SOOSIE 151 



struggling wallaby, and take her to live a degraded life 

 in the camp ! Explanations and threats were of no 

 avail. Duckbill, who was unable to comprehend that 

 he and others of the camp had by abandonment for- 

 feited all rights to Soosie and that she was now a "white 

 Mary," made it plain that he would forcibly abduct 

 her if I would but give him the slight assistance of ex- 

 pulsion. Otherwise he would catch her himself. 



Threatening the camp with the presence of the "big 

 fella government" if he or any of them dared to interfere, 

 I went off, while he shouted his orders to "hunt that 

 fella close up karrie badgin !" (sunset). 



Forthwith the house was put in a state of semi-siege. 

 Soosie, with tearful eyes and tremulous hands, hysteri- 

 call}'' implored us to protect her from a fate worse than 

 death. A message brought Dan, who first disdained 

 to take Duckbill seriously. Told how Soosie had been 

 wooed with gifts, and that her maternal uncle had 

 officiously bestowed her upon the gaunt, ill-favoured 

 king of the camp in accordance with tribal law, which 

 regarded her as a mere chattel at the disposal of the 

 whim and fancy of the nearest relative or at the demand 

 of the most authoritative man, he became concerned and 

 installed himself as Soosie's special guardian. 



A few minutes after sundown Duckbill appeared, 

 quite unconscious of offence against civilised customs, 

 carrying a waddy with which to administer an anodyne 

 should his capture prove the least refractory. Threats 

 and scoldings were lost. He was incapable of compre- 

 hending why there should be a moment's hesitation 

 about the fulfilment of his legitimate rights and de- 

 mands. 



Though protests were vain, the fact that Soosie did 

 not show herself imparted some glimmering of sense of 

 the situation to him, and he wandered off in the gloom 



