Australian Legendary Tales

ped right into the water beside them. Well they knew that he must be escaping from hunters, who were probably pressing him close. So Gwine

st 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 pic

they said: "Did y

red: "No. We sa

or we have tracked

gging out mussels for food. Come to our camp, a

ked the hunters joined the old women at their dinner. The little boy would not eat the mussels; he kep

e boy has seen the kangaroo, and wa

o 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 Go

re hidden; let us slip away now in the confusion. We will onl

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

our kangaroo all the time;

led it," sa

t 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 wo

y, May, May, Eehu,

r and louder, until at length they almost shrieked it out. The words th

d, 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,

ed." 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 w

Moogaray,

ehu, Do

birds. First they were changed into birds and afterwards into stars in the sky, where they now are, Gid