Notes by Howitt on Kulin from Barak

Transcription - Page 38

25
Kulin

A blood feud

The Echuca blackfellows were very bad people.
About the time when the whitefellows came
to Melbourne when I was a boy without
any [thick - crossed out] beard [they some - crossed out] one of them found
a piece of 'possum bone which a Westernport
man had thrown away when he was eating
a 'possum. [They - crossed out] He took this bone up between
two pieces of stick and put it aside carefully.
Then he got the leg bone of a Kangaroo and
put the 'possum bone in the hollow of it
and then tied it to his end of his Murriwun
and stuck it up in front of the fire and roasted it. He and
others then sang [along - crossed out] a long time round it
– they sang the name of the man who had
eaten the 'possum. [By and Bye - crossed out] The
Murriwun by and bye fell down into the
fire. Some one brought word of this
down to Westernport and not long after
the poor fellow died. His friends did not
say anything – but kept quiet till one
of the Echuca young men came down
into Westernport with a white fellow and
a bullock dray. Then they killed him.
One person told this to another until after
a time the news got up to the Echuca
blacks. These send word down to
the Westernport blacks that they would
have to meet them at Melbourne.
The old men said to the man who had
killed the Echuca [man - crossed out] black – “now
don't you run away – you must go
and stand out and we will see
that they do not use you badly".