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We often came across them in the Mountains
up at Cooplacurraph, wher judging from their
number, the Blacks must have been numerous
long ago = There was plenty of Kangaroos up there
The top ring was made very smooth and carpeted
with gum leaves = and a fire was made in
the center of it which was never allowed to
go out = But I have quite forgoten to discribe to
you how they obtained fire before the Whites
came = The first time I saw them at it was when
we were wrecked at the Bar in 1837 = no one
had a match that would go off = Matches were
not plentiful then = and no dry tinder so the
Blacks started to make a fire, they got an old
spear and used the Grass Tree shaft of that = first
they broke it into two pieces, one longer than the
other, then made a shallow hole about the
middle of the long peice with the corner of a tomahawk (they
had no pocket knife amongst them) in the
longest peice = the short peice (about 1 foot or 18 in
long) they rounded off the end to fit in the hole,
teased out some fine dry stringey bark and packed
it round the hole and put some powderd, dry
Charcole, in to the hole & sprinkled it amonst the
stringey bark, Then two Darkies sat down oposite
each other and put their legs out and on to
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