and nulla-nulla (boondee); the latter two he made from the Giyea tree and deferring to the white-man's implements only to the carrying of a carbon-steel bladed knife. Consequently his hunting relied upon stealth and skill not the 'kill from a distance of the modern aborigine armed with a rifle. It is true to say the others always came back with whatever game they sought whereas he was obilged to search logner and not always successfully, but of course they only required one shot and then the hunt was over as the remaining game fled from the sound of the weapon.

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