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[Page 35] 35 36
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would sit in a circle, passing from hand to hand, or
rather from mouth to mouth, a sort of sponge made
of the pounded up, inner bark of the stringybark
tree -This they dipped into the "bull" and sucked
turn about 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-
intoxication- Regarding their fondness for sweet things-
although we never had cause of complaint of thefts
in any other direction, they would steal watermelons
when they got the chance - I remember my father
scolding a blackfellow for doing this - His reply was
"bail coolah masser" dont be angry master "no stealem
only take it"-He thought it was no crime to take
a growing thing -They bore pain with great fortitude
As an instance of this - An elderly blackfellow
named fisherman fell from a tree on the southern
side of the harbour, sustaining a compound fracture
of the shin bone- They brought him across to our
place in a bark canoe -They always came to my father
for help when in serious trouble-and he sent a message
to Stroud (24 miles distant) for Dr Harris -When the
Doctor arrived he operated on the Fisherman in our
garden on a table placed there for the purpose - I hung around