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[Page 401]

297.
Some account of New Holland

or the stalk of a plant something resembling a Bullrush (   ) which was very streight & light  the point again was made of very heavy & hard wood  the whole arfully balancd for throwing tho very clumsily made in two  three or four joints  at each of which the parts were let into each other & besides being tied round the Joint was smeard over very thick with their Resin which made it larger & more clumsey than anyother any other part  the points were of several sorts  those which we concluded to be intended against men were indeed most cruel weapons  they were all single pointed either with the stings of sting-rays a large one of which servd for the point & three or 4 smaller tied the contrary way made barbs or simply of wood made very sharp & smeard thick over with gum resin into which was stuck many broken bits of sharp shells so that if such a weapon piered a man it was many to one that it could not be drawn out without leaving several of those unwelcome guests in his flesh  certain to make the wound ten times more dificult to cure than it otherwise would be.

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