However, In The North Emus May Be Found In Plenty; And I Do Not
Think There Is The Slightest Fear Of Their Becoming Extinct, As Some
Writers Suggest.
All my readers must have seen this bird at the Zoological
Gardens, and remarked its likeness to the ostrich, both in form and habits;
but the prisoner portrays but poorly the free majestic gait of the wild
inhabitant of the plains.
The colour of the adult bird is a greyish brown,
the feathers are very loose and hairy, whilst the height of a fine male is
often nearly seven feet. The usual mode of capturing these birds is to
ride them down, using dogs trained for the purpose to pull them to the
ground. The dogs should be taught to reserve their attack until the emu is
thoroughly tired out, and then to spring upon the neck; but an unwary puppy
will bitterly rue his temerity should he come within reach of the powerful
legs, which deal kicks fiercely around, and of sufficient power to disable
any assailant. The ostrich always kicks forward, in which he differs from
the emu, whose blow is delivered sideways and backwards, like a cow. This
bird is very good eating, if you know the part to select; the legs proving
tough and unpalatable, while the back is nearly as tender as fowl. But to
the bushman the most valuable thing about the emu is its oil, which is
looked upon as a sovereign remedy for bruises or sprains when rubbed into
the affected part either pure or mixed with turpentine. This useful oil is
of a light yellow colour, and from its not readily congealing or becoming
glutinous, it is in much request for cleaning the locks of fire-arms. It
chiefly resides in the skin, but also collects in great quantities near the
rump. The usual mode of obtaining it is to pluck out all the feathers, cut
the skin into small pieces, and boil them in a common pot; but a still
simpler plan, though less productive, is to hang the skin before a fire,
and catch the oil as it drips down. A full-sized bird will yield from six
to seven quarts. The food of the emu consists of grass and various fruits.
It emits a deep drumming sound from its throat, but no other cry, that I
ever heard. Its nest is only a shallow hole scraped in the ground, and in
this hollow the eggs, which vary in number, are laid. Dr. Bennett remarks
that "There is always an odd number, some nests having been discovered with
nine, others with eleven, and others again with thirteen." When fresh they
are of a beautiful green colour, and are in much request for mounting in
silver as drinking cups; but after a little while the colour changes to a
dirty brownish green. One peculiarity about the next is, that the parent
bird never goes straight up to it, but walks round and round in a narrowing
circle, of which the nest is the centre. I once caught seven little emus,
only just out of the shell; but shutting them up for the night in an empty
room, I was horrified the next morning to find that they had all been
killed by rats. The young ones have four broad longitudinal stripes down
the back, which disappear as they grow up. The emu is easily domesticated,
and on many cattle and sheep stations tame specimens are funning about the
paddocks. To my mind they are an intolerable nuisance, always doing some
mischief - either frightening the horses, or stealing things from the
workmen. I saw one cured of his thievish propensities for a long time. He
always loafed about the kitchen when dinner was being served, and if the
cook turned his back for a moment, his long neck was thrust through the
window, and anything within reach - from an onion to a salt-spoon -
disappeared with marvellous celerity. But my friend caught a tartar when
he bolted two scalding potatoes, steaming from the pot. He rushed round and
round the little paddock, and at last dropped down as if dead, from pain
and fatigue. Poor wretch, he must have suffered dreadfully; and I am sure
we all pitied him, except the cook, whose patience he had quite worn out.
Out sable allies were gratified beyond measure when we presented them with
the game, and a great feast took place that evening. We neglected no
opportunity of gaining information about both the shipwrecked crew and the
unknown white man, whose grave we were to visit on the following morning.
Through Lizzie we questioned different individuals separately, but they all
agreed that such an event as the loss of a vessel and the arrival of her
crew amongst the blacks, could not possibly have happened without their
hearing something of it. From their imperfect knowledge of time, and their
difficulty in expressing any number higher than five, we could not form the
slightest idea how long the white man had lived among them; but they
pointed to the ranges behind the township of Cardwell as indicating the
place where he first joined them.
We camped at the opposite end of the water-hole, not thinking it judicious
to remain too close to our allies, and kept a strict watch during the
night; but we might all have enjoyed a good sleep in perfect safety, for
the blacks were far too busy stuffing themselves with emu meat to think of
treachery. Before sunrise we started, guided by our late captive and two
of his companions. After a tedious walk, we arrived at an open plain, on
which the grass was trodden down in every direction, in some places worn
quite away by the feet of the natives - for this was the great "bora
ground" of the coast tribes, where the mystic ceremonies mentioned in a
former chapter took place. Traversing the sacred plain, our thoughts busy
in conjecturing the weird scenes that the posts had witnessed, we came to a
little creek whose clear stream babbled cheerfully among the rocks, and
soon saw a giant fig-tree, which our guides indicated as being the spot we
sought.
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