explain about throwing the boomerang, he usually says, "You throw him,
that all"; and that seems to be all there is to it.

Ned and Harry watched the performance with the greatest care, and they
afterwards said that they knew as much about it before they witnessed it
as they did afterwards, with the exception that they had seen with their
own eyes what could be done.

"First, you must understand," said Ned afterwards, "that there are
several kinds of boomerangs, the difference being in size, weight, and
shape. The variations in shape are so slight that they are not readily
perceived by the stranger, though a black would have no difficulty in
determining them. The lightest of the boomerangs weigh from four to five
ounces, while the heaviest are double that weight. Harry happened to
have his spring letter-balance in his pocket, and we weighed one of the
boomerangs that we saw used. Its weight was about six ounces and our
interpreter said that he considered it rather a light one."

"The heaviest boomerangs are used for fighting purposes and for killing
kangaroos, emus, and other large game.

"The boomerang is a queerly shaped weapon. It is made of hard wood and
curved like a bow, the curve from point to point being about a quarter
of a circle. The piece of wood that forms the boomerang is about half an
inch thick, and in the middle it is two and one half inches wide,
narrowing steadily towards the end. I took it in my hand and made a
motion as if to throw it, whereupon the owner laughed, and indicated by
signs that I had seized it by the wrong end.

"When he made ready to throw the weapon, the interpreter told us to
stand perfectly still, lest we might be injured. I asked how it could
happen, and he said that the performer always selected the spot to which
the boomerang returned, and by changing our positions, especially after
the weapon had been thrown, we might be struck by it when it came back.

"Both before and after taking his position the performer carefully
observed the force and direction of the wind, as it has a great deal to
do with the flight of the boomerang. When he was quite ready he flung
the weapon almost straight into the air, where it circled about a few
times, and skimmed along near the ground until it was about three
hundred feet distant; then it turned, made a slight upward motion
through the air, and finally fell within an arm's length of where the
performer stood. The interpreter explained that