Part 8 (2/2)
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, ill.u.s.trative 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.
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