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[Page 45] 45
-3-
The leading fisherman would give the word "muh"
(now) and the spears would all be launched
together, and it was seldom any failed to strike
a fish - The blacks had many queer superstitions
about fishing. To have any luck, one must eat no
fruit before going out on a fishing excursion, not
have any bloodwood gum on one's hands, touch
emu flesh or feathers or even look at one - It was
the practice in certain cases, where a girl was intended
to be a specially good fisherwoman, when grown up,
to sever the little finger of the left hand at the
second joint, and to throw the severed part into the
water, the idea being that the fish would eat it, and
ever after be attracted to the line held by the owner
of the hand from which it came - Our old servant
Fanny was one of these women, and certainly she was a
remarkably clever fisherwoman -