The Confessions of a BeachcomberBanfield, E. J. (Edmund James)
History
The Confessions of a Beachcomber
Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)
Dunk Island (Qld.); Natural history -- Australia -- Queensland
"This fella spear kill plenty. Kangaroo, wallaby, fish--kill 'em all
asame. He go ri' through longa kangaroo. One time me see 'em catch one
fella boy. Brother belonga me--Billy--strong fella that. One time we go
after kangaroo. Billy walk about close up, me sit down alonga rock; me
plant me'self. 'Nother boy close up. He plant. We no see that fella.
Bi'mby me see little fella wallaby feed about. Me bin whistle alonga my
brother. 'Here wallaby. Come this way; quiet!' my brother come up.
'Tchuk spear, miss wallaby, catch 'em that other fella boy, here. He bin
sing out--cry like anything. My brother fright. That boy sing out--'Billy,
you; what for you spear me.' Billy run away, that boy sing
out--'Billy. No, you run away. Come up; pull out spear, quick fella!'
Billy run away. Me sit down quiet. No make noise. Me hear that fella cry,
cry, sing out like anything. He carn walk about. Me go quiet along a
grass long way. Come round 'nother side. That boy no bin see me. Bi'mby
me see gins--big mob. Sing out--'One fella boy bin catch 'em spear. He very
bad. Close up dead now.' Billy plant himself long way. Boys and gins
come up, where boy sing out. 'Carry 'em alonga camp.' Me go long way,
where auntie belonga me sit down. That spear cartn pull 'em out. He got
hook. All a time that boy sing out, 'Pull out spear.' Bi'mby Billy come
back. He very sorry. He say--'Me no wan' spear you. Me no look out you.
Me wan' catch 'em wallaby.' That boy say, 'All ri, Billy. You good mate
belonga me.' Three days that spear inside yet. Me come alonga camp. That
boy look 'em all ri'. Me say--'Me very sorry. Me think you dead now.' He
say--'Me no dead. Me feel all ri'. Me want pull out spear.' Old men
pull out hard. Carn shift 'em. Old men say--'We cut 'em now.' Get knife,
sharpen 'em, cut 'em, cut 'em, cut 'em. Three strong boys pull 'em
spear. Pull 'em hard altogether. Pull out plenty beef longa that hook.
That boy no sing out. My word. He carn stop. Two weeks dead. Gins no bin
bury 'em. What you think? Cut 'em up beef from bone; put beef in bark,
put white paint alonga bark, tie 'em up and hung up 'em a longa
dilly-bag. My word, puff! Bi'mby you se-mell 'em stink."
George was not pressed to display his accomplishments. He chose during
many months to hold himself in reserve, and to live up to the reputation
of being quite a scholar, as far as scholarship goes among blacks. But
in accordance with expectations, his pride and enthusiasm got the better
of him. He produced two scraps of paper, on each of which were a number
of sinuous lines and scrawls, saying
"You write all asame this kind?"
"No," I said, "I no write like that."
"This easy fella? All the time me write this kind."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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