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being; it was not made at all. But if, as you say, one Supreme Being did make it, from whence came the pimble[1] from which it was formed? If we make a fire, we must have wood to do it, as nothing is not combustible. If we require a cloak, we must first find the trees containing the weelangies (opossums); we must then climb the trees, and cut out weelangies from their hollow branches, skin them, and dry the skins; after which we have to scrape them with mussel shells, until they are sufficiently pliant; then we have to sew them together. It is thus very evident that if we had not the weelangies, to begin with, we would be unable to perform all these operations, consequently we would not have any cloak, and should therefore sleep cold enough when the lenangin (frost) sines (bites) in the long,, clear, starry nights of winter.
The same thing obtains, too, in whatever we make—canoes, spears, boomerangs, nets, and waddies. Before we make any of them, we must have the material to work upon.
We observe also that you white men are placed in very similar circumstances before you make a house, stockyard, or paddock, or any other thing that you require, either on your stations or in your town. You must get the necessary substances to work upon, and we think that if you could communicate with your good Spirit who made the world, and all it contains, out of nothing (as you say you can), that you would get him to make your houses and every other thing you need, instead of having to give um cheque to bushmen and carpenters, as we see you doing invariably.
- ↑ Pimble—Earth, ground, soil, or land.
