Notes by Howitt on Kulin from Barak

Transcription - Page 19

12
a person armed with two of these would sneak up
to the camp of his enemy during his first sleep.
If the victim snored while he slept that was the
time. The assailant [crept up - crossed out] would creep up and
place his hand carefully on the brow of the [victi - crossed out]
sleeper. [It w - crossed out] If it was cool he would not wake
– if it was warm the man waited a while.
The time being propitious for the operation the
cord was lightly passed round the [vi - crossed out] sleeper's
neck and the bone being threaded [wa - crossed out] through
the loop [the - crossed out] was pulled tight, another Bŭrŭng
was then passed [through t - crossed out] round the feet and
the victim carried off into the bush where
he was cut open and his kidney fat
extracted. It was believed that if the kidney
fat was heated over the fire he would die
in two days – but if only carried away
he would linger three or more days.
The victim coming to himself thought he
had been only asleep and dreaming.
[In the morning perhaps some clever
fellows would see him looking strange
and would say “You don’t look well” –
“Yes I have been to sleep - crossed out] William gave
another illustration. He said: -
“Some times they did this: Some pretended
friends would engage a man in talk in the
bush. All at once one would say “look at all
those whitefellows – or at those birds – or
something or other”. When the man looks
round one hits him at the back of the
neck with a [clu - crossed out] Kūjerŭng. Then they
would roll him about for a long time
to make his mūrŭp come out of him.
Then they would take out his kidney fat
and shut him up again. After they
had gone he would wake up and go home.
Some clever fellow would say “you do not
look well!” – “No, I have been asleep
over there”. You should not do that, someone
might catch you”. – Bye and bye the
man dies.