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+The Project Gutenberg Etext of Australian Legendary Tales--
+Folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told to the piccaninnies, 
+by K. Langloh Parker
+#2 in our series by K. Langloh Parker
+
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+Title: Australian Legendary Tales--
+       Folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told to the piccaninnies
+
+Author: K. (Katie) Langloh Parker (1856-1940)
+
+Release Date: February, 2003  [Etext #3833]
+[Yes, we are about one year ahead of schedule]
+[The actual date this file first posted = 10/01/01]
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+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+The Project Gutenberg Etext of Australian Legendary Tales--Folk-lore of
+the Noongahburrahs as told to the piccaninnies, by K. LANGLOH PARKER
+********This file should be named strlt10.txt or strlt10.zip********
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+
+AUSTRALIAN LEGENDARY TALES
+FOLK-LORE OF THE NOONGAHBURRAHS
+AS TOLD TO THE PICCANINNIES
+COLLECTED BY MRS. K. LANGLOH PARKER
+WITH INTRODUCTON BY ANDREW LANG, M.A.
+
+
+
+
+
+DEDICATED
+TO
+PETER HIPPI
+KING OF THE NOONGAHBURRAHS
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+INTRODUCTION, BY ANDREW LANG, M.A.
+1  DINEWAN THE EMU, AND GOOMBLEGUBBON THE BUSTARD
+2  THE GALAH, AND OOLAH THE LIZARD
+3  BAHLOO THE MOON, AND THE DAENS
+4  THE ORIGIN OF THE NARRAN LAKE
+5  GOOLOO THE MAGPIE, AND THE WAHROOGAH
+6  THE WEEOOMBEENS AND THE PIGGIEBILLAH
+7  BOOTOOLGAH THE CRANE AND GOONUR THE KANGAROO RAT, THE FIRE MAKERS
+8  WEEDAH THE MOCKING BIRD
+9  THE GWINERBOOS THE REDBREASTS
+10 MEAMEI THE SEVEN SISTERS
+11 THE COOKOOBURRAHS AND THE GOOLAHGOOL
+12 THE MAYAMAH
+13 THE BUNBUNDOOLOOEYS
+14 OONGNAIRWAH AND GUINAREY
+15 NARAHDARN THE BAT
+16 MULLYANGAH THE MORNING STAR
+17 GOOMBLEGUBBON, BEEARGAII, AND OUYAN
+18 MOOREGOO THE MOPOKE, AND BAHLOO THE MOON
+19 OUYAN THE CURLEW
+20 DINEWAN THE EMU, AND WAHN THE CROWS
+21 GOOLAHWILLEEL THE TOPKNOT PIGEONS
+22 GOONUR, THE WOMAN-DOCTOR
+23 DEEREEREE THE WAGTAIL, AND THE RAINBOW
+24 MOOREGOO THE MOPOKE, AND MOONINGUGGAHGUL THE MOSQUITO BIRD
+25 BOUGOODOOGAHDAH THE RAIN BIRD
+26 THE BORAH OF BYAMEE
+27 BUNNYYARL THE FLIES AND WURRUNNUNNAH THE BEES
+28 DEEGEENBOYAH THE SOLDIER-BIRD
+29 MAYRAH, THE WIND THAT BLOWS THE WINTER AWAY
+30 WAYAMBEH THE TURTLE
+31 WIRREENUN THE RAINMAKER
+NATIVE TEXT OF THE FIRST TALE (APPENDIX)
+GLOSSARY
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+
+A neighbour of mine exclaimed, when I mentioned that I proposed making a
+small collection of the folk-lore legends of the tribe of blacks I knew
+so well living on this station, "But have the blacks any legends?"--thus
+showing that people may live in a country and yet know little of the
+aboriginal inhabitants; and though there are probably many who do know
+these particular legends, yet I think that this is the first attempt
+that has been made to collect the tales of any particular tribe, and
+publish them alone. At all events, I know that no attempt has been made
+previously, as far as the folklore of the Noongahburrahs is concerned.
+Therefore, on the authority of Professor Max Muller, that folk-lore of
+any country is worth collecting, I am emboldened to offer my small
+attempt, at a collection, to the public. There are probably many who,
+knowing these legends, would not think them worth recording; but, on
+the other hand, I hope there are many who think, as I do, that we
+should try, while there is yet time, to gather all the information
+possible of a race fast dying out, and the origin of which is so
+obscure. I cannot affect to think that these little legends will do
+much to remove that obscurity, but undoubtedly a scientific and patient
+study of the folk-lore throughout Australia would greatly assist
+thereto. I, alas! am but an amateur, moved to my work by interest in
+the subject, and in the blacks, of whom I have had some experience.
+
+The time is coming when it will be impossible to make even such a
+collection as this, for the old blacks are quickly dying out, and the
+young ones will probably think it beneath the dignity of their
+so-called civilisation even to remember such old-women's stories. Those
+who have themselves attempted the study of an unknown folk-lore will be
+able to appreciate the difficulties a student has to surmount before he
+can even induce those to talk who have the knowledge he desires. In
+this, as in so much else, those who are ready to be garrulous know
+little.
+
+I have confined this little book to the legends of the Narran tribe,
+known among themselves as Noongahburrahs. It is astonishing to find,
+within comparatively short distances, a diversity of language and
+custom. You may even find the same word in different tribes bearing a
+totally different meaning. Many words, too, have been introduced which
+the blacks think are English, and the English think are native. Such,
+for example, as piccaninny, and, as far as these outside blacks are
+concerned, boomerang is regarded as English, their local word being
+burren; yet nine out of ten people whom you meet think both are local
+native words.
+
+Though I have written my little book in the interests of folk-lore, I
+hope it will gain the attention of, and have some interest for,
+children--of Australian children, because they will find stories of old
+friends among the Bush birds; and of English children, because I hope
+that they will be glad to make new friends, and so establish a free
+trade between the Australian and English nurseries--wingless, and
+laughing birds, in exchange for fairy godmothers, and princes in
+disguise.
+
+I must also acknowledge my great indebtedness to the blacks, who, when
+once they understood what I wanted to know, were most ready to repeat
+to me the legends repeating with the utmost patience, time after time,
+not only the legends, but the names, that I might manage to spell them
+so as to be understood when repeated. In particular I should like to
+mention my indebtedness to Peter Hippi, king of the Noongahburrahs; and
+to Hippitha, Matah, Barahgurrie, and Beemunny.
+
+I have dedicated my booklet to Peter Hippi, in grateful recognition of
+his long and faithful service to myself and my husband, which has
+extended, with few intervals, over a period of twenty years. He, too,
+is probably the last king of the Noongabburrahs, who are fast dying
+out--, and soon their weapons, bartered by them for tobacco or whisky,
+alone will prove that they ever existed. It seemed to me a pity that
+some attempt should not be made to collect the folk-lore of the quickly
+disappearing tribe--a folk-lore embodying, probably, the thoughts,
+fancies, and beliefs of the genuine aboriginal race, and which, as
+such, deserves to be, indeed, as Max Muller says, "might be and ought
+to be, collected in every part of the world."
+
+The legends were told to me by the blacks themselves, some of whom
+remember the coming of Mitchellan, as they call Major Mitchell, the
+explorer of these back creeks. The old blacks laugh now when they tell
+you how frightened their mothers were of the first wheel tracks they
+saw. They would not let the children tread on them, but carefully
+lifted them over, lest their feet should break out in sores, as they
+were supposed to do if they trod on a snake's track. But with all their
+fear, little did they realise that the coming of Mitchellan was the
+beginning of their end, or that fifty years afterwards, from the
+remnant of their once numerous tribe, would be collected the legends
+they told in those days to their piccaninnies round their camp-fires,
+and those legends used to make a Christmas booklet for the children of
+their white supplanters.
+
+I can only hope that the white children will be as ready to listen to
+these stories as were, and indeed are, the little piccaninnies, and
+thus the sale of this booklet be such as to enable me to add frocks and
+tobacco when I give their Christmas dinner, as is my yearly custom, to
+the remnant of the Noongahburrahs.
+
+K. LANGLOH PARKER,
+BANGATE, NARRAN RIVER, NEW SOUTH WALES,
+June 24th, 1895.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+
+Australia makes an appeal to the fancy which is all its own. When
+Cortes entered Mexico, in the most romantic moment of history, it was
+as if men had found their way to a new planet, so strange, so long
+hidden from Europe was all that they beheld. Still they found kings,
+nobles, peasants, palaces, temples, a great organised society, fauna
+and flora not so very different from what they had left behind in
+Spain. In Australia all was novel, and, while seeming fresh, was
+inestimably old. The vegetation differs from ours; the monotonous grey
+gum-trees did not resemble our varied forests, but were antique,
+melancholy, featureless, like their own continent of rare hills,
+infrequent streams and interminable deserts, concealing nothing within
+their wastes, yet promising a secret. The birds and beasts--kangaroo,
+platypus, emu--are ancient types, rough grotesques of Nature, sketching
+as a child draws. The natives were a race without a history, far more
+antique than Egypt, nearer the beginnings than any other people. Their
+weapons are the most primitive: those of the extinct Tasmanians were
+actually palaeolithic. The soil holds no pottery, the cave walls no
+pictures drawn by men more advanced; the sea hides no ruined palaces;
+no cities are buried in the plains; there is not a trace of
+inscriptions or of agriculture. The burying places contain relics of
+men perhaps even lower than the existing tribes; nothing attests the
+presence in any age of men more cultivated. Perhaps myriads of years
+have gone by since the Delta, or the lands beside Euphrates and Tigris
+were as blank of human modification as was the whole Australian
+continent.
+
+The manners and rites of the natives were far the most archaic of all
+with which we are acquainted. Temples they had none: no images of gods,
+no altars of sacrifice; scarce any memorials of the dead. Their worship
+at best was offered in hymns to some vague, half-forgotten deity or
+First Maker of things, a god decrepit from age or all but careless of
+his children. Spirits were known and feared, but scarcely defined or
+described. Sympathetic magic, and perhaps a little hypnotism, were all
+their science. Kings and nations they knew not; they were wanderers,
+houseless and homeless. Custom was king; yet custom was tenacious,
+irresistible, and as complex in minute details as the etiquette of
+Spanish kings, or the ritual of the Flamens of Rome. The archaic
+intricacies and taboos of the customs and regulations of marriage might
+puzzle a mathematician, and may, when unravelled, explain the less
+complicated prohibitions of a totemism less antique. The people
+themselves in their struggle for existence had developed great
+ingenuities. They had the boomerang and the weet-weet, but not the bow;
+the throwing stick, but not, of course, the sword; the message stick,
+but no hieroglyphs; and their art was almost purely decorative, in
+geometrical patterns, not representative. They deemed themselves akin
+to all nature, and called cousins with rain and smoke, with clouds and
+sky, as well as with beasts and trees. They were adroit hunters,
+skilled trackers, born sportsmen; they now ride well, and, for savages,
+play cricket fairly. But, being invaded by the practical emigrant or
+the careless convict, the natives were not studied when in their prime,
+and science began to examine them almost too late. We have the works of
+Sir George Grey, the too brief pamphlet of Mr. Gideon Lang, the more
+learned labours of Messrs. Fison and Howitt, and the collections of Mr.
+Brough Smyth. The mysteries (Bora) of the natives, the initiatory
+rites, a little of the magic, a great deal of the social customs are
+known to us, and we have fragments of the myths. But, till Mrs. Langloh
+Parker wrote this book, we had but few of the stories which Australian
+natives tell by the camp-fire or in the gum-tree shade.
+
+These, for the most part, are KINDER MARCHEN, though they include many
+aetiological myths, explanatory of the markings and habits of animals,
+the origin of constellations, and so forth. They are a savage edition
+of the METAMORPHOSES, and few unbiased students now doubt that the
+METAMORPHOSES are a very late and very artificial version of
+traditional tales as savage in origin as those of the Noongahburrah. I
+have read Mrs. Parker's collection with very great interest, with
+"human pleasure," merely for the story's sake. Children will find here
+the Jungle Book, never before printed, of black little boys and girls.
+The sympathy with, and knowledge of beast-life and bird-life are worthy
+of Mr. Kipling, and the grotesque names are just what children like.
+Dinewan and Goomblegubbon should take their place with Rikki Tikki and
+Mr. Kipling's other delightful creatures. But there is here no Mowgli,
+set apart in the jungle as a man. Man, bird, and beast are all blended
+in the Australian fancy as in that of Bushmen and Red Indians. All are
+of one kindred, all shade into each other; all obey the Bush Law as
+they obey the Jungle Law in Mr. Kipling's fascinating stories. This
+confusion, of course, is not peculiar to Australian MARCHEN; it is the
+prevalent feature of our own popular tales. But the Australians "do it
+more natural:" the stories are not the heritage of a traditional and
+dead, but the flowers of a living and actual condition of the mind. The
+stories have not the ingenious dramatic turns of our own MARCHEN. Where
+there are no distinctions of wealth and rank, there can be no
+CINDERELLA and no PUSS IN BOOTS. Many stories are rude aetiological
+myths; they explain the habits and characteristics of the birds and
+beasts, and account in a familiar way for the origin of death ("Bahloo,
+the Moon, and the Daens"). The origin of fire is also accounted for in
+what may almost be called a scientific way. Once discovered, it is, of
+course, stolen from the original proprietors. A savage cannot believe
+that the first owners of fire would give the secret away. The inventors
+of the myth of Prometheus were of the same mind.
+
+On the whole the stories, perhaps, most resemble those from the Zulu in
+character, though these represent a much higher grade of civilisation.
+The struggle for food and water, desperately absorbing, is the
+perpetual theme, and no wonder, for the narrators dwell in a dry and
+thirsty land, and till not, nor sow, nor keep any domestic animals. We
+see the cunning of the savage in the devices for hunting, especially
+for chasing honey bees. The Rain-magic, actually practised, is of
+curious interest. In brief, we have pictures of savage life by savages,
+romances which are truly realistic. We understand that condition which
+Dr. Johnson did not think happy--the state from which we came, and to
+which we shall probably return. "Equality," "Liberty", "Community of
+Goods," all mean savagery, and even savages, if equal, are not really
+free. Custom is the tyrant.
+
+The designs are from the sketch-book of an untaught Australian native;
+they were given to me some years ago by my brother, Dr. Lang, of
+Corowa. The artist has a good deal of spirit in his hunting scenes; his
+trees are not ill done, his emus and kangaroos are better than his men
+and labras. Using ink, a pointed stick, and paper, the artist shows an
+unwonted freedom of execution. Nothing like this occurs in Australian
+scratches with a sharp stone on hard wood. Probably no other member of
+his dying race ever illustrated a book.
+
+ANDREW LANG.
+
+
+* * * * *
+
+
+
+
+1.  DINEWAN THE EMU, AND GOOMBLEGUBBON THE BUSTARD
+
+
+
+Dinewan the emu, being the largest bird, was acknowledged as king bythe
+other birds. The Goomblegubbons, the bustards, were jealous of the
+Dinewans. Particularly was Goomblegubbon, the mother, jealous of the
+Diriewan mother. She would watch with envy the high flight of the
+Dinewans, and their swift running. And she always fancied that the
+Dinewan mother flaunted her superiority in her face, for whenever
+Dinewan alighted near Goomblegubbon, after a long, high flight, she
+would flap her big wings and begin booing in her pride, not the loud
+booing of the male bird, but a little, triumphant, satisfied booing
+noise of her own, which never failed to irritate Goomblegubbon when she
+heard it.
+
+Goomblegubbon used to wonder how she could put an end to Dinewan's
+supremacy. She decided that she would only be able to do so by injuring
+her wings and checking her power of flight. But the question that
+troubled her was how to effect this end. She kn ew she would gain
+nothing by having a quarrel with Dinewan and fighting her, for no
+Goomblegubbon would stand any chance against a Dinewan, There was
+evidently nothing to be gained by an open fight. She would have to
+effect her end by cunning.
+
+One day, when Goomblegubbon saw in the distance Dinewan coming towards
+her, she squatted down and doubled in her wings in such a way as to
+look as if she had none. After Dinewan had been talking to her for some
+time, Goomblegubbon said: "Why do you not imitate me and do without
+wings? Every bird flies. The Dinewans, to be the king of birds, should
+do without wings. When all the birds see that I can do without wings,
+they will think I am the cleverest bird and they will make a
+Goomblegubbon king."
+
+"But you have wings," said Dinewan.
+
+"No, I have no wings." And indeed she looked as if her words were true,
+so well were her wings hidden, as she squatted in the grass. Dinewan
+went away after awhile, and thought much of what she had heard. She
+talked it all over with her mate, who was as disturbed as she was. They
+made up their minds that it would never do to let the Goomblegubbons
+reign in their stead, even if they had to lose their wings to save
+their kingship.
+
+At length they decided on the sacrifice of their wings. The Dinewan
+mother showed the example by persuading her mate to cut off hers with a
+combo or stone tomahawk, and then she did the same to his. As soon as
+the operations were over, the Dinewan mother lost no time in letting
+Goomblegubbon know what they had done. She ran swiftly down to the
+plain on which she had left Goomblegubbon, and, finding her still
+squatting there, she said: "See, I have followed your example. I have
+now no wings. They are cut off."
+
+"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Goomblegubbon, jumping up and dancing round with
+joy at the success of her plot. As she danced round, she spread out her
+wings, flapped them, and said: "I have taken you in, old stumpy wings.
+I have my wings yet. You are fine birds, you Dinewans, to be chosen
+kings, when you are so easily taken in. Ha! ha! ha!" And, laughing
+derisively, Goomblegubbon flapped her wings right in front of Dinewan,
+who rushed towards her to chastise her treachery. But Goomblegubbon
+flew away, and, alas! the now wingless Dinewan could not follow her.
+
+Brooding over her wrongs, Dinewan walked away, vowing she would be
+revenged. But how? That was the question which she and her mate failed
+to answer for some time. At length the Dinewan mother thought of a plan
+and prepared at once to execute it. She hid all her young Dinewans but
+two, under a big salt bush. Then she walked off to Goomblegubbons'
+plain with the two young ones following her. As she walked off the
+morilla ridge, where her home was, on to the plain, she saw
+Goomblegubbon out feeding with her twelve young ones.
+
+After exchanging a few remarks in a friendly manner with Goomblegubbon,
+she said to her, "Why do you not imitate me and only have two children?
+Twelve are too many to feed. If you keep so many they will never grow
+big birds like the Dinewans. The food that would make big birds of two
+would only starve twelve." Goomblegubbon said nothing, but she thought
+it might be so. It was impossible to deny that the young Dinewans were
+much bigger than the young Goomblegubbons, and, discontentedly,
+Goomblegubbon walked away, wondering whether the smallness of her young
+ones was owing to the number of them being so much greater than that of
+the Dinewans. It would be grand, she thought, to grow as big as the
+Dinewans. But she remembered the trick she had played on Dinewan, and
+she thought that perhaps she was being fooled in her turn. She looked
+back to where the Dinewans fed, and as she saw how much bigger the two
+young ones were than any of hers, once more mad envy of Dinewan
+possessed her. She determined she would not be outdone. Rather would
+she kill all her young ones but two. She said, "The Dinewans shall not
+be the king birds of the plains. The Goomblegubbons shall replace them.
+They shall grow as big as the Dinewans, and shall keep their wings and
+fly, which now the Dinewans cannot do." And straightway Goomblegubbon
+killed all her young ones but two. Then back she came to where the
+Dinewans were still feeding. When Dinewan saw her coming and noticed
+she had only two young ones with her, she called out: "Where are all
+your young ones?"
+
+Goomblegubbon answered, "I have killed them, and have only two left.
+Those will have plenty to eat now, and will soon grow as big as your
+young ones."
+
+"You cruel mother to kill your children. You greedy mother. Why, I have
+twelve children and I find food for them all. I would not kill one for
+anything, not even if by so doing I could get back my wings. There is
+plenty for all. Look at the emu bush how it covers itself with berries
+to feed my big family. See how the grasshoppers come hopping round, so
+that we can catch them and fatten on them."
+
+"But you have only two children."
+
+"I have twelve. I will go and bring them to show you." Dinewan ran off
+to her salt bush where she had hidden her ten young ones. Soon she was
+to be seen coming back. Running with her neck stretched forward, her
+head thrown back with pride, and the feathers of her boobootella
+swinging as she ran, booming out the while her queer throat noise, the
+Dinewan song of joy, the pretty, soft-looking little ones with their
+zebra-striped skins, running beside her whistling their baby Dinewan
+note. When Dinewan reached the place where Goomblegubbon was, she
+stopped her booing and said in a solemn tone, "Now you see my words are
+true, I have twelve young ones, as I said. You can gaze at my loved
+ones and think of your poor murdered children. And while you do so I
+will tell you the fate of your descendants for ever. By trickery and
+deceit you lost the Dinewans their wings, and now for evermore, as long
+as a Dinewan has no wings, so long shall a Goomblegubbon lay only two
+eggs and have only two young ones. We are quits now. You have your
+wings and I my children."
+
+And ever since that time a Dinewan, or emu, has had no wings, and a
+Goomblegubbon, or bustard of the plains, has laid only two eggs in a
+season.
+
+
+
+
+2.  THE GALAH, AND OOLAH THE LIZARD
+
+
+
+Oolah the lizard was tired of lying in the sun, doing nothing. So he
+said, "I will go and play." He took his boomerangs out, and began to
+practise throwing them. While he was doing so a Galah came up, and
+stood near, watching the boomerangs come flying back, for the kind of
+boomerangs Oolah was throwing were the bubberahs. They are smaller than
+others, and more curved, and when they are properly thrown they return
+to the thrower, which other boomerangs do not.
+
+Oolah was proud of having the gay Galah to watch his skill. In his
+pride he gave the bubberah an extra twist, and threw it with all his
+might. Whizz, whizzing through the air, back it came, hitting, as it
+passed her, the Galah on the top of her head, taking both feathers and
+skin clean off. The Galah set up a hideous, cawing, croaking shriek,
+and flew about, stopping every few minutes to knock her head on the
+ground like a mad bird. Oolah was so frightened when he saw what he had
+done, and noticed that the blood was flowing from the Galah's head,
+that he glided away to hide under a bindeah bush. But the Galah saw
+him. She never stopped the hideous noise she was making for a minute,
+but, still shrieking, followed Oolah. When she reached the bindeah bush
+she rushed at Oolah, seized him with her beak, rolled him on the bush
+until every bindeah had made a hole in his skin. Then she rubbed his
+skin with her own bleeding head. "Now then," she said, "you Oolah shall
+carry bindeahs on you always, and the stain of my blood."
+
+"And you," said Oolah, as he hissed with pain from the tingling of the
+prickles, "shall be a bald-headed bird as long as I am a red prickly
+lizard."
+
+So to this day, underneath the Galah's crest you can always find the
+bald patch which the bubberah of Oolah first made. And in the country
+of the Galahs are lizards coloured reddish brown, and covered with
+spikes like bindeah prickles.
+
+
+
+
+3.  BAHLOO THE MOON AND THE DAENS
+
+
+
+Bahloo the moon looked down at the earth one night, when his light was
+shining quite brightly, to see if any one was moving. When the earth
+people were all asleep was the time he chose for playing with his three
+dogs. He called them dogs, but the earth people called them snakes, the
+death adder, the black snake, and the tiger snake. As he looked down on
+to the earth, with his three dogs beside him, Bahloo saw about a dozen
+daens, or black fellows, crossing a Creek. He called to them saying,
+"Stop, I want you to carry my dogs across that creek." But the black
+fellows, though they liked Bahloo well, did not like his dogs, for
+sometimes when he had brought these dogs to play on the earth, they had
+bitten not only the earth dogs but their masters; and the poison left
+by the bites had killed those bitten. So the black fellows said, "No,
+Bahloo, we are too frightened; your dogs might bite us. They are not
+like our dogs, whose bite would not kill us."
+
+Bahloo said, "If you do what I ask you, when you die you shall come to
+life again, not die and stay always where you are put when you are
+dead. See this piece of bark. I throw it into the water." And he threw
+a piece of bark into the creek. "See it comes to the top again and
+floats. That is what would happen to you if you would do what I ask
+you: first under when you die, then up again at once. If you will not
+take my dogs over, you foolish daens, you will die like this," and he
+threw a stone into the creek, which sank to the bottom. "You will be
+like that stone, never rise again, Wombah daens!"
+
+But the black fellows said, "We cannot do it, Bahloo. We are too
+frightened of your dogs."
+
+"I will come down and carry them over myself to show you that they are
+quite safe and harmless." And down he came, the black snake coiled
+round one arm, the tiger snake round the other, and the death adder on
+his shoulder, coiled towards his neck. He carried them over. When he
+had crossed the creek he picked up a big stone, and he threw it into
+the water, saying, "Now, you cowardly daens, you would not do what I,
+Bahloo, asked you to do, and so forever you have lost the chance of
+rising again after you die. You will just stay where you are put, like
+that stone does under the water, and grow, as it does, to be part of
+the earth. If you had done what I asked you, you could have died as
+often as I die, and have come to life as often as I come to life. But
+now you will only be black fellows while you live, and bones when you
+are dead."
+
+Bahloo looked so cross, and the three snakes hissed so fiercely, that
+the black fellows were very glad to see them disappear from their sight
+behind the trees. The black fellows had always been frightened of
+Bahloo's dogs, and now they hated them, and they said, "If we could get
+them away from Bahloo we would kill them." And thenceforth, whenever
+they saw a snake alone they killed it. But Babloo only sent more, for
+he said, "As long as there are black fellows there shall be snakes to
+remind them that they would not do what I asked them."
+
+
+
+
+4.  THE ORIGIN OF THE NARRAN LAKE
+
+
+
+Old Byamee said to his two young wives, Birrahgnooloo and
+Cunnunbeillee, "I have stuck a white feather between the hind legs of a
+bee, and am going to let it go and then follow it to its nest, that I
+may get honey. While I go for the honey, go you two out and get frogs
+and yams, then meet me at Coorigel Spring, where we will camp, for
+sweet and clear is the water there." The wives, taking their goolays
+and yam sticks, went out as he told them. Having gone far, and dug out
+many yams and frogs, they were tired when they reached Coorigel, and,
+seeing the cool, fresh water, they longed to bathe. But first they
+built a bough shade, and there left their goolays holding their food,
+and the yams and frogs they had found. When their camp was ready for
+the coming of Byamee, who having wooed his wives with a nullah-nullah,
+kept them obedient by fear of the same weapon, then went the girls to
+the spring to bathe. Gladly they plunged in, having first divested them
+selves of their goomillahs, which they were still young enough to wear,
+and which they left on the ground near the spring. Scarcely were they
+enjoying the cool rest the water gave their hot, tired limbs, when they
+were seized and swallowed by two kurreahs. Having swallowed the girls,
+the kurreahs dived into an opening in the side of the spring, which was
+the entrance to an underground watercourse leading to the Narran River.
+Through this passage they went, taking all the water from the spring
+with them into the Narran, whose course they also dried as they went
+along.
+
+Meantime Byamee, unwitting the fate of his wives, was honey hunting. He
+had followed the bee with the white feather on it for some distance;
+then the bee flew on to some budtha flowers, and would move no further.
+Byamee said, "Something has happened, or the bee would not stay here
+and refuse to be moved on towards its nest. I must go to Coorigel
+Spring and see if my wives are safe. Something terrible has surely
+happened." And Byamee turned in haste towards the spring. When he
+reached there he saw the bough shed his wives had made, he saw the yams
+they had dug from the ground, and he saw the frogs, but Birrahgnooloo
+and Cunnunbeillee he saw not. He called aloud for them. But no answer.
+He went towards the spring; on the edge of it he saw the goomillahs of
+his wives. He looked into the spring and, seeing it dry, he said, "It
+is the work of the kurreahs; they have opened the underground passage
+and gone with my wives to the river, and opening the passage has dried
+the spring. Well do I know where the passage joins the Narran, and
+there will I swiftly go." Arming himself with spears and woggarahs he
+started in pursuit. He soon reached the deep hole where the underground
+channel of the Coorigel joined the Narran. There he saw what he had
+never seen before, namely, this deep hole dry. And he said: "They have
+emptied the holes as they went along, taking the water with them. But
+well know I the deep holes of the river. I will not follow the bend,
+thus trebling the distance I have to go, but I will cut across from big
+hole to big hole, and by so doing I may yet get ahead of the kurreahs."
+On swiftly sped Byamee, making short cuts from big hole to big hole,
+and his track is still marked by the morilla ridges that stretch down
+the Narran, pointing in towards the deep holes. Every hole as he came
+to it he found dry, until at last he reached the end of the Narran; the
+hole there was still quite wet and muddy, then he knew he was near his
+enemies, and soon he saw them. He managed to get, unseen, a little way
+ahead of the kurreahs. He hid himself behind a big dheal tree. As the
+kurreahs came near they separated, one turning to go in another
+direction. Quickly Byamee hurled one spear after another, wounding both
+kurreahs, who writhed with pain and lashed their tails furiously,
+making great hollows in the ground, which the water they had brought
+with them quickly filled. Thinking they might again escape him, Byamee
+drove them from the water with his spears, and then, at close quarters,
+he killed them with his woggarahs. And ever afterwards at flood time,
+the Narran flowed into this hollow which the kurreahs in their
+writhings had made.
+
+When Byamee saw that the kurreahs were quite dead, he cut them open and
+took out the bodies of his wives. They were covered with wet slime, and
+seemed quite lifeless; but he carried them and laid them on two nests
+of red ants. Then he sat down at some little distance and watched them.
+The ants quickly covered the bodies, cleaned them rapidly of the wet
+slime, and soon Byamee noticed the muscles of the girls twitching.
+"Ah," he said, "there is life, they feel the sting of the ants."
+
+Almost as he spoke came a sound as of a thunder-clap, but the sound
+seemed to come from the ears of the girls. And as the echo was dying
+away, slowly the girls rose to their feet. For a moment they stood
+apart, a dazed expression on their faces. Then they clung together,
+shaking as if stricken with a deadly fear. But Byamee came to them and
+explained how they had been rescued from the kurreahs by him. He bade
+them to beware of ever bathing in the deep holes of the Narran, lest
+such holes be the haunt of kurreahs.
+
+Then he bade them look at the water now at Boogira, and he said:
+
+"Soon will the black swans find their way here, the pelicans and the
+ducks; where there was dry land and stones in the past, in the future
+there will be water and water-fowl, from henceforth; when the Narran
+runs it will run into this hole, and by the spreading of its waters
+will a big lake be made." And what Byamee said has come to pass, as the
+Narran Lake shows, with its large sheet of water, spreading for miles,
+the home of thousands of wild fowl.
+
+
+
+
+5.  GOOLOO THE MAGPIE, AND THE WAHROOGAH
+
+
+
+Gooloo was a very old woman, and a very wicked old woman too, as this
+story will tell. During all the past season, when the grass was thick
+with seed, she had gathered much doonburr, which she crushed into meal
+as she wanted it for food. She used to crush it on a big flat stone
+with small flat stones--the big stone was called a dayoorl. Gooloo
+ground a great deal of the doonburr seed to put away for immediate use,
+the rest she kept whole, to be ground as required.
+
+Soon after she had finished her first grinding, a neighbouring tribe
+came along and camped near where she was. One day the men all went out
+hunting, leaving the women and the children in the camp. After the men
+had been gone a little while, Gooloo the magpie came to their camp to
+talk to the women. She said, "Why do you not go hunting too? Many are
+the nests of the wurranunnahs round here, and thick is the honey in
+them. Many and ripe are the bumbles hanging now on the humble trees;
+red is the fruit of the grooees, and opening with ripeness the fruit of
+the guiebets. Yet you sit in the camp and hunger, until your husbands
+return with the dinewan and bowrah they have gone forth to slay. Go,
+women, and gather of the plenty that surrounds you. I will take care of
+your children, the little Wahroogabs."
+
+"Your words are wise," the women said. "It is foolish to sit here and
+hunger, when near at hand yams are thick in the ground, and many fruits
+wait but the plucking. We will go and fill quickly our comebees and
+goolays, but our children we will take with us."
+
+"Not so," said Gooloo, "foolish indeed were you to do that. You would
+tire the little feet of those that run, and tire yourselves with the
+burden of those that have to be carried. No, take forth your comebees
+and goolays empty, that ye may bring back the more. Many are the spoils
+that wait only the hand of the gatherer. Look ye, I have a durrie made
+of fresh doonburr seed, cooking just now on that bark between two
+fires; that shall your children eat, and swiftly shall I make them
+another. They shall eat and be full ere their mothers are out of sight.
+See, they come to me now, they hunger for durrie, and well will I feed
+them. Haste ye then, that ye may return in time to make ready the fires
+for cooking the meat your husbands will bring. Glad will your husbands
+be when they see that ye have filled your goolays and comebees with
+fruits, and your wirrees with honey. Haste ye, I say, and do well."
+
+Having listened to the words of Gooloo, the women decided to do as she
+said, and, leaving their children with her, they started forth with
+empty comebees, and armed with combos, with which to chop out the bees'
+nests and opossums, and with yam sticks to dig up yams.
+
+When the women had gone, Gooloo gathered the children round her and fed
+them with durrie, hot from the coals. Honey, too, she gave them, and
+bumbles which she had buried to ripen. When they had eaten, she hurried
+them off to her real home, built in a hollow tree, a little distance
+away from where she had been cooking her durrie. Into her house she
+hurriedly thrust them, followed quickly herself, and made all secure.
+Here she fed them again, but the children had already satisfied their
+hunger, and now they missed their mothers and began to cry. Their
+crying reached the ears of the women as they were returning to their
+camp. Quickly they came at the sound which is not good in a mother's
+ears. As they quickened their steps they thought how soon the spoils
+that lay heavy in their comebees would comfort their children. And
+happy they, the mothers, would feel when they fed the Wahroogahs with
+the dainties they had gathered for them. Soon they reached the camp,
+but, alas! where were their children? And where was Gooloo the magpie?
+
+"They are playing wahgoo," they said, "and have hidden themselves."
+
+The mothers hunted all round for them, and called aloud the names of
+their children and Gooloo. But no answer could they hear and no trace
+could they find. And yet every now and then they heard the sound of
+children wailing. But seek as they would they found them not. Then
+loudly wailed the mothers themselves for their lost Wahroogahs, and,
+wailing, returned to the camp to wait the coming of the black fellows.
+Heavy were their hearts, and sad were their faces when their husbands
+returned. They hastened to tell the black fellows when they came, how
+Gooloo had persuaded them to go hunting, promising if they did so that
+she would feed the hungry Wahroogahs, and care for them while they were
+away, but--and here they wailed again for their poor Wahroogahs. They
+told how they had listened to her words and gone; truth had she told of
+the plenty round, their comebees and goolays were full of fruits and
+spoils they had gathered, but, alas! they came home with them laden
+only to find their children gone and Gooloo gone too. And no trace
+could they find of either, though at times they heard a sound as of
+children wailing.
+
+Then wroth were the men, saying: "What mothers are ye to leave your
+young to a stranger, and that stranger a Gooloo, ever a treacherous
+race? Did we not go forth to gain food for you and our children? Saw ye
+ever your husbands return from the chase empty handed? Then why, when
+ye knew we were gone hunting, must ye too go forth and leave our
+helpless ones to a stranger? Oh, evil, evil indeed is the time that has
+come when a mother forgets her child. Stay ye in the camp while we go
+forth to hunt for our lost Wahroogahs. Heavy will be our hands on the
+women if we return without them."
+
+The men hunted the bush round for miles, but found no trace of the lost
+Wahroogahs, though they too heard at times a noise as of children's
+voices wailing.
+
+But beyond the wailing which echoed in the mothers' ears for ever, no
+trace was found of the children. For many days the women sat in the
+camp mourning for their lost Wahroogahs, and beating their heads
+because they had listened to the voice of Gooloo.
+
+
+
+
+6.  THE WEEOONIBEENS AND THE PIGGIEBILLAH
+
+
+
+Two Weeoombeen brothers went out hunting. One brother was much younger
+than the other and smaller, so when they sighted an emu, the elder one
+said to the younger: "You stay quietly here and do not make a noise, or
+Piggiebillah, whose camp we passed just now, will hear you and steal
+the emu if I kill it. He is so strong. I'll go on and try to kill the
+emu with this stone." The little Weeoombeen watched his big brother
+sneak up to the emu, crawling along, almost flat, on the ground. He saw
+him get quite close to the emu, then spring up quickly and throw the
+stone with such an accurate aim as to kill the bird on the spot. The
+little brother was so rejoiced that he forgot his brother's caution,
+and he called aloud in his joy. The big Weeoombeen looked round and
+gave him a warning sign, but too late, Piggiebillah had heard the cry
+and was hastening towards them. Quickly big Weeoombeen left the emu and
+joined his little brother.
+
+Piggiebillah, when he came up, said: "What have you found?"
+
+"Nothing," said the big Weeoombeen, "nothing but some mistletoe
+berries."
+
+"It must have been something more than that, or your little brother
+would not have called out so loudly."
+
+Little Weeoombeen was so afraid that Piggiebillah would find their emu
+and take it, that he said: "I hit a little bird with a stone, and I was
+glad I could throw so straight."
+
+"It was no cry for the killing of a little bird or for the finding of
+mistletoe berries that I heard. It was for something much more than
+either, or you would not have called out so joyfully. If you do not
+tell me at once I will kill you both."
+
+The Weeoombeen brothers were frightened, for Piggiebillah was a great
+fighter and very strong, so when they saw he was really angry, they
+showed him the dead emu.
+
+"Just what I want for my supper," he said, and so saying, dragged it
+away to his own camp. The Weeoombeens followed him and even helped him
+to make a fire to cook the emu, hoping by so doing to get a share given
+to them. But Piggiebillah would not give them any; he said he must have
+it all for himself.
+
+Angry and disappointed, the Weeoombeens marched straight off and told
+some black fellows who lived near, that Piggiebillah had a fine fat emu
+just cooked for supper.
+
+Up jumped the black fellows, seized their spears, bade the Weeoombeens
+quickly lead them to Piggiebillah's camp, promising them for so doing a
+share of the emu.
+
+When they were within range of spear shot, the black fellows formed a
+circle, took aim, and threw their spears at Piggiebillah. As the spears
+fell thick on him, sticking out all over him, Piggiebillah cried aloud:
+"Bingehlah, Bingeblah. You can have it, you can have it." But the black
+fellows did not desist until Piggiebillah was too wounded even to cry
+out; then they left him a mass of spears and turned to look for the
+emu. But to their surprise they found it not. Then for the first time
+they missed the Weeoombeens.
+
+Looking round they saw their tracks going to where the emu had
+evidently been; then they saw that they had dragged the emu to their
+nyunnoo, which was a humpy made of grass.
+
+When the Weeoombeens saw the black fellows coming, they caught hold of
+the emu and dragged it to a big hole they knew of, with a big stone at
+its entrance, which stone only they knew the secret of moving. They
+moved the stone, got the emu and themselves into the hole, and the
+stone in place again before the black fellows reached the place.
+
+The black fellows tried to move the stone, but could not. Yet they knew
+that the Weeoombeens must have done so, for they had tracked them right
+up to it, and they could hear the sound of their voices on the other
+side of it. They saw there was a crevice on either side of the stone,
+between it and the ground. Through these crevices they, drove in their
+spears, thinking they must surely kill the brothers. But the
+Weeoombeens too had seen these crevices and had anticipated the spears,
+so they had placed the dead emu before them to act as a shield. And
+into its body were driven the spears of the black fellows extended for
+the Weeoombeens.
+
+Having driven the spears well in, the black fellows went off to get
+help to move the stone, but when they had gone a little way they heard
+the Weeoombeens laughing. Back they came and speared again, and again
+started for help, only as they left to hear once more the laughter of
+the brothers.
+
+The Weeoombeens finding their laughter only brought back the black
+fellows to a fresh attack, determined to keep quiet, which, after the
+next spearing, they did.
+
+Quite sure, when they heard their spear shots followed by neither
+conversation nor laughter, that they had killed the Weeoombeens at
+last, the black fellows hurried away to bring back the strength and
+cunning of the camp, to remove the stone.
+
+The Weeoombeens hurriedly discussed what plan they had better adopt to
+elude the black fellows, for well they knew that should they ever meet
+any of them again they would be killed without mercy. And as they
+talked they satisfied their hunger by eating some of the emu flesh.
+
+After a while the black fellows returned, and soon was the stone
+removed from the entrance. Some of them crept into the hole, where, to
+their surprise, they found only the remains of the emu and no trace of
+the Weeoombeens. As those who had gone in first crept out and told of
+the disappearance of the Weeoombeens, others, incredulous of such a
+story, crept in to find it confirmed. They searched round for tracks;
+seeing that their spears were all in the emu it seemed to them probable
+the Weeoombeens had escaped alive, but if so, whither they had gone
+their tracks would show. But search as they would no tracks could they
+find. All they could see were two little birds which sat on a bush near
+the hole, watching the black fellows all the time. The little birds
+flew round the hole sometimes, but never away, always returning to
+their bush and seeming to be discussing the whole affair; but what they
+said the black fellows could not understand. But as time went on and no
+sign was ever found of the Weeoombeens, the black fellows became sure
+that the brothers had turned into the little white-throated birds which
+had sat on the bush by the hole, so, they supposed, to escape their
+vengeance. And ever afterwards the little white-throats were called
+Weeoombeens. And the memory of Piggiebillah is perpetuated by a sort of
+porcupine ant-eater, which bears his name, and whose skin is covered
+closely with miniature spears sticking all over it.
+
+
+
+
+7.  BOOTOOLGAH THE CRANE AND GOONUR THE KANGAROO RAT, THE FIRE MAKERS
+
+
+
+In the days when Bootoolgah, the crane, married Goonur, the kangaroo
+rat, there was no fire in their country. They had to eat their food raw
+or just dry it in the sun. One day when Bootoolgah was rubbing two
+pieces of wood together, he saw a faint spark sent forth and then a
+slight smoke. "Look," he said to Goonur, "see what comes when I rub
+these pieces of wood together--smoke! Would it not be good if we could
+make fire for ourselves with which to cook our food, so as not to have
+to wait for the sun to dry it?"
+
+Goonur looked, and, seeing the smoke, she said: "Great indeed would be
+the day when we could make fire. Split your stick, Bootoolgah, and
+place in the opening bark and grass that even one spark may kindle a
+light." And hearing wisdom in her words, even as she said Bootoolgah
+did. And lol after much rubbing, from the opening came a small flame.
+For as Goonur had said it would, the spark lit the grass, the bark
+smouldered and smoked, and so Bootoolgah the crane, and Goonur the
+kangaroo rat, discovered the art of fire making.
+
+"This we will keep secret," they said, "from all the tribes. When we
+make a fire to cook our fish we will go into a Bingahwingul scrub.
+There we will make a fire and cook our food in secret. We will hide our
+firesticks in the openmouthed seeds of the Bingahwinguls; one firestick
+we will carry always hidden in our comebee."
+
+Bootoolgah and Goonur cooked the next fish they caught, and found it
+very good. When they went back to the camp they took some of their
+cooked fish with them. The blacks noticed it looked quite different
+from the usual sun-dried fish, so they asked: "What did you to that
+fish?"
+
+"Let it lie in the sun," said they.
+
+"Not so," said the others.
+
+But that the fish was sun-dried Bootoolgah and Goonur persisted. Day by
+day passed, and after catching their fish, these two always
+disappeared, returning with their food looking quite different from
+that of the others. At last, being unable to extract any information
+from them, it was determined by the tribe to watch them. Boolooral, the
+night owl, and Quarrian, the parrot, were appointed to follow the two
+when they disappeared, to watch where they went, and find out what they
+did. Accordingly, after the next fish were caught, when Bootoolgah and
+Goonur gathered up their share and started for the bush, Boolooral and
+Quarrian followed on their tracks. They saw them disappear into a
+Bingahwingul scrub, where they lost sight of them. Seeing a high tree
+on the edge of the scrub, they climbed up it, and from there they saw
+all that was to be seen. They saw Bootoolgah and Goonur throw down
+their load of fish, open their comebee and take from it a stick, which
+stick, when they had blown upon it, they laid in the midst of a heap of
+leaves and twigs, and at once from this heap they saw a flame leap,
+which flame the fire makers fed with bigger sticks. Then, as the flame
+died down, they saw the two place their fish in the ashes that remained
+from the burnt sticks. Then back to the camp of their tribes went
+Boolooral and Quarrian, back with the news of their discovery. Great
+was the talk amongst the blacks, and many the queries as to how to get
+possession of the comebee with the fire stick in it, when next
+Bootoolgah and Goonur came into the camp. It was at length decided to
+hold a corrobboree, and it was to be one on a scale not often seen,
+probably never before by the young of the tribes. The grey beards
+proposed to so astonish Bootoolgah and Goonur as to make them forget to
+guard their precious comebee. As soon as they were intent on the
+corrobboree and off guard, some one was to seize the comebee, steal the
+firestick and start fires for the good of all. Most of them had tasted
+the cooked fish brought into the camp by the fire makers and, having
+found it good, hungered for it. Beeargah, the hawk, was told to feign
+sickness, to tie up his head, and to lie down near wherever the two sat
+to watch the corrobboree. Lying near them, be was to watch them all the
+time, and when they were laughing and unthinking of anything but the
+spectacle before them, he was to steal the comebee. Having arranged
+their plan of action, they all prepared for a big corrobboree. They
+sent word to all the surrounding tribes, asking them to attend,
+especially they begged the Bralgahs to come, as they were celebrated
+for their wonderful dancing, which was so wonderful as to be most
+likely to absorb the attention of the firemakers.
+
+All the tribes agreed to come, and soon all were engaged in great
+preparations. Each determined to outdo the other in the quaintness and
+brightness of their painting for the corrobboree. Each tribe as they
+arrived gained great applause; never before had the young people seen
+so much diversity in colouring and design. Beeleer, the Black Cockatoo
+tribe, came with bright splashes of orange-red on their black skins.
+The Pelicans came as a contrast, almost pure white, only a touch here
+and there of their black skin showing where the white paint had rubbed
+off. The Black Divers came in their black skins, but these polished to
+shine like satin. Then came the Millears, the beauties of the Kangaroo
+Rat family, who had their home on the morillas. After them came the
+Buckandeer or Native Cat tribe, painted in dull colours, but in all
+sorts of patterns. Mairas or Paddymelons came too in haste to take part
+in the great corrobboree. After them, walking slowly, came the
+Bralgahs, looking tall and dignified as they held up their red heads,
+painted so in contrast to their French-grey bodies, which they deemed
+too dull a colour, unbrightened, for such a gay occasion. Amongst the
+many tribes there, too numerous to mention, were the rose and grey
+painted Galabs, the green and crimson painted Billai; most brilliant
+were they with their bodies grass green and their sides bright crimson,
+so afterwards gaining them the name of crimson wings. The bright little
+Gidgereegahs came too.
+
+Great was the gathering that Bootoolgah, the crane, and Goonur, the
+kangaroo rat, found assembled as they hurried on to the scene.
+Bootoolgah had warned Goonur that they must only be spectators, and
+take no active part in the corrobboree, as they had to guard their
+combee. Obedient to his advice, Goonur seated herself beside him and
+slung the comebee over her arm. Bootoolgah warned her to be careful and
+not forget she had it. But as the corrobboree went on, so absorbed did
+she become that she forgot the comebee, which slipped from her arm.
+Happily, Bootoolgah saw it do so, replaced it, and bade her take heed,
+so baulking Beeargah, who had been about to seize it, for his vigilance
+was unceasing, and, deeming him sick almost unto death, the two whom
+lie was watching took no heed of him. Back he crouched, moaning as he
+turned., but keeping ever an eye on Goonur. And soon was he rewarded.
+Now came the turn of the Bralgahs to dance, and every eye but that of
+the watchful one was fixed on them as slowly they came into the ring.
+First they advanced, bowed and retired, then they repeated what they
+had done before, and again, each time getting faster and faster in
+their movements, changing their bows into pirouettes, craning their
+long necks and making such antics as they went through the figures of
+their dance, and replacing their dignity with such grotesqueness, as to
+make their large audience shake with laughter, they themselves keeping
+throughout all their grotesque measures a solemn air, which only seemed
+to heighten the effect of their antics.
+
+And now came the chance of Beeargah the hawk. In the excitement of the
+moment Goonur forgot the comebee, as did Bootoolgah. They joined in the
+mirthful applause of the crowd, and Goonur threw herself back helpless
+with laughter. As she did so the comebee slipped from her arm. Then up
+jumped the sick man from behind her, seized the comebee with his combo,
+cut it open, snatched forth the firestick, set fire to the heap of
+grass ready near where he had lain, and all before the two realised
+their loss. When they discovered the precious comebee was gone, up
+jumped Bootoolgah and Goonur. After Beeargah ran Bootoolgah, but
+Beeargah had a start and was fleeter of foot, so distanced his pursuer
+quickly. As he ran he fired the grass with the stick he still held.
+Bootoolgah, finding he could not catch Beeargah, and seeing fires
+everywhere, retired from the pursuit, feeling it was useless now to try
+and guard their secret, for it had now become the common property of
+all the tribes there assembled.
+
+
+
+
+8.  WEEDAH THE MOCKING BIRD
+
+
+
+Weedah was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived near
+him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos, more than twenty.
+He made fires before each, to make it look as if some one lived in the
+nyunnoos. First he would go into one nyunnoo, or humpy, and cry like a
+baby, then to another and laugh like a child, then in turn, as he went
+the round of the humpies he would sing like a maiden, corrobboree like
+a man, call out in a quavering voice like an old man, and in a shrill
+voice like an old woman; in fact, imitate any sort of voice he had ever
+heard, and imitate them so quickly in succession that any one passing
+would think there was a great crowd of blacks in that camp. His object
+was to entice as many strange black fellows into his camp as he could,
+one at a time; then he would kill them and gradually gain the whole
+country round for his own. His chance was when he managed to get a
+single black fellow into his camp, which he very often did, then by his
+cunning he always gained his end and the black fellow's death. This was
+how he attained that end. A black fellow, probably separated from his
+fellows in the excitement of the chase, would be returning home alone
+passing within earshot of Weedah's camp he would hear the various
+voices and wonder what tribe could be there. Curiosity would induce him
+to come near. He would probably peer into the camp, and, only seeing
+Weedah standing alone, would advance towards him. Weedah would be
+standing at a little distance from a big glowing fire, where he would
+wait until the strange black fellow came quite close to him. Then he
+would ask him what he wanted. The stranger would say he had heard many
+voices and had wondered what tribe it could be, so had come near to
+find out. Weedah would say, "But only I am here. How could you have
+heard voices? See; look round; I am alone." Bewildered, the stranger
+would look round and say in a puzzled tone of voice: "Where are they
+all gone? As I came I heard babies crying, men calling, and women
+laughing; many voices I heard but you only I see."
+
+"And only I am here. The wind must have stirred the branches of the
+balah trees, and you must have thought it was the wailing of children,
+the laughing of the gouggourgahgah you heard, and thought it the
+laughter of women and mine must have been the voice as of men that you
+heard. Alone in the bush, as the shadows fall, a man breeds strange
+fancies. See by the light of this fire, where are your fancies now? No
+women laugh, no babies cry, only I, Weedah, talk." As Weedah was
+talking he kept edging the stranger towards the fire; when they were
+quite close to it, he turned swiftly, seized him, and threw him right
+into the middle of the blaze. This scene was repeated time after time,
+until at last the, ranks of the black fellows living round the camp of
+Weedah began to get thin.
+
+Mullyan, the eagle hawk, determined to fathom the mystery, for as yet
+the black fellows had no clue as to how or where their friends had
+disappeared. Mullyan, when Beeargah, his cousin, returned to his camp
+no more, made up his mind to get on his track and follow it, until at
+length he solved the mystery. After following the track of Beeargah, as
+he had chased the kangaroo to where he had slain it, on he followed his
+homeward trail. Over stony ground he tracked him, and through sand,
+across plains, and through scrub. At last in a scrub and still on the
+track of Beeargah, he heard the sounds of many voices, babies crying,
+women singing, men talking. Peering through the bush, finding the track
+took him nearer the spot whence came the sounds, he saw the grass
+humpies. "Who can these be?" he thought. The track led him right into
+the camp, where alone Weedah was to be seen. Mullyan advanced towards
+him and asked where were the people whose voices he had heard as he
+came through the bush.
+
+Weedah said: "How can I tell you? I know of no people; I live alone."
+
+"But," said Mullyan, the eagle hawk, "I heard babies crying, women
+laughing, and men talking, not one but many."
+
+"And I alone am here. Ask of your cars what trick they played you, or
+perhaps your eyes fail you now. Can you see any but me? Look for
+yourself."
+
+"And if, as indeed it seems, you only are here, what did you with
+Beeargah my cousin, and where are my friends? Many are their trails
+that I see coming into. this camp, but none going out. And if you alone
+live here you alone can answer me."
+
+"What know I of you or your friends? Nothing. Ask of the winds that
+blow. Ask of Bahloo the moon, who looks down on the earth by night. Ask
+of Yhi the sun, that looks down by day. But ask not Weedah, who dwells
+alone, and knows naught of your friends." But as Weedah was talking he
+was carefully edging Mullyan towards the fire.
+
+Mullyan, the eagle hawk, too, was cunning, and not easy to trap. He saw
+a blazing fire in front of him, lie saw the track of his friend behind
+him, he saw Weedah was edging him towards the fire, and it came to him
+in a moment the thought that if the fire could speak, well could it
+tell where were his friends. But the time was not yet come to show that
+he had fathomed the mystery. So he affected to fall into the trap. But
+when they reached the fire, before Weedah had time to act his usual
+part, with a mighty grip Mullyan the eagle hawk seized him, saying,
+
+"Even as you served Beeargah the hawk, my cousin, and my friends, so now
+serve I you." And right into the middle of the blazing fire he threw
+him. Then he turned homewards in haste, to tell the black fellows that
+he had solved the fate of their friends, which had so long been a
+mystery. When he was some distance from the Weedah's camp, he heard the
+sound of a thunder clap. But it was not thunder it was the bursting of
+the back of Weedah's head, which had burst with a bang as of a thunder
+clap. And as it burst, out from his remains had risen a bird, Weedah,
+the mocking bird; which bird to this day has a hole at the back of his
+head, just in the same place as Weedah the black fellow's head had
+burst, and whence the bird came forth.
+
+To this day the Weedah makes grass playgrounds, through which he runs,
+imitating, as he plays, in quick succession, any voices he has ever
+heard, from the crying of a child to the laughing of a woman; from the
+mewing of a cat to the barking of a dog, and hence his name Weedah, the
+mocking bird.
+
+
+
+
+9.  THE GWINEEBOOS THE REDBREASTS
+
+
+
+Gwineeboo and Goomai, the water rat, were down at the creek one day,
+getting mussels for food, when, to their astonishment, a kangaroo
+hopped right into the water beside them. Well they knew that he must be
+escaping from hunters, who were probably pressing him close. So
+Gwineeboo quickly seized her yam stick, and knocked the kangaroo on the
+head; he was caught fast in the weeds in the creek, so could not
+escape. When the two old women had killed the kangaroo they hid its
+body under the weeds in the creek, fearing to take it out and cook it
+straight away, lest the hunters should come up and claim it. The little
+son of Gwineeboo watched them from the bank. After having hidden the
+kangaroo, the women picked up their mussels and started for their camp,
+when up came the hunters, Quarrian and Gidgereegah, who had tracked the
+kangaroo right to the creek.
+
+Seeing the women they said: "Did you see a kangaroo?"
+
+The women answered: "No. We saw no kangaroo."
+
+"That is strange, for we have tracked it right up to here."
+
+"We have seen no kangaroo. See, we have been digging out mussels for
+food. Come to our camp, and we will give you some when they are
+cooked."
+
+The young men, puzzled in their minds, followed the women to their
+camp, and when the mussels were cooked the hunters joined the old women
+at their dinner. The little boy would not eat the mussels; he kept
+crying to his mother, "Gwineeboo, Gwineeboo. I want kangaroo. I want
+kangaroo. Gwineeboo. Gwineeboo."
+
+"There," said Quarrian. "Your little boy has seen the kangaroo, and
+wants some; it must be here somewhere."
+
+"Oh, no. He cries for anything he thinks of, some days for kangaroo; he
+is only a little boy, and does not know what he wants," said old
+Gwineeboo. But still the child kept saying, "Gwineeboo. Gwinceboo. I
+want kangaroo. I want kangaroo." Goomai was so angry with little
+Gwineeboo for keeping on asking for kangaroo, and thereby making the
+young men suspicious, that she hit him so hard on the mouth to keep him
+quiet, that the blood came, and trickled down his breast, staining it
+red. When she saw this, old Gwineeboo grew angry in her turn, and hit
+old Goomai, who returned the blow, and so a fight began, more words
+than blows, so the noise was great, the women fighting, little
+Gwineeboo crying, not quite knowing whether he was crying because
+Goomai had hit him, because his mother was fighting, or because he
+still wanted kangaroo.
+
+Quarrian said to Gidgereegah. "They have the kangaroo somewhere hidden;
+let us slip away now in the confusion. We will only hide, then come
+back in a little while, and surprise them."
+
+They went quietly away, and as soon as the two women noticed they had
+gone, they ceased fighting, and determined to cook the kangaroo. They
+watched the two young men out of sight, and waited some time so as to
+be sure that they were safe. Then down they hurried to get the
+kangaroo. They dragged it out, and were just making a big fire on which
+to cook it, when up came Quarrian and Gidgereegah, saying:
+
+"Ah! we thought so. You had our kangaroo all the time; little Gwinceboo
+was right."
+
+"But we killed it," said the women.
+
+"But we hunted it here," said the men, and so saying caught hold of the
+kangaroo and dragged it away to some distance, where they made a fire
+and cooked it. Goomai, Gwineeboo, and her little boy went over to
+Quarrian and Gidgereegah, and begged for some of the meat, but the
+young men would give them none, though little Gwineeboo cried piteously
+for some. But no; they said they would rather throw what they did not
+want to the hawks than give it to the women or child. At last, seeing
+that there was no hope of their getting any, the women went away. They
+built a big dardurr for themselves, shutting themselves and the little
+boy up in it. Then they began singing a song which was to invoke a
+storm to destroy their enemies, for so now they considered Quarrian and
+Gidgereegah. For some time they chanted:
+
+"Moogaray, Moogaray, May, May,
+Eehu, Eehu, Doongarah."
+
+First they would begin very slowly and softly, gradually getting
+quicker and louder, until at length they almost shrieked it out. The
+words they said meant, "Come hailstones; come wind; come rain; come
+lightning."
+
+While they were chanting, little Gwineeboo kept crying, and would not
+be comforted. Soon came a few big drops of rain, then a big wind, and
+as that lulled, more rain. Then came thunder and lightning, the air
+grew bitterly cold, and there came a pitiless hailstorm, hailstones
+bigger than a duck's egg fell, cutting the leaves from the trees and
+bruising their bark. Gidgereegah and Quarrian came running over to the
+dardurr and begged the women to let them in.
+
+" No," shrieked Gwineeboo above the storm, "there was no kangaroo meat
+for us: there is no dardurr shelter for you. Ask shelter of the hawks
+whom ye fed." The men begged to be let in, said they would hunt again
+and get kangaroo for the women, not one but many. "No," again shrieked
+the women. "You would not even listen to the crying of a little child;
+it is better such as you should perish." And fiercer raged the storm
+and louder sang the women:
+
+"Moogaray, Moogaray, May, May,
+Eehu, Eehu, Doongarah."
+
+So long and so fierce was the storm that the young men must have
+perished had they not been changed into birds. First they were changed
+into birds and afterwards into stars in the sky, where they now are,
+Gidgereegah and Ouarrian with the kangaroo between them, still bearing
+the names that they bore on the earth.
+
+
+
+
+10.  MEAMEI THE SEVEN SISTERS
+
+
+
+Wurrunnah had had a long day's hunting, and he came back to the camp
+tired and hungry. He asked his old mother for durrie, but she said
+there was none left. Then he asked some of the other blacks to give him
+some doonburr seeds that he might make durrie for himself, But no one
+would give him anything. He flew into a rage and he said, "I will go to
+a far country and live with strangers; my own people would starve me."
+And while he was yet hot and angry, he went. Gathering up his weapons,
+he strode forth to find a new people in a new country. After he had
+gone some distance, he saw, a long way off, an old man chopping out
+bees' nests. The old man turned his face towards Wurrunnah, and watched
+him coming, but when Wurrunnah came close to him he saw that the old
+man had no eyes, though he had seemed to be watching him long before he
+could have heard him. It frightened Wurrunnah to see a stranger having
+no eyes, yet turning his face towards him as if seeing him all the
+time. But he determined not to show his fear, but go straight on
+towards him, which he did. When he came up to him, the stranger told
+him that his name was Mooroonumildah, and that his tribe were so-called
+because they had no eyes, but saw through their noses. Wurrunnah
+thought it very strange and still felt rather frightened, though
+Mooroonumildah seemed hospitable and kind, for, he gave Wurrunnah, whom
+he said looked hungry, a bark wirree filled with honey, told him where
+his camp was, and gave him leave to go there and stay with him.
+Wurrunnah took the honey and turned as if to go to the camp, but when
+he got out of sight he thought it wiser to turn in another direction.
+He journeyed on for some time, until he came to a large lagoon, where
+he decided to camp. He took a long drink of water, and then lay down to
+sleep. When he woke in the morning, he looked towards the lagoon, but
+saw only a big plain. He thought he must be dreaming; he rubbed his
+eyes and looked again.
+
+"This is a strange country," he said. "First I meet a man who has no
+eyes and yet can see. Then at night I see a large lagoon full of water,
+I wake in the morning and see none. The water was surely there, for I
+drank some, and yet now there is no water." As he was wondering how the
+water could have disappeared so quickly, he saw a big storm coming up;
+he hurried to get into the thick bush for shelter. When he had gone a
+little way into the bush, he saw a quantity of cut bark lying on the
+ground.
+
+"Now I am right," he said. "I shall get some poles and with them and
+this bark make a dardurr in which to shelter myself from the storm I
+see coming."
+
+He quickly cut the poles he wanted, stuck them up as a framework for
+his dardurr. Then he went to lift up the bark. As he lifted up a sheet
+of it he saw a strange-looking object of no tribe that he had ever seen
+before.
+
+This strange object cried out: "I am Bulgahnunnoo," in such a
+terrifying tone that Wurrunnah dropped the bark, picked up his weapons
+and ran away as hard as he could, quite forgetting the storm. His one
+idea was to get as far as he could from Bulgahnunnoo.
+
+On he ran until he came to a big river, which hemmed him in on three
+sides. The river was too big to cross, so he had to turn back, yet he
+did not retrace his steps but turned in another direction. As he turned
+to leave the river he saw a flock of emus coming to water. The first
+half of the flock were covered with feathers, but the last half had the
+form of emus, but no feathers.
+
+Wurrunnah decided to spear one for food. For that purpose he climbed up
+a tree, so that they should not see him; he got his spear ready to kill
+one of the featherless birds. As they passed by, he picked out the one
+he meant to have, threw his spear and killed it, then climbed down to
+go and get it.
+
+As he was running up to the dead emu, he saw that they were not emus at
+all but black fellows of a strange tribe. They were all standing round
+their dead friend making savage signs, as to what they would do by way
+of vengeance. Wurrunnah saw that little would avail him the excuse that
+he had killed the black fellow in mistake for an emu; his only hope lay
+in flight. Once more he took to his heels, hardly daring to look round
+for fear he would see an enemy behind him. On he sped, until at last he
+reached a camp, which be was almost into before he saw it; he had only
+been thinking of danger behind him, unheeding what was before him.
+
+However, he had nothing to fear in the camp he reached so suddenly, for
+in it were only seven young girls. They did not look very terrifying,
+in fact, seemed more startled than he was. They were quite friendly
+towards him when they found that he was alone and hungry. They gave him
+food and allowed him to camp there that night. He asked them where the
+rest of their tribe were, and what their name was. They answered that
+their name was Meamei, and that their tribe were in a far country. They
+had only come to this country to see what it was like; they would stay
+for a while and thence return whence they had come.
+
+The next day Wurrunnah made a fresh start, and left the camp of the
+Meamei, as if he were leaving for good. But he determined to hide near
+and watch what they did, and if he could get a chance he would steal a
+wife from amongst them. He was tired of travelling alone. He saw the
+seven sisters all start out with their yam sticks in hand. He followed
+at a distance, taking care not to be seen. He saw them stop by the
+nests of some flying ants. With their yam sticks they dug all round
+these ant holes. When they had successfully unearthed the ants they sat
+down, throwing their yam sticks on one side, to enjoy a feast, for
+these ants were esteemed by them a great delicacy.
+
+While the sisters were busy at their feast, Wurrunnah sneaked up to
+their yam sticks and stole two of them; then, taking the sticks with
+him, sneaked back to his hiding-place. When at length the Meamei had
+satisfied their appetites, they picked up their sticks and turned
+towards their camp again. But only five could find their sticks; so
+those five started off, leaving the other two to find theirs, supposing
+they must be somewhere near, and, finding them, they would soon catch
+them up. The two girls hunted all round the ants' nests, but could find
+no sticks. At last, when their backs were turned towards him, Wurrunnah
+crept out and stuck the lost yam sticks near together in the ground;
+then he slipt back into his hiding-place. When the two girls turned
+round, there in front of them they saw their sticks. With a cry of
+joyful surprise they ran to them and caught hold of them to pull them
+out of the ground, in which they were firmly stuck. As they were doing
+so, out from his hiding-place jumped Wurrunnah. He seized both girls
+round their waists, holding them tightly. They struggled and screamed,
+but to no purpose. There were none near to hear them, and the more they
+struggled the tighter Wurrunnah held them. Finding their screams and
+struggles in vain they quietened at length, and then Wurrunnah told
+them not to be afraid, he would take care of them. He was lonely, he
+said, and wanted two wives. They must come quietly with him, and he
+would be good to them. But they must do as he told them. If they were
+not quiet, he would swiftly quieten them with his moorillah. But if
+they would come quietly with him he would be good to them. Seeing that
+resistance was useless, the two young girls complied with his wish, and
+travelled quietly on with him. They told him that some day their tribe
+would come and steal them back again; to avoid which he travelled
+quickly on and on still further, hoping to elude all pursuit. Some
+weeks passed, and, outwardly, the two Meamei seemed settled down to
+their new life, and quite content in it, though when they were alone
+together they often talked of their sisters, and wondered what they had
+done when they realised their loss. They wondered if the five were
+still hunting for them, or whether they had gone back to their tribe to
+get assistance. That they might be in time forgotten and left with
+Wurrunnali for ever, they never once for a moment thought. One day when
+they were camped Wurrunnah said: "This fire will not burn well. Go you
+two and get some bark from those two pine trees over there."
+
+"No," they said, "we must not cut pine bark. If we did, you would never
+more see us."
+
+"Go! I tell you, cut pine bark. I want it. See you not the fire burns
+but slowly?"
+
+"If we go, Wurrunnah, we shall never return. You will see us no more in
+this country. We know it."
+
+"Go, women, stay not to talk. Did ye ever see talk make a fire burn?
+Then why stand ye there talking? Go; do as I bid you. Talk not so
+foolishly; if you ran away soon should I catch you, and, catching you,
+would beat you hard. Go I talk no more."
+
+The Meamei went, taking with them their combos with which to cut the
+bark. They went each to a different tree, and each, with a strong hit,
+drove her combo into the bark. As she did so, each felt the tree that
+her combo had struck rising higher out of the ground and bearing her
+upward with it. Higher and higher grew the pine trees, and still on
+them, higher and higher from the earth, went the two girls. Hearing no
+chopping after the first hits, Wurrunnah came towards the pines to see
+what was keeping the girls so long. As he came near them he saw that
+the pine trees were growing taller even as he looked at them, and
+clinging to the trunks of the trees high in the air he saw his two
+wives. He called to them to come down, but they made no answer. Time
+after time he called to them as higher and higher they went, but still
+they made no answer. Steadily taller grew the two pines, until at last
+their tops touched the sky. As they did so, from the sky the five
+Meamei looked out, called to their two sisters on the pine trees,
+bidding them not to be afraid but to come to them. Quickly the two
+girls climbed up when they heard the voices of their sisters. When they
+reached the tops of the pines the five sisters in the sky stretched
+forth their hands, and drew them in to live with them there in the sky
+for ever.
+
+And there, if you look, you may see the seven sisters together. You
+perhaps know them as the Pleiades, but the black fellows call them the
+Meamei.
+
+
+
+
+11.  THE COOKOOBURRAHS AND THE GOOLAHGOOL
+
+
+
+Googarh, the iguana, was married to Moodai, the opossum and
+Cookooburrah, the laughing jackass. Cookooburrah was the mother of
+three sons, one grown up and living away from her, the other two only
+little boys. They had their camps near a goolahgool, whence they
+obtained water. A goolahgool is a water-holding tree, of the iron bark
+or box species. It is a tree with a split in the fork of it, and hollow
+below the fork. After heavy rain, this hollow trunk would be full of
+water, which water would have run into it through the split in the
+fork. A goolahgool would hold water for a long time. The blacks knew a
+goolahgool, amongst other trees, by the mark which the overflow of
+water made down the trunk of the tree, discolouring the bark.
+
+One day, Googarh, the iguana, and his two wives went out hunting,
+leaving the two little Cookooburrahs at the camp. They had taken out
+water for themselves in their opossum skin water bags, but they had
+left none for the children, who were too small to get any from the
+goolahgool for themselves, so nearly perished from thirst. Their
+tongues were swollen in their mouths, and they were quite speechless,
+when they saw a man coming towards them. When he came near, they saw it
+was Cookooburrah, their big brother. They could not speak to him and
+answer, when he asked where his mother was. Then he asked them what was
+the matter. All they could do was to point towards the tree. He looked
+at it, and saw it was a goolahgool, so he said: "Did your mother leave
+you no water?" They shook their heads. He said: "Then you are perishing
+for want of a drink, my brothers?" They nodded. "Go," he said "a little
+way off, and you shall see how I will punish them for leaving my little
+brothers to perish of thirst." He went towards the tree, climbed up it,
+and split it right down. As he did so, out gushed the water in a
+swiftly running stream. Soon the little fellows quenched their thirst
+and then, in their joy, bathed in the water, which grew in volume every
+moment.
+
+In the meantime, those who had gone forth to hunt were returning, and
+as they came towards their camp they met a running stream of water.
+"What is this?" they said, "our goolahgool must have burst," and they
+tried to dam the water, but it was running too strongly for them. They
+gave up the effort and hurried on towards their camp. But they found a
+deep stream divided them from their camp. The three Cookooburrahs saw
+them, and the eldest one said to the little fellows: "You call out and
+tell them to cross down there, where it is not deep." The little ones
+called out as they were told, and where they pointed Googarh and his
+wives waded into the stream. Finding she was getting out of her depth,
+Cookooburrah the laughing jackass cried out: "Goug gour gah gah. Goug
+gour gah gah. Give ine a stick. Give me a stick."
+
+But from the bank her sons only answered in derision: "Goug gour gah
+gah. Goug gour gah gah." And the three hunters were soon engulfed in
+the rushing stream, drawn down by the current and drowned.
+
+
+
+
+12.  THE MAYAMAH
+
+
+
+The blacks had all left their camp and gone away to attend a borah.
+Nothing was left in the camp but one very old dog, too old to travel.
+After the blacks had been gone about three days, one night came their
+enemies, the Gooeeays, intending to surprise them and kill them.
+
+Painted in all the glory of their war-paint came the Gooeeays, their
+hair tied in top-knots and ornamented with feathers and kangaroos'
+teeth. Their waywahs of paddy, melon, and kangaroo rat skins cut in
+strips, round their waists, were new and strong, holding firmly some of
+their boomerangs and woggoorahs, which they had stuck through them.
+
+But prepared as they were for conquest, they found only a deserted camp
+containing naught but one old dog. They asked the old dog where the
+blacks were gone. But he only shook his head. Again and again they
+asked him, and again and again he only shook his head. At last some of
+the black fellows raised their spears and their moorillahs or
+nullah-nullahs, saying:
+
+"If you do not tell us where the blacks are gone, we shall kill you."
+
+Then spoke the old dog, saying only: "Gone to the borah."
+
+And as he spoke every one of the Gooeeays and everything they had with
+them was turned to stone. Even the waywahs round their waists, the
+top-knots on their heads, and the spears in their hands, even these
+turned to stone. And when the blacks returned to their camp long
+afterwards, when the borah was over, and the boys, who had been made
+young men, gone out into the bush to undergo their novitiate, each with
+his solitary guardian, then saw the blacks, their enemies, the
+Gooeeays, standing round their old camp, as if to attack it. But
+instead of being men of flesh, they were men of stone--they, their
+weapons, their waywahs, and all that belonged to them, stone.
+
+And at that place are to be found stones or mayamahs of great beauty,
+striped and marked and coloured as were the men painted.
+
+And the place of the mayamah is on one of the mounts near Beemery.
+
+
+
+
+13.  THE BUNBUNDOOLOOEYS
+
+
+
+The mother Bunbundoolooey put her child, a little boy Bunbundoolooey,
+who could only just crawl, into her goolay. Goolay is a sort of small
+netted hammock, slung by black women on their backs, in which they
+carry their babies and goods in general. Bunbundoolooey, the pigeon,
+put her goolay across her back, and started out hunting.
+
+When she had gone some distance she came to a clump of bunnia or wattle
+trees. At the foot of one of these she saw some large euloomarah or
+grubs, which were good to cat. She picked some up, and dug with her yam
+stick round the roots of the tree to get more. She went from tree to
+tree, getting grubs at every one. That she might gather them all, she
+put down her goolay, and hunted further round.
+
+Soon in the excitement of her search, she forgot the goolay with the
+child in it, and wandered away. Further and further she went from the
+Dunnia clump, never once thinking of her poor birrahlee, or baby. On
+and still on she went, until at length she reached a far country.
+
+The birrablee woke up, and crawled out of the goolay. First he only
+crawled about, but soon he grew stronger, and raised himself, and stood
+by a tree. Then day by day he grew stronger and walked alone, and
+stronger still he grew, and could run. Then he grew on into a big boy,
+and then into a man, and his mother he never saw while he was growing
+from birrahlee to man.
+
+But in the far country at length one day Bunbundoolooey, the mother,
+remembered the birrablee she had left.
+
+"Oh," she cried, "I forgot my birrahlee. I left my birrablee where the
+Dunnias grow in a far country. I must go to my birrahlee. My poor
+birrahlee! I forgot it. Mad must I have been when I forgot him. My
+birrahlee! My birrahlee!"
+
+And away went the mother as fast as she could travel back to the Dunnia
+clump in the far country. When she reached the spot she saw the tracks
+of her birrablee, first crawling, then standing, then walking, and then
+running. Bigger and bigger were the tracks she followed, until she saw
+they were the tracks of a man. She followed them until she reached a
+camp. No one was in the camp, but a fire was there, so she waited, and
+while waiting looked round. She saw her son had made himself many
+weapons, and many opossum rugs, which he had painted gaily inside.
+
+Then at last she saw a man coming towards the camp, and she knew he was
+her birrahlee, grown into a man. As he drew near she ran out to meet
+him, saying:
+
+"Bunbundoolooey, I am your mother. The mother who forgot you as a
+birrahlee, and left you. But now I have come to find you, my son. Long
+was the journey, my son, and your mother was weary, but now that she
+sees once more her birrahlee, who has grown into a man, she is no
+longer weary, but glad is her heart, and loud could she sing in her
+joy. Ah, Bunbundoolooey, my son! Bunbundoolooey, my son!"
+
+And she ran forward with her arms out, as if to embrace him.
+
+But stern was the face of Bunbundoolooey, the son, and no answer did he
+make with his tongue. But he stooped to the ground and picked therefrom
+a big stone. This swiftly he threw at his mother, hitting her with such
+force that she fell dead to the earth.
+
+Then on strode Bunbundoolooey to his camp.
+
+
+
+
+14.  OONGNAIRWAH AND GUINAREY
+
+
+
+Oongnairwah, the diver, and Guinarey, the eagle hawk, told all the
+pelicans, black swans, cranes, and many others, that they would take
+their net to the creek and catch fish, if some of them would go and
+beat the fish down towards the net.
+
+Gladly went the pelicans, black swans, and the rest to the creek. In
+they jumped, and splashed the water about to scare the fish down
+towards where Oongnairwah and Guinarey were stationed with their net.
+Presently little Deereeree, the wagtail, and Burreenjin, the peewee,
+who were on the bank sitting on a stump, called out, "Look out, we saw
+the back of an alligator in the water." The diver and eagle hawk called
+back, "Go away, then. The wind blows from you towards him. Go back or
+he will smell you."
+
+But Deereeree and Burreenjin were watching the fishing and did not heed
+what was said to them. Soon the alligator smelt them, and he lashed out
+with his tail, splashing the water so high, and lashing so furiously,
+that all the fishermen were drowned, even Deereeree and Burreenjin on
+the bank--not one escaped, And red was the bank of the creek, and red
+the stump whereon Deereeree and Burreenjin had sat, with the blood of
+the slain. And the place is called Goomade and is red for ever.
+
+
+
+
+15.  NARAHDARN THE BAT
+
+
+
+Narahdarn, the bat, wanted honey. He watched until he saw a
+Wurranunnah, or bee, alight. He caught it, stuck a white feather
+between its hind legs, let it go and followed it. He knew he could see
+the white feather, and so follow the bee to its nest. He ordered his
+two wives, of the Bilber tribe, to follow him with wirrees to carry
+home the honey in. Night came on and Wurranunnah the bee had not
+reached home. Narahdarn caught him, imprisoned him under bark, and kept
+him safely there until next morning. When it was light enough to see,
+Narahdarn let the bee go again, and followed him to his nest, in a
+gunnyanny tree. Marking the tree with his comebo that he might know it
+again, he returned to hurry on his wives who were some way behind. He
+wanted them to come on, climb the tree, and chop out the honey. When
+they reached the marked tree one of the women climbed up. She called
+out to Narahdarn that the honey was in a split in the tree. He called
+back to her to put her hand in and get it out. She put her arm in, but
+found she could not get it out again. Narahdarn climbed up to help her,
+but found when he reached her that the only way to free her was to cut
+off her arm. This he did before she had time to realise what he was
+going to do, and protest. So great was the shock to her that she died
+instantly. Narahdarn carried down her lifeless body and commanded her
+sister, his other wife, to go up, chop out the arm, and get the honey.
+She protested, declaring the bees would have taken the honey away by
+now.
+
+"Not so," he said; "go at once."
+
+Every excuse she could think of, to save herself, she made. But her
+excuses were in vain, and Narahdarn only became furious with her for
+making them, and, brandishing his boondi, drove her up the tree. She
+managed to get her arm in beside her sister's, but there it stuck and
+she could not move it. Narahdarn, who was watching her, saw what had
+happened and followed her up the tree. Finding he could not pull her
+arm out, in spite of her cries, he chopped it off, as he had done her
+sister's. After one shriek, as he drove his comebo through her arm, she
+was silent. He said, "Come down, and I will chop out the bees' nest."
+But she did not answer him, and he saw that she too was dead. Then he
+was frightened, and climbed quickly down the gunnyanny tree; taking her
+body to the ground with him, he laid it beside her sister's, and
+quickly he hurried from the spot, taking no further thought of the
+honey. As he neared his camp, two little sisters of his wives ran out
+to meet him, thinking their sisters would be with him, and that they
+would give them a taste of the honey they knew they had gone out to
+get. But to their surprise Narahdarn came alone, and as he drew near to
+them they saw his arms were covered with blood. And his face had a
+fierce look on it, which frightened them from even asking where their
+sisters were. They ran and told their mother that Narahdarn had
+returned alone, that he looked fierce and angry, also his arms were
+covered with blood. Out went the mother of the Bilbers, and she said,
+"Where are my daughters, Narahdarn? Forth went they this morning to
+bring home the honey you found. You come back alone. You bring no
+honey. Your look is fierce, as of one who fights, and your arms are
+covered with blood. Tell me, I say, where are my daughters?"
+
+"Ask me not, Bilber. Ask Wurranunnah the bee, he may know. Narahdarn
+the bat knows nothing." And he wrapped himself in a silence which no
+questioning could pierce. Leaving him there, before his camp, the
+mother of the Bilbers returned to her dardurr and told her tribe that
+her daughters were gone, and Narahdarn, their husband, would tell her
+nothing of them. But she felt sure he knew their fate, and certain she
+was that he had some tale to tell, for his arms were covered with
+blood.
+
+The chief of her tribe listened to her. When she had finished and begun
+to wail for her daughters, whom she thought she would see no more, he
+said, "Mother of the Bilbers, your daughters shall be avenged if aught
+has happened to them at the hands of Narahdarn. Fresh are his tracks,
+and the young men of your tribe shall follow whence they have come, and
+finding what Narahdarn has done, swiftly shall they return. Then shall
+we hold a corrobboree, and if your daughters fell at his hand Narahdarn
+shall be punished."
+
+The mother of the Bilbers said: "Well have you spoken, oh my relation.
+Now speed ye the young men lest the rain fall or the dust blow and the
+tracks be lost." Then forth went the fleetest footed and the keenest
+eyed of the young men of the tribe. Ere long, back they came to the
+camp with the news of the fate of the Bilbers.
+
+That night was the corrobboree held. The women sat round in a
+half-circle, and chanted a monotonous chant, keeping time by hitting,
+some of them, two boomerangs together, and others beating their rolled
+up opossum rugs.
+
+Big fires were lit on the edge of the scrub, throwing light on the
+dancers as they came dancing out from their camps, painted in all
+manner of designs, waywahs round their waists, tufts of feathers in
+their hair, and carrying in their hands painted wands. Heading the
+procession as the men filed out from the scrub into a cleared space in
+front of the women, came Narahdarn. The light of the fires lit up the
+tree tops, the dark balahs showed out in fantastic shapes, and weird
+indeed was the scene as slowly the men danced round; louder clicked the
+boomerangs and louder grew the chanting of the women; higher were the
+fires piled, until the flames shot their coloured tongues round the
+trunks of the trees and high into the air. One fire was bigger than
+all, and towards it the dancers edged Narahdarn; then the voice of the
+mother of the Bilbers shrieked in the chanting, high above that of the
+other women. As Narahdarn turned from the fire to dance back he found a
+wall of men confronting him. These quickly seized him and hurled him
+into the madly-leaping fire before him, where he perished in the
+flames. And so were the Bilbers avenged.
+
+
+
+
+16.  MULLYANGAH THE MORNING STAR
+
+
+
+Mullyan, the eagle hawk, built himself a home high in a yaraan tree.
+There he lived apart from his tribe, with Moodai the opossum, his wife,
+and Moodai the opossum, his mother-in-law. With them too was Buttergah,
+a daughter of the Buggoo or flying squirrel tribe. Buttergah was a
+friend of Moodai, the wife of Mullyan, and a distant cousin to the
+Moodai tribe.
+
+Mullyan the eagle hawk was a cannibal. That was the reason of his
+living apart from the other blacks. In order to satisfy his cannibal
+cravings, he used to sally forth with a big spear, a spear about four
+times as big as an ordinary spear. If he found a black fellow hunting
+alone, he would kill him and take his body up to the house in the tree.
+There the Moodai and Buttergab would cook it, and all of them would eat
+the flesh; for the women as well as Mullyan were cannibals. This went
+on for some time, until at last so many black fellows were slain that
+their friends determined to find out what became of them, and they
+tracked the last one they missed. They tracked him to where he had
+evidently been slain; they took up the tracks of his slayer, and
+followed them right to the foot of the yaraan tree, in which was built
+the home of Mullyan. They tried to climb the tree, but it was high and
+straight, and they gave up the attempt after many efforts. In their
+despair at their failure they thought of the Bibbees, a tribe noted for
+its climbing powers. They summoned two young Bibbees to their aid. One
+came, bringing with him his friend Murrawondah of the climbing rat
+tribe.
+
+Having heard what the blacks wanted them to do, these famous climbers
+went to the yaraan tree and made a start at once. There was only light
+enough that first night for them to see to reach a fork in the tree
+about half-way up. There they camped, watched Mullyan away in the
+morning, and then climbed on. At last they reached the home of Mullyan.
+They watched their chance and then sneaked into his humpy.
+
+When they were safely inside, they hastened to secrete a smouldering
+stick in one end of the humpy, taking care they were not seen by any of
+the women. Then they went quietly down again, no one the wiser of their
+coming or going. During the day the women heard sometimes a crackling
+noise, as of burning, but looking round they saw nothing, and as their
+own fire was safe, they took no notice, thinking it might have been
+caused by some grass having fallen into their fire.
+
+After their descent from having hidden the smouldering fire stick,
+Bibbee and Murrawondah found the blacks and told them what they had
+done. Hearing that the plan was to burn out Mullyan, and fearing that
+the tree might fall, they all moved to some little distance, there to
+watch and wait for the end. Great was their joy at the thought that at
+last their enemy was circumvented. And proud were Bibbee and
+Murrawondah as the black fellows praised their prowess.
+
+After dinner-time Mullyan came back. When he reached the entrance to
+his house he put down his big spear outside. Then he went in and threw
+himself down to rest, for long had he walked and little had he gained.
+In a few minutes he heard his big spear fall down. He jumped up and
+stuck it in its place again. He had no sooner thrown himself down, than
+again he heard it fall. Once more be rose and replaced it. As he
+reached his resting-place again, out burst a flame of fire from the end
+of his humpy. He called out to the three women, who were cooking, and
+they rushed to help him extinguish the flames. But in spite of their
+efforts the fire only blazed the brighter. Mullyan's arm was burnt off.
+The Moodai had their feet burnt, and Buttergah was badly burnt too.
+Seeing they were helpless against the fire, they turned to leave the
+humpy to its fate, and make good their own escape. But they had left it
+too late. As they turned to descend the tree, the roof of the humpy
+fell on them. And all that remained when the fire ceased, were the
+charred bones of the dwellers in the yaraan tree. That was all that the
+blacks found of their enemies; but their legend says that Mullyan the
+eagle hawk lives in the sky as Mullyangah the morning star, on one side
+of which is a little star, which is his one arm; on the other a larger
+star, which is Moodai the opossum, his wife.
+
+
+
+
+17.  GOOMBLEGUBBON, BEEARGAH, AND OUYAN
+
+
+
+Goomblegubbon the bustard, his two wives, Beeargah the hawk, and Ouyan
+the curlew, with the two children of Beeargah, had their camps right
+away in the bush; their only water supply was a small dungle, or gilguy
+hole. The wives and children camped in one camp, and Goomblegubbon a
+short distance off in another. One day the wives asked their husband to
+lend them the dayoorl stone, that they might grind some doonburr to
+make durrie. But he would not lend it to them, though they asked him
+several times. They knew he did not want to use it himself, for they
+saw his durrie on a piece of bark, between two fires, already cooking.
+They determined to be revenged, so said:
+
+"We will make some water bags of the opossum skins; we will fill them
+with water, then some day when Goomblegubbon is out hunting we will
+empty the dungle of water, take the children, and run away! When he
+returns he will find his wives and children gone and the dungle empty;
+then he will be sorry that he would not lend us the dayoorl."
+
+The wives soon caught some opossums, killed and skinned them, plucked
+all the hair from the skins, saving it to roll into string to make
+goomillahs, cleaned the skins of all flesh, sewed them up with the
+sinews, leaving only the neck opening. When finished, they blew into
+them, filled them with air, tied them up and left them to dry for a few
+days. When they were dry and ready to be used, they chose a day when
+Goomblegubbon was away, filled the water bags, emptied the dungle, and
+started towards the river.
+
+Having travelled for some time, they at length reached the river. They
+saw two black fellows on the other side, who, when they saw the runaway
+wives and the two children, swam over to them and asked whence they had
+come and whither they were going.
+
+"We are running away from our husband Goomblegubbon, who would lend us
+no dayoorl to grind our doonburr on, and we ran away lest we and our
+children should starve, for we could not live on meat alone. But
+whither we are going we know not, except that it must be far away, lest
+Goomblegubbon follow and kill us."
+
+The black fellows said they wanted wives, and would each take one, and
+both care for the children. The women agreed. The black fellows swam
+back across the river, each taking a child first, and then a woman, for
+as they came from the back country, where no creeks were, the women
+could not swim.
+
+Goomblegubbon came back from hunting, and, seeing no wives, called
+aloud for them, but heard no answer. Then he went to their camp, and
+found them not. Then turning towards the dungle he saw that it was
+empty. Then he saw the tracks of his wives and children going towards
+the river. Great was his anger, and vowing he would kill them when he
+found them, he picked up his spears and followed their tracks, until he
+too reached the river. There on the other side he saw a camp, and in it
+he could see strange black fellows, his wives, and his children. He
+called aloud for them to cross him over, for he too could not swim. But
+the sun went down and still they did not answer. He camped where he was
+that night, and in the morning he saw the camp opposite had been
+deserted and set fire to; the country all round was burnt so that not
+even the tracks of the black fellows and his wives could be found, even
+had he been able to cross the river. And never again did he see or hear
+of his wives or his children.
+
+
+
+
+18.  MOOREGOO THE MOPOKE, AND BAHLOO THE MOON
+
+
+
+Mooregoo the Mopoke had been camped away by himself for a long time.
+While alone he had made a great number of boomerangs, nullah-nullahs,
+spears, neilahmans, and opossum rugs. Well had he carved the weapons
+with the teeth of opossums, and brightly had he painted the inside of
+the rugs with coloured designs, and strongly had he sewn them with the
+sinews of opossums, threaded in the needle made of the little bone
+taken from the leg of an emu. As Mooregoo looked at his work he was
+proud of all he had done.
+
+One night Babloo the moon came to his camp, and said: "Lend me one of
+your opossum rugs."
+
+"No. I lend not my rugs."
+
+"Then give me one."
+
+"No. I give not my rugs."
+
+Looking round, Bahloo saw the beautifully carved weapons, so he said,
+"Then give me, Mooregoo, some of your weapons."
+
+"No, I give, never, what I have made, to another."
+
+Again Bahloo said, "The night is cold. Lend me a rug."
+
+"I have spoken," said Mooregoo. "I never lend my rugs."
+
+Barloo said no more, but went away, cut some bark and made a dardurr
+for himself. When it was finished and he safely housed in it, down came
+the rain in torrents. And it rained without ceasing until the whole
+country was flooded. Mooregoo was drowned. His weapons floated about
+and drifted apart, and his rugs rotted in the water.
+
+
+
+
+19.  OUYAN THE CURLEW
+
+
+
+Bleargah the hawk, mother of Ouyan the curlew, said one day to her son:
+"Go, Ouyan, out, take your spears and kill an emu. The women and I are
+hungry. You are a man, go out and kill, that we may eat. You must not
+stay always in the camp like an old woman; you must go and hunt as
+other men do, lest the women laugh at you."
+
+Ouyan took his spears and went out hunting, but though he went far, he
+could not get an emu, yet he dare not return to the camp and face the
+jeers of the women. Well could they jeer, and angry could his mother
+grow when she was hungry. Sooner than return empty-handed he would cut
+some flesh off his own legs. And this he decided to do. he made a cut
+in his leg with his comebo and as he made it, cried aloud: "Yuckay!
+Yuckay," in pain. But he cut on, saying: "Sharper would cut the tongues
+of the women, and deeper would be the wounds they would make, if I
+returned without food for them." And crying: "Yuckay, yuckay," at each
+stroke of his comebo, he at length cut off a piece of flesh, and
+started towards the camp with it.
+
+As he neared the camp his mother cried out: "What have you brought us,
+Ouyan? We starve for meat, come quickly."
+
+He came and laid the flesh at her feet, saying: "Far did I go, and
+little did I see, but there is enough for all to-night; to-morrow will
+I go forth again."
+
+The women cooked the flesh, and ate it hungrily. Afterwards they felt
+quite ill, but thought it must be because they had eaten too hungrily.
+The next day they hurried Ouyan forth again. And again he returned
+bringing his own flesh back. Again the women ate hungrily of it, and
+again they felt quite ill.
+
+Then, too, Beeargah noticed for the first time that the flesh Ouyan
+brought looked different from emu flesh. She asked him what flesh it
+was. He replied: "What should it be but the flesh of emu?"
+
+But Beeargah was not satisfied, and she said to the two women who lived
+with her: "Go you, to-morrow, follow Ouyan, and see whence he gets this
+flesh."
+
+The next day, the two woman followed Ouyan when he went forth to hunt.
+They followed at a good distance, that he might not notice that they
+were following. Soon they heard him crying as if in pain: "Yuckay,
+yuckay, yuckay nurroo gay gay." When they came near they saw he was
+cutting the flesh off his own limbs. Before he discovered that they
+were watching him, back they went to the old woman, and told her what
+they had seen.
+
+Soon Ouyan came back, bringing, as usual, the flesh with him. When he
+had thrown it down at his mother's feet, he went away, and lay down as
+if tired from the chase. His mother went up to him, and before he had
+time to cover his mutilated limbs, she saw that indeed the story of the
+women was true. Angry was she that he had so deceived her: and she
+called loudly for the other two women, who came running to her.
+
+"You are right," she said. "Too lazy to hunt for emu, he cut off his
+own flesh, not caring that when we unwittingly ate thereof we should
+sicken. Let us beat him who did us this wrong."
+
+The three women seized poor Ouyan and beat him, though he cried aloud
+in agony when the blows fell on his bleeding legs.
+
+When the women had satisfied their vengeance, Beeargah said: "You Ouyan
+shall have no more flesh on your legs, and red shall they be for ever;
+red, and long and fleshless." Saying which she went, and with her the
+other women. Ouyan crawled away and hid himself, and never again did
+his mother see him. But night after night was to be heard a wailing cry
+of, "Bou you gwai gwai. Bou you gwai gwai," which meant, "My poor red
+legs. My poor red legs."
+
+But though Ouyan the man was never seen again, a bird with long thin
+legs, very red in colour under the feathers, was seen often, and heard
+to cry ever at night, even as Ouyan the man had cried: "Bou you gwai
+gwai. Bou you gwai gwai." And this bird bears always the name of Ouyan.
+
+
+
+
+20.  DINEWAN THE EMU, AND WAHN THE CROWS
+
+
+
+Dinewan and his two wives, the Wahn, were camping out. Seeing some
+clouds gathering, they made a bark humpy. It came on to rain, and they
+all took shelter under it. Dinewan, when his wives were not looking,
+gave a kick against a piece of bark at one side of the humpy, knocked
+it down, then told his wives to go and put it up again. When they were
+outside putting it up, he gave a kick, and knocked down a piece on the
+other side; so no sooner were they in again than out they had to go.
+This he did time after time, until at last they su spected him, and
+decided that one of them would watch. The one who was watching saw
+Dinewan laugh to himself and go and knock down the bark they had just
+put up, chuckling at the thought of his wives having to go out in the
+wet and cold to put it up, while he had his supper dry and comfortably
+inside. The one who saw him told the other, and they decided to teach
+him a lesson. So in they came, each with a piece of bark filled with
+hot coals. They went straight up to Dinewan, who was lying down
+laughing.
+
+"Now," they said, "you shall feel as hot we did cold." And thev threw
+the coals over him. Dinewan jumped up. crying aloud with the pain, for
+he was badly burnt. He rolled himself over, and ran into the rain; and
+his wives stayed inside, and laughed aloud at him.
+
+
+
+
+21.  GOOLAHWILLEEL THE TOPKNOT PIGEONS
+
+
+
+Young Goolahwilleeel used to go out hunting every day. His mother and
+sisters always expected that he would bring home kangaroo and emu for
+them. But each day he came home without any meat at all. They asked him
+what he did in the bush, as he evidently did not hunt. He said that he
+did hunt.
+
+"Then why," said they, "do you bring us nothing home?"
+
+"I cannot catch and kill what I follow," he said. "You hear me cry out
+when I find kangaroo or emu; is it not so?"
+
+"Yes; each day we hear you call when you find something, and each day
+we get ready the fire, expecting you to bring home the spoils of the
+chase, but you bring nothing."
+
+"To-morrow," he said, "you shall not be disappointed. I will bring you
+a kangaroo."
+
+Every day, instead of hunting, Goolahwilleel had been gathering
+wattle-gum, and with this he had been modelling a kangaroo--a perfect
+model of one, tail, ears, and all complete. So the next day he came
+towards the camp carrying this kangaroo made of gum. Seeing him coming,
+and also seeing that he was carrying the promised kangaroo, his mother
+and sisters said: "Ah, Goolahwilleel spoke truly. He has kept his word,
+and now brings us a kangaroo. Pile up the fire. To-night we shall eat
+meat."
+
+About a hundred yards away from the camp Goolahwilleel put down his
+model, and came on without it. His mother called out: "Where is the
+kangaroo you brought home?"
+
+"Oh, over there." And he pointed towards where he had left it.
+
+The sisters ran to get it, but came back saying: "Where is it? We
+cannot see it."
+
+"Over there," he said, pointing again.
+
+"But there is only a great figure of gum there."
+
+"Well, did I say it was anything else? Did I not say it was gum?"
+
+"No, you did not. You said it was a kangaroo."
+
+"And so it is a kangaroo. A beautiful kangaroo that I made all by
+myself." And he smiled quite proudly to think what a fine kangaroo he
+had made.
+
+But his mother and sisters did not smile. They seized him and gave him
+a good beating for deceiving them. They told him he should never go out
+alone again, for he only played instead of hunting, though he knew they
+starved for meat. They would always in the future go with him.
+
+And so for ever the Goolahwilleels went in flocks, never more singly,
+in search of food.
+
+
+
+
+22.  GOONUR, THE WOMAN-DOCTOR
+
+
+
+Goonur was a clever old woman-doctor, who lived with her son, Goonur,
+and his two wives. The wives were Guddah the red lizard, and Beereeun
+the small, prickly lizard. One day the two wives had done something to
+anger Goonur, their husband, and he gave them both a great beating.
+After their beating they went away by themselves. They said to each
+other that they could stand their present life no longer, and yet there
+was no escape unless they killed their husband. They decided they would
+do that. But how? That was the question. It must be by cunning.
+
+At last they decided on a plan. They dug a big hole in the sand near
+the creek, filled it with water, and covered the hole over with boughs,
+leaves, and grass.
+
+"Now we will go," they said, "and tell our husband that we have found a
+big bandicoot's nest."
+
+Back they went to the camp, and told Goonur that they had seen a big
+nest of bandicoots near the creek; that if he sneaked up he would be
+able to suprise them and get the lot.
+
+Off went Goonur in great haste. He sneaked up to within a couple of
+feet of the nest, then gave a spring on to the top of it. And only when
+he felt the bough top give in with him, and he sank down into water,
+did he realise that he had been tricked. Too late then to save himself,
+for he was drowning and could not escape. His wives had watched the
+success of their stratagem from a distance. When they were certain that
+they had effectually disposed of their hated husband, they went back to
+the camp. Goonur, the mother, soon missed her son, made inquiries of
+his wives, but gained no information from them. Two or three days
+passed, and yet Goonur, the son, returned not. Seriously alarmed at his
+long absence without having given her notice of his intention, the
+mother determined to follow his track. She took up his trail where she
+had last seen him leave the camp. This she followed until she reached
+the so-called bandicoot's nest. Here his tracks disappeared, and
+nowhere could she find a sign of his having returned from this place.
+She felt in the hole with her yarn stick, and soon felt that there was
+something large there in the water. She cut a forked stick and tried to
+raise the body and get it out, for she felt sure it must be her son.
+But she could not raise it; stick after stick broke in the effort. At
+last she cut a midjee stick and tried with that, and then she was
+successful. When she brought out the body she found it was indeed her
+son. She dragged the body to an ant bed, and watched intently to see if
+the stings of the ants brought any sign of returning life. Soon her
+hope was realised, and after a violent twitching of the muscles her son
+regained consciousness. As soon as he was able to do so, he told her of
+the trick his wives had played on him.
+
+Goonur, the mother, was furious. "No more shall they have you as
+husband. You shall live hidden in my dardurr. When we get near the camp
+you can get into this long, big comebee, and I will take you in. When
+you want to go hunting I will take you from the camp in this comebee,
+and when we are out of sight you can get out and hunt as of old."
+
+And thus they managed for some time to keep his return a secret; and
+little the wives knew that their husband was alive and in his mother's
+camp. But as day after day Goonur, the mother, returned from hunting
+loaded with spoils, they began to think she must have help from some
+one; for surely, they said, no old woman could be so successful in
+hunting. There was a mystery they were sure, and they were determined
+to find it out.
+
+"See," they said, "she goes out alone. She is old, and yet she brings
+home more than we two do together, and we are young. To-day she brought
+opossums, piggiebillahs, honey yams, quatha, and many things. We got
+little, yet we went far. We will watch her."
+
+The next time old Goonur went out, carrying her big comebee, the wives
+watched her.
+
+"Look," they said, "how slowly she goes. She could not climb trees for
+opossums--she is too old and weak; look how she staggers."
+
+They went cautiously after her, and saw when she was some distance from
+the camp that she put down her comebee. And out of it, to their
+amazement, stepped Goonur, their husband.
+
+"Ah," they said, "this is her secret. She must have found him, and, as
+she is a great doctor, she was able to bring him to life again. We must
+wait until she leaves him, and then go to him, and beg to know where he
+has been, and pretend joy that he is back, or else surely now he is
+alive again he will sometime kill us."
+
+Accordingly, when Goonur was alone the two wives ran to him, and said:
+
+"Why, Goonur, our husband, did you leave us? Where have you been all
+the time that we, your wives, have mourned for you? Long has the time
+been without you, and we, your wives, have been sad that you came no
+more to our dardurr."
+
+Goonur, the husband, affected to believe their sorrow was genuine, and
+that they did not know when they directed him to the bandicoot's nest
+that it was a trap. Which trap, but for his mother, might have been his
+grave.
+
+They all went hunting together, and when they had killed enough for
+food they returned to the camp. As they came near to the camp, Goonur,
+the mother, saw them coming, and cried out:
+
+"Would you again be tricked by your wives? Did I save you from death
+only that you might again be killed? I spared them, but I would I had
+slain them, if again they are to have a chance of killing you, my son.
+Many are the wiles of women, and another time I might not be able to
+save you. Let them live if you will it so, my son, but not with you.
+They tried to lure you to death; you are no longer theirs, mine only
+now, for did I not bring you back from the dead?"
+
+But Goonur the husband said, "In truth did you save me, my mother, and
+these my wives rejoice that you did. They too, as I was, were deceived
+by the bandicoot's nest, the work of an enemy yet to be found. See, my
+mother, do not the looks of love in their eyes, and words of love on
+their lips vouch for their truth? We will be as we have been, my
+mother, and live again in peace."
+
+And thus craftily did Goonur the husband deceive his wives and make
+them believe he trusted them wholly, while in reality his mind was even
+then plotting vengeance. In a few days he had his plans ready. Having
+cut and pointed sharply two stakes, he stuck them firmly in the creek,
+then he placed two logs on the bank, in front of the sticks, which were
+underneath the water, and invisible. Having made his preparations, he
+invited his wives to come for a bathe. He said when they reached the
+creek:
+
+"See those two logs on the bank, you jump in each from one and see
+which can dive the furthest. I will go first to see you as you come
+up." And in he jumped, carefully avoiding the pointed stakes. "Right,"
+he called. "All is clear here, jump in."
+
+Then the two wives ran down the bank each to a log and jumped from it.
+Well had Goonur calculated the distance, for both jumped right on to
+the stakes placed in the water to catch them, and which stuck firmly
+into them, holding them under the water.
+
+"Well am I avenged," said Goonur. "No more will my wives lay traps to
+catch me." And he walked off to the camp.
+
+His mother asked him where his wives were. "They left me," he said, "to
+get bees' nests."
+
+But as day by day passed and the wives returned not, the old woman
+began to suspect that her son knew more than he said. She asked him no
+more, but quietly watched her opportunity, when her son was away
+hunting, and then followed the tracks of the wives. She tracked them to
+the creek, and as she saw no tracks of their return, she went into the
+creek, felt about, and there found the two bodies fast on the stakes.
+She managed to get them off and out of the creek, then she determined
+to try and restore them to life, for she was angry that her son had not
+told her what he had done, but had deceived her as well as his wives.
+She rubbed the women with some of her medicines, dressed the wounds
+made by the stakes, and then dragged them both on to ants' nests and
+watched their bodies as the ants crawled over them, biting them. She
+had not long to wait; soon they began to move and come to life again.
+
+As soon as they were restored Goonur took them back to the camp and
+said to Goonur her son, "Now once did I use my knowledge to restore
+life to you, and again have I used it to restore life to your wives.
+You are all mine now, and I desire that you live in peace and never
+more deceive me, or never again shall I use my skill for you:"
+
+And they lived for a long while together, and when the Mother Doctor
+died there was a beautiful, dazzlingly bright falling star, followed by
+a sound as of a sharp clap of thunder, and all the tribes round when
+they saw and heard this said, "A great doctor must have died, for that
+is the sign." And when the wives died, they were taken up to the sky,
+where they are now known as Gwaibillah, the red star, so called from
+its bright red colour, owing, the legend says, to the red marks left by
+the stakes on the bodies of the two women, and which nothing could
+efface.
+
+
+
+
+23.  DEEREEREE THE WAGTAIL, AND THE RAINBOW
+
+
+
+Deereeree was a widow and lived in a camp alone with her four little
+girls. One day Bibbee came and made a camp not far from hers. Deereeree
+was frightened of him, too frightened to go to sleep. All night she
+used to watch his camp, and if she heard a sound she would cry aloud:
+"Deerceree, wyah, wyah, Deereeree," Sometimes she would be calling out
+nearly all night.
+
+In the morning, Bibbee would come over to her camp and ask her what was
+the matter that she had called out so in the night. She told him that
+she thought she heard some one walking about and was afraid, for she
+was alone with her four little girls.
+
+He told her she ought not to be afraid with all her children round her.
+But night after night she sat up crying: "Wyah, wyah, Deereeree,
+Deereeree."
+
+At last Bibbee said! "If you are so frightened, marry me and live in my
+camp. I will take care of you." But Deereeree said she did not want to
+marry. So night after night was to be heard her plaintive cry of "Wyah,
+wyah, Deereeree, Deereeree." And again and again Bibbee pressed her to
+share his camp and marry him. But she always refused. The more she
+refused the more he wished to marry her. And he used to wonder how he
+could induce her to change her mind.
+
+At last he thought of a plan of surprising her into giving her consent.
+He set to work and made a beautiful and many coloured arch, which, when
+it was made, he called Euloowirree, and he placed it right across the
+sky, reaching from one side of the earth to the other. When the rainbow
+was firmly placed in the sky, and showing out in all its brilliancy, of
+many colours, as a roadway from the earth to the stars, Bibbee went
+into his camp to wait. When Deereeree looked up at the sky and saw the
+wonderful rainbow, she thought something dreadful must be going to
+happen. She was terribly frightened, and called aloud: "Wyah, wyah." In
+her fear she gathered her children together, and fled with them to
+Bibbee's camp for protection.
+
+Bibbee proudly told her that he had made the rainbow, just to show how
+strong he was and how safe she would be if she married him. But if she
+would not, she would see what terrible things he would make to come on
+the earth, not just a harmless and beautiful roadway across the
+heavens, but things that would burst from the earth and destroy it.
+
+So by working on her mixed feelings of fear of his prowess, and
+admiration of his skill, Bibbee gained his desire, and Deereeree
+married him. And when long afterwards they died, Deereeree was changed
+into the little willy wagtail who may be heard through the stillness of
+the summer nights, crying her plaintive wail of "Deereeree, wyah, wyah,
+Deereeree."
+
+And Bibbee was changed into the woodpecker, or climbing tree bird, who
+is always running up trees as if he wanted to be building other ways to
+the than the famous roadway of his Euloowirree, the building of which
+had won him his wife.
+
+
+
+
+24.  MOOREGOO THE MOPOKE, AND MOONINGUGGAHGUL THE MOSQUITO BIRD
+
+
+
+An old man lived with his two wives, the Mooninguggahgul sisters, and
+his two sons. The old man spent all his time making boomerangs, until
+at last he had four nets full of these weapons. The two boys used to go
+out hunting opossums and iguanas, which they would cook in the bush,
+and eat, without thinking of bringing any home to their parents. The
+old man asked them one day to bring him home some fat to rub his
+boomerangs with. This the boys did, but they brought only the fat,
+having eaten the rest of the iguanas from which they had taken the fat.
+The old man was very angry that his sons were so greedy, but he said
+nothing, though be determined to punish them, for he thought "when they
+were young, and could not hunt, I hunted for them and fed them well;
+now that they can hunt and I am old and cannot so well, they give me
+nothing." Thinking of his treatment at the hands of his sons, he
+greased all his boomerangs, and when he had finished them he said to
+the boys: "You take these boomerangs down on to the plain and try them;
+see if I have made them well. Then come back and tell me. I will stay
+here."
+
+The boys took the boomerangs. They threw them one after another; but to
+their surprise not one of the boomerangs they threw touched the ground,
+but, instead, went whirling up out of sight. When they had finished
+throwing the boomerangs, all of which acted in the same way, whirling
+up through space, they prepared to start home again. But as they looked
+round they saw a huge whirlwind coming towards them. They were
+frightened and called out "Wurrawilberoo," for they knew there was a
+devil in the whirlwind. They laid hold of trees near at hand that it
+might not catch them. But the whirlwind spread out first one arm and
+rooted up one tree, then another arm, and rooted up another. The boys
+ran in fear from tree to tree, but each tree that they went to was torn
+up by the whirlwind. At last they ran to two mubboo or beef-wood trees,
+and clung tightly to them. After them rushed the whirlwind, sweeping
+all before it, and when it reached the mubboo trees, to which the boys
+were clinging, it tore them from their roots and bore them upward
+swiftly, giving the boys no time to leave go, so they were borne upward
+clinging to the mubboo trees. On the whirlwind bore them until they
+reached the sky, where it placed the two trees with the boys still
+clinging to them. And there they still are, near the Milky Way, and
+known as Wurrawilberoo. The boomerangs are scattered all along the
+Milky Way, for the whirlwind had gathered them all together in its rush
+through space. Having placed them all in the sky, down came the
+whirlwind, retaking its natural shape, which was that of the old man,
+for so had he wreaked his vengeance on his sons for neglecting their
+parents.
+
+As time went on, the mothers wondered why their sons did not return. It
+struck them as strange that the old man expressed no surprise at the
+absence of the boys, and they suspected that he knew more than he cared
+to say. For he only sat in the camp smiling while his wives discussed
+what could have happened to them, and he let the women go out and
+search alone. The mothers tracked their sons to the plain. There they
+saw that a big whirlwind had lately been, for trees were uprooted and
+strewn in every direction. They tracked their sons from tree to tree
+until at last they came to the place where the mubboos had stood. They
+saw the tracks of their sons beside the places whence the trees had
+been uprooted, but of the trees and their sons they saw no further
+trace. Then they knew that they had all been borne up together by the
+whirlwind, and taken whither they knew not. Sadly they returned to
+their camp. When night came they heard cries which they recognised as
+made by the voices of their sons, though they sounded as if coming from
+the sky. As the cries sounded again the mothers looked up whence they
+came, and there they saw the mubboo trees with their sons beside them.
+Then well they knew that they would see no more their sons on earth,
+and great was their grief, and wroth were they with their husband, for
+well they knew now that he must have been the devil in the whirlwind,
+who had so punished the boys. They vowed to avenge the loss of their
+boys.
+
+The next day they went out and gathered a lot of pine gum, and brought
+it back to the camp. When they reached the camp the old man called to
+one of his wives to come and tease his hair, as his head ached, and
+that alone would relieve the pain. One of the women went over to him,
+took his head on her lap, and teased his hair until at last the old man
+was soothed and sleepy. In the meantime the other wife was melting the
+gum. The one with the old man gave her a secret sign to come near; then
+she asked the old man to lie on his back, that she might tease his
+front hair better. As he did so, she signed to the other woman, who
+quickly came, gave her some of the melted gum, which they both then
+poured hot into his eyes, filling them with it. In agony the old man
+jumped up and ran about, calling out, "Mooregoo, mooregoo," as he ran.
+Out of the camp he ran and far away, still crying out in his agony, as
+he went. And never again did his wives see him though every night they
+heard his cry of "Mooregoo, mooregoo." But though they never saw their
+husband, they saw a night hawk, the Mopoke, and as that cried always,
+"Mooregoo, moregoo," as their husband had cried in his agony, they knew
+that he must have turned into the bird.
+
+After a time the women were changed into Mooninguggahgul, or mosquito
+birds. These birds arc marked on the wings just like a mosquito, and
+every summer night you can hear them cry out incessantly,
+"Mooninguggahgul," which cry is the call for the mosquitoes to answer
+by coming out and buzzing in chorus. And as quickly the mosquitoes come
+out in answer to the summons, the Mooninguggahgul bid them fly
+everywhere and bite all they can.
+
+
+
+
+25.  BOUGOODOOGAHDAH THE RAIN BIRD
+
+
+
+Bougoodoogahdah was all old woman who lived alone with her four hundred
+dingoes. From living so long with these dogs she had grown not to care
+for her fellow creatures except as food. She and the dogs lived on
+human flesh, and it was her cunning which gained such food for them
+all. She would sally forth from her camp with her two little dogs; she
+would be sure to meet some black fellows, probably twenty or thirty,
+going down to the creek. She would say, "I can tell you where there are
+lots of paddy melons." They would ask where, and she would answer,
+"Over there, on the point of that moorillah or ridge. If you will go
+there and have your nullahs ready, I will go with my two dogs and round
+them up towards you."
+
+The black fellows invariably stationed themselves where she had told
+them, and off went Bougoodoogahdah and her two dogs. But not to round
+up the paddy melons. She went quickly towards her camp, calling softly,
+"Birree, gougou," which meant "Sool 'em, sool 'em," and was the signal
+for the dogs to come out. Quickly they came and surrounded the black
+fellows, took them by surprise, flew at them, bit and worried them to
+death. Then they and Bougoodoogahdah dragged the bodies to their camp.
+There they were cooked and were food for the old woman and the dogs for
+some time. As soon as the supply was finished the same plan to obtain
+more was repeated.
+
+The black fellows missed so many of their friends that they determined
+to find out what had become of them. They began to suspect the old
+woman who lived alone and hunted over the moorillahs with her two
+little dogs. They proposed that the next party that went to the creek
+should divide and some stay behind in hiding and watch what went on.
+Those watching saw the old woman advance towards their friends, talk to
+them for a while, and then go off with her two dogs. They saw their
+friends station themselves at the point of the moorillah or ridge,
+holding their nullahs in readiness, as if waiting for something to
+come. Presently they heard a low cry from the old woman of "Birree
+gougou," which cry was quickly followed by dingoes coming out of the
+bush in every direction, in hundreds, surrounding the black fellows at
+the point.
+
+The dingoes closed in, quickly hemming the black fellows in all round;
+then they made a simultaneous rush at them, tore them with their teeth,
+and killed them.
+
+The black fellows watching, saw that when the dogs had killed their
+friends they were joined by the old woman, who helped them to drag off
+the bodies to their camp.
+
+Having seen all this, back went the watchers to their tribe and. told
+what they had seen. All the tribes round mustered up and decided to
+execute a swift vengeance. In order to do so, out they sallied well
+armed. A detachment went on to entrap the dogs and Bougoodoogahdah.
+Then just when the usual massacre of the blacks was to begin and the
+dogs were closing in round them for the purpose, out rushed over two
+hundred black fellows, and so effectual was their attack that every dog
+was killed, as well as Bougoodoogahdah and her two little dogs.
+
+The old woman lay where she had been slain, but as the blacks went away
+they heard her cry "Bougoodoogahdah." So back they went and broke her
+bones, first they broke her legs and then left her. But again as they
+went they heard her cry "Bougoodoogahdah." Then back again they came,
+and again, until at last every bone in her body was broken, but still
+she cried "Bougoodoogahdah." So one man waited beside her to see whence
+came the sound, for surely, they thought, she must be dead. He saw her
+heart move and cry again "Bougoodoogahdah" and as it cried, out came a
+little bird from it. This little bird runs on the moorillahs and calls
+at night "Bougoodoogahdah." All day it stays in one place, and only at
+night comes out. It is a little greyish bird, something like a weedah.
+The blacks call it a rain-maker, for if any one steals its eggs it
+cries out incessantly "Bougoodoogahdah" until in answer to its call the
+rain falls. And when the country is stricken with a drought, the blacks
+loook for one of these little birds, and finding it, chase it, until it
+cries aloud "Bougoodoogahdah, Bougoodoogahdah" and when they hear its
+cry in the daytime they know the rain will soon fall.
+
+As the little bird flew from the heart of the woman, all the dead
+dingoes were changed into snakes, many different kinds, all poisonous.
+The two little dogs were changed into dayall minyah, a very small kind
+of carpet snake, non-poisonous, for these two little dogs had never
+bitten the blacks as the other dogs had done. At the points of the
+Moorillahs where Bougoodoogahdah and her dingoes used to slay the
+blacks, are heaps of white stones, which are supposed to be the
+fossilised bones of the massacred nien.
+
+
+
+
+26.  THE BORAH OF BYAMEE
+
+
+
+Word had been passed from tribe to tribe, telling, how that the season
+was good, there must be a great gathering of the tribes. And the place
+fixed for the gathering was Googoorewon. The old men whispered that it
+should be the occasion for a borah, but this the women must not know.
+Old Byamee, who was a great Wirreenun, said he would take his two sons,
+Ghindahindahmoee and Boomahoomahnowee, to the gathering of the tribes,
+for the time had come when they should be made young men, that they
+might be free to marry wives, eat emu flesh, and learn to be warriors.
+
+As tribe after tribe arrived at Googoorewon, each took up a position at
+one of the various points of the ridges, surrounding the clear open
+space where the corrobborees were to be. The Wahn, crows, had one
+point; the Dummerh, pigeons, another; the Mahthi, dogs, another, and so
+on; Byamee and his tribe, Byahmul the black swans tribe, Oooboon, the
+blue tongued lizard, and many other chiefs and their tribes, each had
+their camp on a different point. When all had arrived there were
+hundreds and hundreds assembled, and many and varied were the nightly
+corrobborees, each tribe trying to excel the other in the fancifulness
+of their painted get-up, and the novelty of their newest song and
+dance. By day there was much hunting and feasting, by night much
+dancing and singing; pledges of friendship exchanged, a dillibag for a
+boomerang, and so on; young daughters given to old warriors, old women
+given to young men, unborn girls promised to old men, babies in arms
+promised to grown men; many and diverse were the compacts entered into,
+and always were the Wirreenun, or doctors of the tribes consulted.
+
+After some days the Wirreenun told the men of the tribes that they were
+going to hold a borah. But on no account must the innerh, or women,
+know. Day by day they must all go forth as if to hunt and then prepare
+in secret the borah ground. Out went the man each day. They cleared a
+very large circle quite clear, then they built an earthen dam round
+this circle, and cleared a pathway leading into the thick bush from the
+circle, and built a dam on either side of this pathway.
+
+When all these preparations were finished, they had, as usual, a
+corrobboree at night. After this had been going on for some time, one
+of the old Wirreenun walked right away from the crowd as if he were
+sulky. He went to his camp, to where he was followed by another
+Wirreenun, and presently the two old fellows began fighting. Suddenly,
+when the attention of the blacks was fixed on this fight, there came a
+strange, whizzing, whirring noise from the scrub round. The women and
+children shrank together, for the sudden, uncanny noise frightened
+them. And they knew that it was made by the spirits who were coming to
+assist at the initiation of the boys into young manhood. The noise
+really sounded, if you had not the dread of spirits in your mind, just
+as if some one had a circular piece of wood at the end of a string and
+were whirling it round and round.
+
+As the noise went on, the women said, in an awestricken tone,
+"Gurraymy," that is "borah devil," and clutched their children tighter
+to them. The boys said "Gayandy," and their eyes extended with fear.
+"Gayandy" meant borah devil too, but the women must not even use the
+same word as the boys and men to express the borah spirit, for all
+concerning the mysteries of borah are sacred from the ears, eyes, or
+tongues of women.
+
+The next day a shift was made of the camps. They were moved to inside
+the big ring that the black fellows had made. This move was attended
+with a certain amount of ceremony. In the afternoon, before the move
+had taken place, all the black fellows left their camps and went away
+into the scrub. Then just about sundown they were all to be seen
+walking in single file out of the scrub, along the path which they had
+previously banked on each side. Every man had a fire stick in one hand
+and a green switch in the other. When these men reached the middle of
+the enclosed ring was the time for the young people and women to leave
+the old camps, and move into the borah ring. Inside this ring they made
+their camps, had their suppers and corrobboreed, as on previous
+evenings, up to a certain stage. Before, on this occasion, that stage
+arrived, Byamee, who was greatest of the Wirreenun present, had shown
+his power in a remarkable way. For some days the Mahthi had been
+behaving with a great want of respect for the wise men of the tribes.
+Instead of treating their sayings and doings with the silent awe the
+Wirreenun expect, they had kept up an incessant chatter and laughter
+amongst themselves, playing and shouting as if the tribes were not
+contemplating the solemnisation of their most sacred rites. Frequently
+the Wirreenun sternly bade them be silent. But admonitions were
+useless, gaily chattered and laughed the Mahthi. At length Byamee,
+mightiest and most famous of the Wirreenun, rose, strode over to the
+camp of Mahthi, and said fiercely to them: "I, Byamee, whom all the
+tribes hold in honour, have thrice bade you Mahthi cease your chatter
+and laughter. But you heeded me not. To my voice were added the voices
+of the Wirreenun of other tribes. But you heeded not. Think you the
+Wirreenun will make any of your tribe young men when you heed not their
+words? No, I tell you. From this day forth no Mahthi shall speak again
+as men speak. You wish to make noise, to be a noisy tribe and a
+disturber of men; a tribe who cannot keep quiet when strangers are in
+the camp; a tribe who understand not sacred things. So be it. You
+shall, and your descendants, for ever make a noise, but it shall not be
+the noise of speech, or the noise of laughter. It shall be the noise of
+barking and the noise of howling. And from this day if ever a Mahthi
+speaks, woe to those who hear him, for even as they hear shall they be
+turned to stone."
+
+And as the Mahthi opened their mouths, and tried to laugh and speak
+derisive words, they found, even as Byamee said, so were they. They
+could but bark and howl; the powers of speech and laughter had they
+lost. And as they realised their loss, into their eyes came a look of
+yearning and dumb entreaty which will be seen in the eyes of their
+descendants for ever. A feeling of wonder and awe fell on the various
+camps as they watched Byamce march back to his tribe.
+
+When Byamee was seated again in his camp, he asked the women why they
+were not grinding doonburr. And the women said: "Gone are our dayoorls,
+and we know not where."
+
+"You lie," said Byamee. "You have lent them to the Dummerh, who came so
+often to borrow, though I bade you not lend."
+
+"No, Byamee, we lent them not."
+
+"Go to the camp of the Dummerh, and ask for your dayoorl."
+
+The women, with the fear of the fate of the Mahthi did they disobey,
+went, though well they knew they had not lent the dayoorl. As they went
+they asked at each camp if the tribe there would lend them a dayoorl,
+but at each camp they were given the same answer, namely, that the
+dayoorls were gone and none knew where. The Dummerh had asked to borrow
+them, and in each instance been refused, yet had the stones gone.
+
+As the women went on they heard a strange noise, as of the cry of
+spirits, a sound like a smothered "Oom, oom, oom, oom." The cry sounded
+high in the air through the tops of trees, then low on the ground
+through the grasses, until it seemed as if the spirits were everywhere.
+The women clutched tighter their fire sticks, and said: "Let us go
+back. The Wondah are about," And swiftly they sped towards their camp,
+hearing ever in the air the "Oom, oom, oom" of the spirits.
+
+They told Byamee that all the tribes had lost their dayoorls, and that
+the spirits were about, and even as they spoke came the sound of "Oom,
+oom, oom, oom," at the back of their own camp.
+
+The women crouched together, but Byamee flashed a fire stick whence
+came the sound, and as the light flashed on the place he saw no one,
+but stranger than all, he saw two dayoorls moving along, and yet could
+see no one moving them, and as the dayoorls moved swiftly away, louder
+and louder rose the sound of "Oom, oom, oom, oom," until the air seemed
+full of invisible spirits. Then Byamee knew that indeed the Wondah were
+about, and he too clutched his fire stick and went back into his camp.
+
+In the morning it was seen that not only were all the dayoorls gone,
+but the camp of the Dummerh was empty and they too had gone. When no
+one would lend the Dummerh dayoorls, they had said, "Then we can grind
+no doonburr unless the Wondah bring us stones." And scarcely were the
+words said before they saw a dayoorl moving towards them. At first they
+thought it was their own skill which enabled them only to express a
+wish to have it realised. But as dayoorl after dayoorl glided into
+their camp, and, passing through there, moved on, and as they moved was
+the sound of "Oom, oom, oom, oom," to be heard everywhere they knew it
+was the Wondah at work. And it was borne in upon them that where the
+dayoorl went they must go, or they would anger the spirits who had
+brought them through their camp.
+
+They gathered up their belongings and followed in the track of the
+dayoorls, which had cut a pathway from Googoorewon to Girrahween, down
+which in high floods is now a water-course. From Girrahween, on the
+dayoorls went to Dirangibirrah, and after them the Dummerh.
+Dirangibirrah is between Brewarrina and Widda Murtee, and there the
+dayoorls piled themselves up into a mountain, and there for the future
+had the blacks to go when they wanted good dayoorls. And the Dummerh
+were changed into pigeons, with a cry like the spirits of "Oom, oom,
+oom."
+
+Another strange thing happened at this big borah. A tribe, called
+Ooboon, were camped at some distance from the other tribes. When any
+stranger went to their camp, it was noticed that the chief of the
+Ooboon would come out and flash a light on him, which killed him
+instantly. And no one knew what this light was, that carried death in
+its gleam. At last, Wahn the crow, said "I will take my biggest booreen
+and go and see what this means. You others, do not follow me too
+closely, for though I have planned how to save myself from the deadly
+gleam, I might not be able to save you."
+
+Wahn walked into the camp of the Ooboon, and as their chief turned to
+flash the light on him, he put up his booreen and completely shaded
+himself from it, and called aloud in a deep voice "Wah, wah, wah, wah"
+which so startled Ooboon that he dropped his light, and said "What is
+the matter? You startled me. I did not know who you were and might have
+hurt you, though I had no wish to, for the Wahn are my friends."
+
+"I cannot stop now," said the Wahn, "I must go back to my camp. I have
+forgotten something I wanted to show you. I'll be back soon." And so
+saying, swiftly ran Wahn back to where he had left his boondee, then
+back he came almost before Ooboon realised that he had gone. Back he
+came, and stealing up behind Ooboon dealt him a blow with his boondee
+that avenged amply the victims of the deadly light, by stretching the
+chief of the Ooboon a corpse on the ground at his feet. Then crying
+triumphantly, "Wah, wah, wah," back to his camp went Wahn and told what
+he had done.
+
+This night, when the Borah corrobboree began, all the women relations
+of the boys to be made young men, corrobboreed all night. Towards the
+end of the night all the young women were ordered into bough humpies,
+which had been previously made all round the edge of the embankment
+surrounding the ring. The old women stayed on.
+
+The men who were to have charge of the boys to be made young men, were
+told now to be ready to seize hold each of his special charge, to carry
+him off down the beaten track to the scrub. When every man had, at a
+signal, taken his charge on his shoulder, they all started dancing
+round the ring. Then the old women were told to come and say good-bye
+to the boys, after which they were ordered to join the young women in
+the humpies. About five men watched them into the humpies, then pulled
+the boughs down on the top of them that they might see nothing further.
+
+When the women were safely imprisoned beneath the boughs, the men
+carrying the boys swiftly disappeared down the track into the scrub.
+When they were out of sight the five black fellows came and pulled the
+boughs away and released the women, who went now to their camps. But
+however curious these women were as to what rites attended the boys'
+initiation into manhood, they knew no questions would elicit any
+information. In some months' time they might see their boys return
+minus, perhaps, a front tooth, and with some extra scarifications on
+their bodies, but beyond that, and a knowledge of the fact that they
+had not been allowed to look on the face of woman since their
+disappearance into the scrub, they were never enlightened.
+
+The next day the tribes made ready to travel to the place of the little
+borah, which would be held in about four days' time, at about ten or
+twelve miles distance from the scene of the big borah.
+
+At the place of the little borah a ring of grass is made instead of one
+of earth. The tribes all travel together there, camp, and have a
+corrobboree. The young women are sent to bed early, and the old women
+stay until the time when the boys bade farewell to them at the big
+borah, at which hour the boys are brought into the little borah and
+allowed to say a last good-bye to the old women. Then they are taken
+away by the men who have charge of them together. They stay together
+for a short time, then probably separate, each man with his one boy
+going in a different direction. The man keeps strict charge of the boy
+for at least six months, during which time he may not even look at his
+own mother. At the end of about six months he may come back to his
+tribe, but the effect of his isolation is that he is too wild and
+frightened to speak even to his mother, from whom he runs away if she
+approaches him, until by degrees the strangeness wears off.
+
+But at this borah of Byamee the tribes were not destined to meet the
+boys at the little borah. just as they were gathering up their goods
+for a start, into the camp staggered Millindooloonubbah, the widow,
+crying, "You all left me, widow that I was, with my large family of
+children, to travel alone. How could the little feet of my children
+keep up to you? Can my back bear more than one goolay? Have I more than
+two arms and one back? Then how could I come swiftly with so many
+children? Yet none of you stayed to help me. And as you went from each
+water hole you drank all the water. When, tired and thirsty, I reached
+a water hole and my children cried for a drink, what did I find to give
+them? Mud, only mud. Then thirsty and worn, my children crying and
+their mother helpless to comfort them; on we came to the next hole.
+What did we see, as we strained our eyes to find water? Mud, only mud.
+As we reached hole after hole and found only mud, one by one my
+children laid down and died; died for want of a drink, which
+Millindooloonubbah their mother could not give them."
+
+As she spoke, swiftly went a woman to her with a wirree of water. "Too
+late, too late," she said. "Why should a mother live when her children
+are dead?" And she lay back with a groan. But as she felt the water
+cool her parched lips and soften her swollen tongue, she made a final
+effort, rose to her feet, and waving her hands round the camps of the
+tribes, cried aloud: "You were in such haste to get here. You shall
+stay here. Googoolguyyah. Googoolguyyah. Turn into trees. Turn into
+trees." Then back she fell, dead. And as she fell, the tribes that were
+standing round the edge of the ring, preparatory to gathering their
+goods and going, and that her hand pointed to as it waved round, turned
+into trees. There they now stand. The tribes in the background were
+changed each according to the name they were known by, into that bird
+or beast of the same name. The barking Mahthi into dogs; the Byahmul
+into black swans: the Wahns into crows, and so on. And there at the
+place of the big borah, you can see the trees standing tall and gaunt,
+sad-looking in their sombre hues, waving with a sad wailing their
+branches towards the lake which covers now the place where the borah
+was held. And it bears the name of Googoorewon, the place of trees, and
+round the edge of it is still to be seen the remains of the borah ring
+of earth. And it is known as a great place of meeting for the birds
+that bear the names of the tribes of old. The Byahmuls sail proudly
+about; the pelicans, their water rivals in point of size and beauty;
+the ducks, and many others too numerous to mention. The Ooboon, or
+blue-tongued lizards, glide in and out through the grass. Now and then
+is heard the "Oom, oom, oom," of the dummerh, and occasionally a cry
+from the bird Millindooloonubbah of "Googoolguyyah, googoolguyyah." And
+in answer comes the wailing of the gloomy-looking balah trees, and then
+a rustling shirr through the bibbil branches, until at last every tree
+gives forth its voice and makes sad the margin of the lake with echoes
+of the past.
+
+But the men and boys who were at the place of the little borah escaped
+the metamorphosis. Theywaited long for the arrival of the tribes who
+never came.
+
+At last Byamee said: "Surely mighty enemies have slain our ftiends, and
+not one escapes to tell us of their fate. Even now these enemies may be
+upon our track; let us go into a far country."
+
+And swiftly they went to Noondoo. Hurrying along with them, a dog of
+Byamee's, which would fain have lain by the roadside rather than have
+travelled so swiftly, but Byamee would not leave her and hurried her
+on. When they reached the springs of Noondoo, the dog sneaked away into
+a thick scrub, and there were born her litter of pups. But such pups as
+surely man never looked at before. The bodies of dogs, and the heads of
+pigs, and the fierceness and strength of devils. And gone is the life
+of a man who meets in a scrub of Noondoo an earmoonan, for surely will
+it slay him. Not even did Byamee ever dare to go near the breed of his
+old dog. And Byamee, the mighty Wirreenun, lives for ever. But no man
+must look upon his face, lest surely will he die. So alone in a thick
+scrub, on one of the Noondoo ridges, lives this old man, Byamee, the
+mightiest of Wirreenun.
+
+
+
+
+27.  BUNNYYARL THE FLIES AND WURRUNNUNNAH THE BEES
+
+
+
+The Bunnyyarl and Wurrunnunnah were relations, and lived in one camp.
+The Wurrunnunnah were very hardworking, always trying to gather food in
+a time of plenty, to lay in a store for a time of famine. The Bunnyyarl
+used to give no heed to the future, but used to waste their time
+playing round any rubbish, and never thinking even of laying up any
+provisions. One day the Wurrunnunnah said, "Come out with us and gather
+honey from flowers. Soon will the winter winds blow the flowers away,
+and there will be no more honey to gather."
+
+" No," said the Bunnyyarl, "we have something to look to here." And
+off they went, turning over some rubbish and wasting their time,
+knowing whatever the Wurrunnunnah brought they would share with them.
+The Wurrunnunnah went alone and left the Bunnyyarl to their rubbish.
+The Wurrunnunnah gathered the flowers and stored the honey, and never
+more went back to live with the Bunnyyarls, for they were tired of
+doing all the work.
+
+As time went on the Wurrunnunnah were changed into little wild bees,
+and the lazy Bunnyyarls were changed into flies.
+
+
+
+
+28.  DEEGEENBOYAH THE SOLDIER-BIRD
+
+
+
+Deegeenboyah was an old man, and getting past hunting much for himself;
+and he found it hard to keep his two wives and his two daughters
+supplied with food. He camped with his family away from the other
+tribes, but he used to join the men of the Mullyan tribe when they were
+going out hunting, and so get a more certain supply of food than if he
+had gone by himself. One day when the Mullyan went out, he was too late
+to accompany them. He hid in the scrub and waited for their return, at
+some little distance from their camp. When they were coming back he
+heard them singing the Song of the Setting Emu, a song which whoever
+finds the first emu's nest of the season always sings before getting
+back to the camp. Deegeenboyah jumped up as he heard the song, and
+started towards the camp of the Mullyan singing the same song, as if he
+too had found a nest. On they all went towards the camp sing joyously:
+
+Nurdoo, nurbber me derreen derreenbah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
+Garmbay booan yunnahdeh beahwah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
+Gubbondee, dee, ee, ee, ee.
+Neah nein gulbeejah, ah, ah, ah, ah."
+
+Which song roughly translated means:
+
+I saw it first amongst the young trees,
+The white mark on its forehead,
+The white mark that before I had only seen as the emus moved together
+in the day-time.
+Never did I see one camp before, only moving, moving always.
+Now that we have found the nest
+We must look out the ants do not get to the eggs.
+If they crawl over them the eggs are spoilt.
+
+As the last echo of the song died away, those in the camp took up the
+refrain and sang it back to the hunters to let them know that they
+understood that they had found the first emu's nest of the season.
+
+When the hunters reached the camp, up came Deegeenboyah too. The
+Mullyans turned to him, and said:
+
+"Did you find an emu's nest too?"
+
+"Yes," said Deegeenboyah, "I did. I think you must have found the same,
+though after me, as I saw not your tracks. But I am older and stiff in
+my limbs, so came not back so quickly. Tell me, where is your nest?"
+
+"In the clump of the Goolahbahs, on the edge of the plain," said the
+unsuspecting Mullyan.
+
+"Ah, I thought so. That is mine. But what matter? We can share--there
+will be plenty for all. We must get the net and go and camp near the
+nest to-night, and to-morrow trap the emu."
+
+The Mullyan got their emu trapping net, one made of thin rope about as
+thick as a thin clothes line, about five feet high, and between two and
+three hundred yards long. And off they set, accompanied by
+Deegeenboyah, to camp near where the emu was setting. When they had
+chosen a place to camp, they had their supper and a little corrobborce,
+illustrative of slaying emu, etc. The next morning at daylight they
+erected their net into a sort of triangular shaped yard, one side open.
+Black fellows were stationed at each end of the net, and at stated
+distances along it. The net was upheld by upright poles. When the net
+was fixed, some of the blacks made a wide circle round the emu's nest,
+leaving open the side towards the net. They closed in gradually until
+they frightened the emu off the nest. The emu seeing black fellows on
+every side but one, ran in that direction. The blacks followed closely,
+and the bird was soon yarded. Madly the frightened bird rushed against
+the net. Up ran a black fellow, seized the bird and wrung its neck.
+Then some of them went back to the nest to get the eggs, which they
+baked in the ashes of their fire and ate. They made a hole to cook the
+emu in. They plucked the emu. When they had plenty of coals, they put a
+thick layer at the bottom of the hole, some twigs of leaves on top of
+the coals, some feathers on the top of them. Then they laid the emu in,
+more feathers on the top of it, leaves again on top of them, and over
+them a thick layer of coals, and lastly they covered all with earth.
+
+It would be several hours in cooking, so Deegeenboyah said, "I will
+stay and cook the emu, you young fellows take moonoons--emu spears--and
+try and get some more emu."
+
+The Mullyan thought there was sense in this proposal, so they took a
+couple of long spears, with a jagged nick at one end, to hold the emu
+when they speared it; they stuck a few emu feathers on the end of each
+spear and went off. They soon saw a flock of emu coming past where they
+were waiting to water. Two of the party armed with the moonoon climbed
+a tree, broke some boughs and put these thickly beneath them, so as to
+screen them from the emu. Then as the emu came near to the men they
+dangled down their spears, letting the emu feathers on the ends wave to
+and fro. The emu, seeing the feathers, were curious as to how they got
+there, came over, craning their necks and sniffing right underneath the
+spears. The black fellows tightly grasped the moonoons and drove them
+with force into the two emu they had picked One emu dropped dead at
+once. The other ran with the spear in it for a short distance, but the
+black fellow was quickly after it, and soon caught and killed it
+outright. Then carrying the dead birds, back they went to where
+Deegeenboyah was cooking the other emu. They cooked the two they had
+brought, and then all started for the camp in great spirits at their
+successful chase. They began throwing their mooroolahs as they went
+along, and playing with their bubberahs, or returning boomerangs. Old
+Deegeenboyah said, "Here, give me the emus to carry, and then you will
+be free to have a really good game with your mooroolahs and bubberahs,
+and see who is the best man."
+
+They gave him the emus, and on they went, some throwing mooroolahs, and
+some showing their skill with bubberahs. Presently Deegeenboyah sat
+down. They thought he was just resting for a few minutes, so ran on
+laughing and playing, each good throw eliciting another effort, for
+none liked owning themselves beaten while they had a mooroolah left. As
+they got further away they noticed Deegeenboyah was still sitting
+down, so they called out to him to know what was the matter. "All
+right," he said, "only having a rest; shall come on in a minute." So on
+they went. When they were quite out of sight Deegeenboyah jumped up
+quickly, took up the emus and made for an opening in the ground at a
+little distance. This opening was the door of the underground home of
+the Murgah Muggui spider--the opening was a neat covering, like a sort
+of trap door. Down though this he went, taking the emus with him,
+knowing there was another exit at some distance, out of which he could
+come up quite near his home, for it was the way he often took after
+hunting.
+
+The Mullyans went home and waited, but no sign of Deegeenboyah. Then
+back on their tracks they went and called aloud, but got no answer, and
+saw no sign. At last Mullyangah the chief of the Mullyans, said he
+would find him. Arming himself with his boondees and spears, he went
+back to where he had last seen Deegeenboyah sitting. He saw where his
+tracks turned off and where they disappeared, but could not account for
+their disappearance, as he did not notice the neat little trap-door of
+the Murgah Muggui. But he hunted round, determined to scour the bush
+until he found him. At last he saw a camp. He went up to it and saw
+only two little girls playing about, whom he knew were the daughters of
+Deegeenboyah.
+
+"Where is your father?" he asked them.
+
+"Out hunting," they said.
+
+"Which way does he come home?"
+
+"Our father comes home out of this;" and they showed him the spiders'
+trap-door.
+
+"Where are your mothers?"
+
+"Our mothers are out getting honey and yams." And off ran the little
+girls to a leaning tree on which they played, running up its bent
+trunk.
+
+Mullyangah went and stood where the trunk was highest from the ground
+and said: "Now, little girls, run up to here and jump, and I will catch
+you. jump one at a time."
+
+Off jumped one of the girls towards his outstretched arms, which, as
+she came towards him he dropped, and, stepping aside, let her come with
+her full force to the ground where she lay dead. Then he called to the
+horror-stricken child on the tree: "Come, jump. Your sister came too
+quickly. Wait till I call, then jump."
+
+"No, I am afraid."
+
+"Come on, I will be ready this tirne. Now come."
+
+"I am afraid."
+
+"Come on; I am strong." And he smiled quite kindly up at the child,
+who, hesitating no longer, jumped towards his arms, only to meet her
+sister's fate.
+
+"Now," said Mullyangah, "here come the two wives. I must silence them,
+or when they see their children their cries will warn their husband if
+he is within earshot." So he sneaked behind a tree, and as the two
+wives passed he struck them dead with his spears. Then he went to the
+trapdoor that the children had shown him, and sat down to wait for the
+coming of Deegeenboyah. He had not long to wait. The trap-door was
+pushed up and out came a cooked eniu, which he caught hold of and laid
+on one side. Deegeenboyah thought it was the girls taking it, as they
+had often watched for his coming and done before, so he pushed up
+another, which Mullyangah took, then a third, and lastly came up
+himself, to find Mullyangah confronting him spear and boondee in hand.
+He started back, but the trap-door was shut behind him, and Mullyangah
+barred his escape in front.
+
+"Ah," said Mullyangah, "you stole our food and now you shall die. I've
+killed your children."
+
+Decgeenboyah looked wildly round, and, seeing the dead bodies of his
+girls beneath the leaning tree, he groaned aloud.
+
+"And," went on Mullyangah, "I've killed your wives."
+
+Deegenboyah raised his head and looked again wildly round, and there,
+on their homeward path, he saw his dead wives. Then he called aloud,
+"Here Mullyangah are your emus; take them and spare me. I shall steal
+no more, for I myself want little, but my children and my wives
+hungred. I but stole for them. Spare me, I pray you. I am old; I shall
+not live long. Spare me."
+
+"Not so," said Mullyangah, "no man lives to steal twice from a Mullyan;"
+and, so saying, he speared Deegeenboyah where he stood. Then he lifted up
+the emus, and, carrying them with him, went swiftly back to his camp.
+
+And merry was the supper that night when the Mullyans ate the emus, and
+Mullyangah told the story of his search and slaughter. And proud were
+the Mullyans of the prowess and cunning of their chief.
+
+
+
+
+29.  MAYRAH, THE WIND THAT BLOWS THE WINTER AWAY
+
+
+
+At the beginning of winter, the iguanas hide themselves in their homes
+in the sand; the black eagle hawks go into their nests; the garbarlee
+or shingle-backs hide themselves in little logs, just big enough to
+hold them; the iguanas dig a long way into the sand and cover up the
+passage behind them, as they go along. They all stay in their winter
+homes until Mayrah blows the winter away. Mayrah first blows up a
+thunderstorm. When the iguanas hear the thunder, they know the spring
+is not far off, so they begin making a passage to go out again, but
+they do not leave their winter home until the Curreequinquin, or
+butcher birds sing all day almost without ceasing "Goore, goore, goore,
+goore." Then they know that Mayrah has really blown the winter away,
+for the birds are beginning to pair and build their nests. So they open
+their eyes and come out on the green earth again. And when the black
+fellows hear the curreequinquins singing "Goore, goore," they know that
+they can go out and find iguanas again, and find them fatter than when
+they went away with the coming of winter. Then, too, will they find
+piggiebillahs hurrying along to get away from their young ones, which
+they have buried in the sand and left to shift for themselves, for no
+longer can they carry them, as the spines of the young ones begin to
+prick them in their pouch. So they leave them and hurry away, that they
+may not hear their cry. They know they shall meet them again later on,
+when they are grown big. Then as Mayrah softly blows, the flowers one
+by one open, and the bees come out again to gather honey. Every bird
+wears his gayest plumage and sings his sweetest song to attract a mate,
+and in pairs they go to build their nests. And still Mayrah softly
+blows until the land is one of plenty; then Yhi the sun chases her back
+whence she came, and the flowers droop and the birds sing only in the
+early morning. For Yhi rules in the land until the storms are over and
+have cooled him, and winter takes his place to be blown away again by
+Mayrah the loved of all, and the bringer of plenty.
+
+
+
+
+30.  WAYARNBEH THE TURTLE
+
+
+
+Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had
+three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard some one
+moving behind the big Mirrieh bushes. She listened. All of a sudden out
+jumped Wayambeh from behind a bush and seized Oolah, telling her not to
+make a noise and he would not hurt her, but that he meant to take her
+off to his camp to be his wife. He would take her three children too
+and look after them. Resistance was useless, for Oolah had only her yam
+stick, while Wayambeh had his spears and boondees. Wayambeh took the
+woman and her children to his camp. His tribe when they saw him bring
+home a woman of the Oolah tribe, asked him if her tribe had given her
+to him. He said, "No, I have stolen her."
+
+"Well," they said, "her tribe will soon be after her; you must protect
+yourself; we shall not fight for you. You had no right to steal her
+without telling us. We had a young woman of our own tribe for you, yet
+you go and steal an Oolah and bring her to the camp of the Wayambeh. On
+your own head be the consequences."
+
+In a short time the Oolahs were seen coming across the plain which
+faced the camp of the Wayambeh. And they came not in friendship or to
+parley, for no women were with them, and they carried no boughs of
+peace in their bands, but were painted as for war, and were armed with
+fighting weapons.
+
+When the Wayambeh saw the approach of the Oolah, their chief said:
+"Now, Wayambeh, you had better go out on to the plain and do your own
+fighting; we shall not help you."
+
+Wayambeh chose the two biggest boreens that he had; one he slung on
+him, covering the front of his body, and one the back; then, seizing
+his weapons, he strode out to meet his enemies.
+
+When he was well out on to the plain, though still some distance from
+the Oolah, he called out, "Come on."
+
+The answer was a shower of spears and boomerangs. As they came whizzing
+through the air Wayambeh drew his arms inside the boreens, and ducked
+his head down between them, so escaped.
+
+As the weapons fell harmless to the ground, glancing off his boreen,
+out again he stretched his arms and held up again his head, shouting,
+"Come on, try again, I'm ready."
+
+The answer was another shower of weapons, which he met in the same way.
+At last the Oolahs closed in round him, forcing him to retreat towards
+the creek.
+
+Shower after shower of weapons they slung at him, and were getting at
+such close quarters that his only chance was to dive into the creek. He
+turned towards the creek, tore the front boreen off him, flung down his
+weapons and plunged in.
+
+The Oolah waited, spears poised in hand, ready to aim directly his head
+appeared above water, but they waited in vain. Wayambeh, the black
+fellow, they never saw again, but in the waterhole wherein he had dived
+they saw a strange creature, which bore on its back a fixed structure
+like a boreen, and which, when they went to try and catch it, drew in
+its head and limbs, so they said, "It is Wayambeh." And this was the
+beginning of Wayambeh, or turtle, in the creeks.
+
+
+
+
+31.  WIRREENUN THE RAINMAKER
+
+
+
+The country was stricken with a drought. The rivers were all dry except
+the deepest holes in them. The grass was dead, and even the trees were
+dying. The bark dardurr of the blacks were all fallen to the ground and
+lay there rotting, so long was it since they had been used, for only in
+wet weather did the blacks use the bark dardurr; at other times they
+used only whatdooral, or bough shades.
+
+The young men of the Noongahburrah murmured among themselves, at first
+secretly, at last openly, saying: "Did not our fathers always say that
+the Wirreenun could make, as we wanted it, the rain to fall? Yet look
+at our country--the grass blown away, no doonburr seed to grind, the
+kangaroo are dying, and the emu, the duck, and the swan have flown to
+far countries. We shall have no food soon; then shall we die, and the
+Noongahburrah be no more seen on the Narrin. Then why, if he is able,
+does not Wirreenun inake rain?"
+
+Soon these murmurs reached the ears of the old Wirreenun. He said
+nothing, but the young fellows noticed that for two or three days in
+succession he went to the waterhole in the creek and placed in it a
+willgoo willgoo--a long stick, ornamented at the top with white cockatoo
+feathers--and beside the stick he placed two big gubberah, that is, two
+big, clear pebbles which at other times he always secreted about him,
+in the folds of his waywah, or in the band or net on his head.
+Especially was he careful to hide these stones from the women.
+
+At the end of the third day Wirreenun said to the young men: "Go you,
+take your comeboos and cut bark sufficient to make dardurr for all the
+tribe."
+
+The young men did as they were bade. When they had the bark cut and
+brought in Wirreenun said: "Go you now and raise with ant-bed a high
+place, and put thereon logs and wood for a fire, build the ant-bed
+about a foot from the ground. Then put you a floor of ant-bed a foot
+high whereever you are going to build a dardurr."
+
+And they did what he told them. When the dardurr were finished, having
+high floors of ant-bed and water-tight roofs of bark, Wirreenun
+commanded the whole camp to come with him to the waterhole; men, women,
+and children; all were to come. They all followed him down to the
+creek, to the waterhole where he had placed the willgoo willgoo and
+gubberah. Wirreenun jumped into the water and bade the tribe follow
+him, which they did. There in the water they all splashed and played
+about. After a little time Wirreenun went up first behind one black
+fellow and then behind another, until at length he had been round them
+all, and taken from the back of each one's head lumps of charcoal. When
+he went up to each he appeared to suck the back or top of their heads,
+and to draw out lumps of charcoal, which, as he sucked them out, he
+spat into the water. When he had gone the round of all, he went out of
+the water. But just as he got out a young man caught him up in his arms
+and threw him back into the water. This happened several times, until
+Wirreenun was shivering. That was the signal for all to leave the
+creek. Wirreenun sent all the young people into a big bough shed, and
+bade them all go to sleep. He and two old men and two old women stayed
+outside. They loaded themselves with all their belongings piled up on
+their backs, dayoorl stones and all, as if ready for a flitting. These
+old people walked impatiently around the bough shed as if waiting a
+signal to start somewhere. Soon a big black cloud appeared on the
+horizon, first a single cloud, which, however, was soon followed by
+others rising all round. They rose quickly until they all met just
+overhead, forming a big black mass of clouds. As soon as this big,
+heavy, rainladen looking cloud was stationary overhead, the old people
+went into the bough shed and bade the young people wake up and come out
+and look at the sky. When they were all roused Wirreenun told them to
+lose no time, but to gather together all their possessions and hasten
+to gain the shelter of the bark dardurr. Scarcely were they all in the
+dardurrs and their spears well hidden when there sounded a terrific
+clap of thunder, which was quickly followed by a regular cannonade,
+lightning flashes shooting across the sky, followed by instantaneous
+claps of deafening thunder. A sudden flash of lightning, which lit a
+pathway, from heaven to earth, was followed by such a terrific clash
+that the blacks thought their very camps were struck. But it was a tree
+a little distance off. The blacks huddled together in their dardurrs,
+frightened to move, the children crying with fear, and the dogs
+crouching towards their owners.
+
+"We shall be killed," shrieked the women. The men said nothing but
+looked as frightened.
+
+Only Wirreenun was fearless. "I will go out," he said, "and stop the
+storm from hurting us. The lightning shall come no nearer."
+
+So out in front of the dardurrs strode Wirreenun, and naked he stood
+there facing the storm, singing aloud, as the thunder roared and the
+lightning flashed, the chant which was to keep it away from the camp
+
+"Gurreemooray, mooray,
+Durreemooray, mooray, mooray," &c.
+
+Soon came a lull in the cannonade, a slight breeze stirred the trees
+for a few moments, then an oppressive silence, and then the rain in
+real earnest began, and settled down to a steady downpour, which lasted
+for some days.
+
+When the old people had been patrolling the bough shed as the clouds
+rose overhead, Wirreenun had gone to the waterhole and taken out the
+willgoo willgoo and the stones, for he saw by the cloud that their work
+was done.
+
+When the rain was over and the country all green again, the blacks had
+a great corrobboree and sang of the skill of Wirreenun, rainmaker to
+the Noongahburrah.
+
+Wirreenun sat calm and heedless of their praise, as he had been of
+their murmurs. But he determined to show them that his powers were
+great, so he summoned the rainmaker of a neighbouring tribe, and after
+some consultation with him, he ordered the tribes to go to the
+Googoorewon, which was then a dry plain, with the solemn, gaunt trees
+all round it, which had once been black fellows.
+
+When they were all camped round the edges of this plain, Wirreenun and
+his fellow rainmaker made a great rain to fall just over the plain and
+fill it with water.
+
+When the plain was changed into a lake, Wirreenun said to the young men
+of his tribe: "Now take your nets and fish."
+
+"What good?" said they. "The lake is filled from the rain, not the
+flood water of rivers, filled but yesterday, how then shall there be
+fish?"
+
+"Go," said Wirreenun. "Go as I bid you; fish. If your nets catch
+nothing then shall Wirreenun speak no more to the men of his tribe, he
+will seek only honey and yams with the women."
+
+More to please the man who had changed their country from a desert to a
+hunter's paradise, they did as he bade them, took their nets and went
+into the lake. And the first time they drew their nets, they were heavy
+with goodoo, murree, tucki, and bunmillah. And so many did they catch
+that all the tribes, and their dogs, had plenty.
+
+Then the elders of the camp said now that there was plenty everywhere,
+they would have a borah that the boys should be made young men. On one
+of the ridges away from the camp, that the women should not know, would
+they prepare a ground.
+
+And so was the big borah of the Googoorewon held, the borah which was
+famous as following on the triumph of Wirreenun the rainmaker.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX
+
+
+
+EDITOR and Publisher have gratefully accepted a suggestion made by Dr.
+E. B. Tylor, that the philologist would be thankful for a specimen of
+these tales in their native form.
+
+
+
+DINEWAN BOOLLARHNAH GOOMBLEGUBBON
+
+
+Dinewan boorool diggayah gillunnee. Nahmerhneh boorool doorunmai.
+Goomblegubbon boolwarrunnee. Goomblegubbon numbardee boorool
+boolwarrunnee Dinewan numbardee. Baiyan noo nurruldundi gunnoonah
+burraylundi nurreebah burri bunnagullundi. Goomblegubbondoo
+winnanullunnee dirrah dungah nah gillunnee, Dinewandoo boonoong noo
+beonemuldundi.
+
+Goomblegubbondoo winnanullunnee gullarh naiyahneh gwallee Dinewan
+gimbelah:
+
+"Wahl ninderh doorunmai gillaygoo. Baiyan noo winnanunnee boonoong
+gurrahgoo, wahlneh burraylaygoo. Wahl butndi naiyah boorool gillunnah
+boomahleegooneh naiyah butthdinen woggee gwallee myrenay boonoong
+gillundi."
+
+Illah noo nurray Dinewan nahwandi. Goomblegubbon lowannee boonooog noo
+wunnee wooee baiyan nurrunnee bonyehdool. Baiyan boollarhgneh
+gwalleelunnee. Goomblegubbondoo gooway:
+
+"Minyah goo ninderh wahl boonoong dulleebah gillunnee? Gunnoono
+diggayah burraylunneh. Wahl boonoong ninderh doorunmai. Myrenay
+boonoong gillunneh Gunnoogoo nunnahlah doorunmai gimbehlee." Dinewandoo
+gooway "Gheerh ninderh boonoong bayyi."
+
+"Wahl."
+
+Nahnee Dinewan noonoo meer gullahgeh. Baiyan boollarhneh budtnah
+ginnee. Boonoong butndi nullee gurray wahl Goomblegubbon doorunmai
+giggee.
+
+Dinewandoo gooneejayn gooway cooleer noo noo boonoong gurrahlee goo
+comeboo goo.
+
+Baiyan noo gaiathah noonoo boonoong gurray. Baiyan, neh bunnerhgahoonee
+Goomblegubbon. Dinewan gooway Goomblegubbon:
+
+"Boonoong nayr gurray." Goomblegubbon gindabnunnee, barnee, bunna
+gunnee dirrah gunnee numerhneh. Boonoong beeyonemay, baiyan noo gooway
+Dinewan.
+
+"Dungneemay ninnerhneh nayr byjundool boonoong. Mayerboo nay, nay
+boonoong, gurrah wahl dunerh. Wombah ninderh byjundool boonoong."
+Dinewan bunna gunnee boomahlee-goo Goomblegubbon, baiyan Goomblegubbon
+burrunnee. Narahgahdool myrenay boonoong. Baiyan Dinewan
+eelaynerhginnee nahnee illah nayahe ninnernah gullahrah gimbehlee.
+Illah lah noo noo winnanunnee. Baiyan noo doorimbai birrahleegul
+boollarhyel nuddahnooway booroolah binnamayahgahway. Baiyan neh
+moorillah die gahraymo noo-noo, boollarh noo garwannee. Baiyan neh
+woggee goo nahnee. Goomblegubbondoo birrahleegul oodundi gunoonoo
+garwil. Baiyan boollarhgneh gwallannee. Dinewan gooway Goomblegubbon."
+
+Minyah goo ninderh booroolah birrahleegulgah gillunnah. Wahl ninder
+booroolah goo garwil ooday. Tuggil ninderh boollarhyel gargillay baiyan
+boollarhgnah, booral giggee, wahl ninderh booroolah goo gooloon
+marlday." Goomblegubbon buthdi ginnee nalmee.
+
+"Gullarh nayr nay birrahleegul boorool luggeray Dinewan? Boollarhyel
+nay gillundi yahmerh boollarhgnah boorool giggee luggeray Dinewan."
+
+Winnanunnee noo dungeway. Baiyan noo nurray Dinewan, nurray noo
+boorool.
+
+Baiyan noo gooway:
+
+"Boomahlee doo gunnoono boollarhyel nayr gurrahwulday. Dinewan wahl
+doorunmai gillay woggee goo. Goomblegubbon weel gillay doorunmai.
+Goomblegubbon boorool giggee luggeray Dinewun, boonoong gunnoo goo
+gurrahwulday. Baiyan noo boomay gunnoono birrahlee gul boollarhyel noo
+gurrahway. Baiyanneh durrahwallunee nummerh nayr Dinewan doo
+duldundigoo. Dinewandoo guggay."
+
+"Minyah ninnoo birrahleegul?"
+
+"Gunnoono nayr boomay boollarhyel gargillunnah."
+
+"Wullundoo youlloo ninderh boomay! Booroolah nay birrahleegul,
+gooloonmul dunnerli nayr gunnoonoo. Booroolah gunnoonoo. Nurraleh noill
+doowar yu booloobunnee. Nurraleh boonboon. Nummerh nayr bayah
+muldunnerh nay birrahlee gulloo."
+
+"Boollarhyel ninnoo birrahlee garlee."
+
+"Booroolah boollarh nay. Nayr di gargee ninnoonderh nurranmullee goo."
+
+Dinewan bunnagunnee binnamayahgoo nayr noo doorimbundigoo birrableegul.
+Baiyan naiyah durrabwullunee, dirralabeel ginnee noo boobootella,
+gwallandy, "Boom, boom." Birrahleegul noo noo bunna gairlehwahndi,
+beweererh nurrahwahndi, weeleer, weerleeer, Tuwerh munneh doorundi,
+baiyanneh eelay nurrunnee. Baiyan noo gooway.
+
+"Geeroo nayr ninnunnerh gooway. Gunnoono nayr nay birrahleegul
+gurrahwuldunnerh. Nurullah Numerh nayr ninnoo nurragah birrahleegul!
+Boomay ninderh ninnoo birrahleegul, ninderh nunnoo dung eemai! Tuggil
+nayr lahnylay nayr boonoong ninderh boomah boollarhyel birrahleegarlee
+gargillay. Gurrahwuldare ninnoo boonong nayr luggeeroo, gurrahwulday
+nay birrahleegul."
+
+Mrs, Parker writes: "The old black woman who first told me the tale is
+away, but I got another old woman of the pre-white era to tell it again
+to me yesterday; it is almost the same, minus one of the descriptive
+touches immaterial to the story as such; in fact, to all intents and
+purposes, the same."
+
+
+
+
+GLOSSARY
+
+
+
+Bahloo, moon.
+Beeargah, hawk.
+Beeleer, black cockatoo.
+Beereeun, prickly lizard.
+Bibbee, woodpecker, bird.
+Bibbil, shiny-leaved box-tree.
+Bilber, a large kind of rat.
+Billai or Billay, crimson-wing parrot.
+Bindeah, a prickle or sinall thorn.
+Bingah wingul, needle bush, a tall thorny shrub.
+Birrahgnooloo, woman's name, meaning "face like a tomahawk handle."
+Birrahlee, baby.
+Birrableegul, children.
+Boobootella, the big bunch of feathers at the back of an emu.
+Boolooral, an owl.
+Boomerang, a curved weapon used in hunting and in warfare by the
+blacks;
+ called Burren by the Narran blacks.
+Bootoolgah, blue-grey crane.
+Borah, a large gathering of blacks where the boys are initiated into
+the
+ mysteries which make them young men.
+Bou-gou-doo-gahdah, the rain bird. Like the bower or mocking bird.
+Bouyou, legs.
+Bowrah or Bohrah, kangaroo.
+Bralgahs, native companion, bird.
+Bubberah, boomerang that returns.
+Buckandee, native cat.
+Buggoo, flying squirrel.
+Bulgahnunnoo, bark-backed.
+Bumble, a fruit-bearing tree, sometimes called wild orange and
+sometimes
+ wild pomegranate tree. Capparis.
+Bunbundoolooey, brown flock pigeon.
+Bunnyyarl, flies.
+Burreenjin, magpie, lark, or peewee
+Budtha, rosewood-tree, also girl's name.
+Byamee, man's name, meaning "big man."
+Comebee, bag made of kangaroo skins.
+Comeboo, stone tomahawk.
+Cookooburrah, laughing jackass.
+Coorigil, name of place, meaning sign of bees.
+Corrobboree, black fellows' dance.
+Cunnembeillee, woman's name, meaning pig-weed root.
+Curree guin guin, butcher-bird.
+Daen, black fellows.
+Dardurr, bark, humpy or shed.
+Dayah minyah, carpet snake.
+Dayoorl, large flat stone for grinding grass seed upon.
+Deegeenboyah, soldier-bird.
+Decreeree, willy wagtail.
+Dheal, the sacred tree of the Noongahburrahs, only used for putting on
+the
+ graves of the dead.
+Dinewan, emu.
+Dingo, native dog.
+Doonburr, a grass seed.
+Doongara, lightning.
+Dummerh, pigeons.
+Dungle, water hole.
+Dunnia, wattle.
+Durrie, bread made from grass seed.
+Eär moonan, long sharp teeth.
+Euloo marah, large tree grubs. Edible.
+Euloo wirree, rainbow.
+Galah or Gilah, a French grey and rose-coloured cockatoo.
+Gayandy, borah devil.
+Gidgereegah, a species of small parrot.
+Girrahween, place of flowers.
+Gooeea, warriors.
+Googarh, iguana.
+Googoolguyyah, turn into trees.
+Googoorewon, place of trees.
+Goolahbah, grey-leaved box-tree.
+Goolahgool, water-holding tree.
+Goolahwilleel, top-knot pigeon.
+Gooloo, magpie.
+Goomade, red stamp.
+Goomai, water rat.
+Goomblegubbon, bastard or plainturkey.
+Goomillah, young girl's dress, consisting of waist strings made of
+ opossum's sinews with strands of woven oppossum's hair, hanging about
+ a foot square in front.
+Goonur, kangaroo rat.
+Goug gour gahgah, laughing-jackass. Literal meaning, "Take a stick."
+Grooee, handsome foliaged tree bearing a plum-like fruit, tart and
+bitter,
+ but much liked by the blacks.
+Gubberah, magical stones of Wirreenum. Clear crystallised quatty.
+Guddah, red lizard,
+Guiebet, a thorny creeper bearing masses of a lovely myrtle-like flower
+ and an edible fruit somewhat resembling passion fruit.
+Guinary, light eagle hawk.
+Guineboo, robin redbreast.
+Gurraymy, borah devil.
+Gwai, red.
+Gwaibillah, star. Mars.
+Kurreah, an alligator.
+Mahthi, dog.
+Maimah, stones.
+Maira, paddy melon.
+May or Mayr, wind.
+Mayrah, spring wind.
+Meainei, girls.
+Midjee, a species of acacia.
+Millair, species of kangaroo rat.
+Moodai, opossum.
+Moogaray, hailstones.
+Mooninguggahgul, mosquito-calling bird.
+Moonoon, emu spear.
+Mooregoo, motoke.
+Mooroonumildah, having no eyes.
+Morilla or Moorillah, pebbly ridges.
+Mubboo, beefwood-tree.
+Mullyan, eagle hawk.
+Mullyangah, the morning star.
+Murgah muggui, big grey spider.
+Murrawondah, climbing rat.
+Narahdarn, bat.
+Noongahburrah, tribe of blacks on the Narran.
+Nullah nullah, a club or heavy-headed weapon.
+Nurroo gay gay, dreadful pain.
+Nyunnoo or Nunnoo, a grass humpy.
+Ooboon, blue-tongued lizard.
+Oolah, red prickly lizard.
+Oongnairwah, black divcr.
+Ouyan, curlew.
+Piggiebillah, ant-eater. One of the Echidna, a marsupial.
+Quarrian, a kind of parrot.
+Quatha, quandong; a red fruit like a round red plum.
+U e hu, rain, only so called in song.
+Waligoo, to hide. A game like hide-and-seek.
+Wahroogah, children.
+Wahn, crow.
+Wayambeh, turtle.
+Waywah, worn by men, consisting of a waistband made of opossum's sinews
+ with bunches of strips of paddymelon skins hanging from it.
+Weedall, bower or mocking-bird.
+Weeownbeen, a small bird. Something like a redbreast, only with longer
+ tail and not so red a breast.
+Widya nurrah, a wooden battleaxe shaped weapon.
+Willgoo willgoo, pointed stick with feathers on top.
+Wirree, small piece of bark, canoe-shaped.
+Wirreenun, priest or doctor.
+Womba, mad.
+Wondah, spirit or ghost.
+Wurranunnah, wild bees.
+Wurrawilberoo, whirlwind with a devil in it; also clouds of Magellan.
+Wurranunnah, bee.
+Wurrunnah, man's name, meaning standing.
+Yaraan, white gum-tree.
+Yhi, the sun.
+Yuckay, oh, dear!
+
+
+
+End of this Project Gutenberg etext of Australian Legendary Tales, 
+by K. Langloh Parker
+
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