246 COLLECTOR'S RAMBLES 



not go to work and earn enough to support yourself 

 and your sweetheart?" 



"You do not understand," said he. "I have a good 

 garden that would supply what food we wanted ; be- 

 sides, I can throw the spear farther and truer to the 

 mark than any other man in Narinurna, so I can get 

 plenty of kangaroos and pigs ; but they will not buy 

 the girl. Her mother wants an axe for her. and that I 

 cannot grow in my garden, or hunt in the forest with 

 my spear." Here the poor fellow groaned, made sev- 

 eral disparaging remarks on his prospective mother-in- 

 law, and finally said that, if he did not love the girl so 

 dearly, he would go away to another part of the coun- 

 try, and never come back again. He wanted to know 

 if I had ever heard of such a case as his in my coun- 

 try, and seemed to forget half his troubles when I told 

 him it was quite a common occurrence there ; and that 

 the man with the greatest wealth had the advantage 

 over a poorer man, be he ever so skilful. 



"But, my good fellow," said I, "you need not 

 despair. I have an axe or two left, and, if the pos- 

 session of one is the only obstacle to your happiness, 

 you shall have it. Now, I want many paradise birds ; 

 for, in my country, people think more of them than of 

 axes; and, if you will help me get as many birds 

 with the long plumes as you have fingers on both hands, 

 you shall have the axe the day we get the last one." 

 He started to his feet, eagerly urging me to go some 



