Dying Nation’s Last Home

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1922, Page 4

Dying Nation’s Last Home

VISIT TO THE STONE AGE

PRISONERS OF PALM ISLAND,

(From Dale Collins aboard Specjncks,

off Queensland Const.)

To-day’s dawn lifted from the chart on to the horizon’s rim tho Palm Isles, and here the Gowcn expedition came upon one of the last camps of the vanishing Australian aboriginals. _Me sailed from the twentieth century hack into the Stone Age and saw the handfuls of the tribes making their last stand against the march of time and civilisation.

Upon their tropical isle, surrounded by sleeepy, crooning sea and embowered in the wonder of palms and hush vegetation _ these people of yesterday dwell happily enough, and yet there is a mournful note about the beautiful pl.'iep. The very palms whispering together sec in to say “Farewell! Farewell!” The tribes slip hack from the world into history.

“Fat feller motor-boat he come!” That was how the, news of our arrival spread, and these seafarers whose liners are hollowed from logs flocked to the bench to admire the latest masterpiece of the shipbuilders* art. From the coral-strewn bench we step-

ped into the settlement between a double row of a guard of honour of primitive folk of repulsive appearance. Their physique was poor and their mentality was of the lowest. Glancing to right and left, it was easy to read in those faces the reason for their passing. tAnd yet, poor souls, they gave us a rousing reception, cheering and laughing, with a deep guttural note and a high-pitched, quavering tone mingled.

Fashions vary on Palm Island. 'Some wore a battered howler hat, a khaki shirt, and ancient trousers ; others favoured a loin cloth and relied upon patterns painted on their bodies with coloured clays to complete their costume. and there were four native policemen in faded uniforms which at one time must have Ix-en worthy of an American hand conductor SIX WOMEN—ONE PIPE

The gins—or women were sorry, strange figures as they stood huddled together in their dirty dresses passing a single pipe between half a dozen of them. Reality there was none. The children alone had eluirm, but oven they were poor mites, an,| the proportion of half-castes was sadly liigV. But all seemed happy enough in their own wav. the unreasoning way of a race which

has never grown up.. The settlement contains some COO people a prupoilion <>f whom arc prisoners held for murder, cattle spooring, and thn like. The remainder are D’eie loi their own good, to remove them from the fatal influences „f the white man anil his grog, but strangely enough it k the murderers who are the most easily handled. The free men arcallowed lo accept employment upon the mainland or in the pearling luggers, and must, by law, be paid £2 10s a week. They an- poor savers, but several have more than £IOO to I heir credit in the island bank. M hell Hilly goes to ivd* his Mary remains on the island. She is accommodated in a large lint with other grass widows, and a guard is ill muted. Marriages are made oil application to the superintendent, but divorce is forbidden. 'flic- eternal triangle causes mischief even in this far-off isle, but the trouble is met bv the application of caveman methods to the lady. Heatings are many and ( illy one lady has any redress. She as a girl was the nurse of the superintendent, and whenever her man begins to tame her with a stick, she rises in her wrath. “Me go and fell my feller bf-y you t.mehem me!” she threatens. Her lot

' is a happy one. ! TIIK PLYING death. I We saw boom ora ng-tbrowing, t!io j 1-I,l'is (I slicks Indue; flung far out, to I return to the very left of tile throwers Jll ’ tor eircliii'o several hundred yards j through tin* air. Sp-ear-throwim* j’,,i_ I I "cl, and tlie demonstration -showed Hint tlie tubes have not yet lost their inayterv „f the <l,l art. Eumi ;i ,M a tall hhiel; follow sent six I '; r s harpenod wood singing through i the air at a human I r;;d. ||j.s adver- ' rnry "ait-d still as a statue, his only pi oiet'tion a narrow piece of woo<l like a Huh. If .seemed that lie most he j tr; nshxod, hut it the erneial moment j ll ' r ' ,is *' l guard. twisted his wrist | there was a sharp dirk, and the flying deals was delleeted, harmless, to cue side to bury itself, vibrating, in file ground.

\\ e seen red a host of hinemntogrnph pictures of (Ip. last of the tribes, and "e"t htick into our little floating world ol to-day. I hen, with our modern scienee, we sent a message flashing back into the Stone Age. Through the warm deep gloom of the tropic night a long s l )l 'ar of Minding light wont leaping and "e played our searchlight up and down the settlement, awakening a Ha"imir of slii dl cries, which turned from fear to delight.

‘‘Those guys,” said Bill, ou r Am-orienn-British steward, “will b P hiked of! the cartli mighty soon, c h?” And nt him Louis, the French sP „_ nmn of the Speejacks shook his head thoughtfully as he worked with an electric torch upon his model of a barque. “Ah, feenesh !” said T/.uis. But such mournful considerations were interrupted by a volley of orders; the electric .capstan groaned into life, dripping from the warm sea rose the how anchor, and the engines muttered together again. On, over on, into the night, we danced, and Palm Island, a dying nation’s outpost, slipped away into yesterday like a great whale swim, mmg slowly over the rim of the world.