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Updated: May 15, 2025
As we stood waiting for the sun to sink and the afterglow to paint these clouds, as it did, from shrimp pink and heliotrope to vivid crimson, we saw Bootha's pole fall. The air was quite still. 'The damp has loosened its setting, said Matah, 'but we had better leave it alone and let the old girl fix it up again herself; it may be taboo to ordinary mortals like us. We left it.
One afternoon there had been drizzling rain and a grey mist overshadowing things. Matah went out to look at the chances of a continuance of rain, the usual drought being on. He called to me to come and see a curious sky.
There is no doubt she could diagnose a case well enough. Matah suffered a good deal with a constant pain in one knee, he was quite lame from it. He showed it to Bootha one day. She sang a song to her spirits, then said: 'Too muchee water there; you steam him, put him on hot rag; you drink plenty cold water, all lite dat go.
I am afraid I was not educated up to be appreciative of any of these special wonders, though Matah and others said their muscular training was marvellous. From a spectacular point of view I thought much more interesting a corroboree illustrating the coming of the first steamer up the Barwon.
As it happened a medical man was passing a few days afterwards with an insurance agent. Matah consulted him. 'Hum! Yes, yes. Hot fomentations to the place affected, poultices, a cooling draught. There's a stoppage of fluid at the knee-joint which must be dispersed. I thought Bootha ought to have been called in consultation.
One day, while we were playing tennis, she suddenly, muttering her strange language and dancing new corroboree steps, clad only in her black skin, came up. Matah told her to go away, but she only corroboreed round him and said she wanted to see me. I have the most morbid horror of lunacy in any form. I was once induced to go over a lunatic asylum the horror of it haunts me still.
Once my garden of roses looked very wilted. I asked Bootha to make rain, but just then she was very offended with Matah. One of her dogs had been poisoned, she would make no rain on his country. However, at last she said she would make some for me. I bound her down to a certain day. The day came; a heavy storm fell just over my garden, filling the ground tank, which was almost empty.
In particular I should like to mention my indebtedness to Peter Hippi, king of the Noongahburrahs; and to Hippitha, Matah, Barahgurrie, and Beemunny. I have dedicated my booklet to Peter Hippi, in grateful recognition of his long and faithful service to myself and my husband, which has extended, with few intervals, over a period of twenty years.
The women followed, carrying bunches of leafy twigs with which they pelted the boys until they reached the camp. Matah and I had been watching the whole performance, and followed in the wake of the women.
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