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[Page 20] 20
- 2 -
They were exceedingly fond of sweets, and
before the honey times arrived they were
delighted to be given a freshly emptied sugar
bag. This they would soak in water to make
what they called "bull" - (merely sweetened
water) around a vessel of this stuff they would
sit in a circle passing from hand to hand or
rather from mouth to mouth a sort of sponge
of the pounded up inner bark
of the string bark tree - This was dipped into
"bull" and sucked turnabout until
the vessel was dry - and strange though it
may appear, they would, by that time, be
quite hilarious, and in a state of semi intox-
ication - Regarding their fondness for sweets -
although we never had cause to complain
of theiving in other directions they would help
themselves to our watermelons when they got
the chance - I remember my father scolding
a black for opening a melon - His reply was
"bail coolah marser (don't be angry master) no
stealin only take it"