Corroboree

Corroboree At Tennant
Creek Only 'Half-Hearted'
TENNANT CREEK. August 9.
The £100,000 gold production cele
brations at Tennant Creek were con
tinued by a few hardy spirits almost
until dawn yesterday.
The town during the night presented
a scene reminiscent of stories of earlier
days on the goldfields elsewhere. Dur
ing the night some exuberant prac
tical jokers exploded several home
gelignite bombs, which resulted in the
shattering of one or two windows.
The celebrations were continued yes
terday afternoon with a corroboree by
the blacks at the old telegraph station,
seven miles from the town. For the
last two weeks there has been a steady
stream of aborigines from the bush
into the station, called together by that
system of communication which still
remains an enigma to the ?white. The
aborigines had been preparing for the
entertainment all day, daubing then
bodies with kopi, blood, and feathers
in fantastic designs. Many of them
were half-wild myalls, and when tbp
time came for the corroboree and a
large crowd from the town had gath
ered at the ground, they took fright and
ran away. Only about a dozen of the
more sophisticated workers at the sta
tion remained and performed ln a
half-hearted manner, to the disap
pointment of the crowd. The others
gathered in groups some distance away,
talking and gesticulating excitedly.
The celebrations ceased last night
with a dance, and tomorrow many of
the men will return to their claims.