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and when he reached a swamp he waded out into deep water 

 to drink, because by his oath he was compelled to drink by 

 drawing water through a reed. The wives of Nurundie, the 

 all-powerful, were smitten with the charms and prowess of the 

 mighty hunter, and desired not only speech with him, but a 

 gift of the game with which he was loaded. Wyangaure, 

 however, was steadfast and departed to his wurlie on the hill 

 to the right of us. Now these dusky daughters of Eve deter- 

 mined to carry by cunning assault the virtuous and vow-bound 

 hunter. At this juncture their lord and master, Nurundie, 

 the all-powerful, intimated his intention of absenting himself 

 for some days on a. hunting trip. Here was opportunity. The 

 dusky pair reconnoitred the wurlie of the mighty hunter, and 

 augured from the ascending smoke that he was within. With- 

 out delay they ran towards the wurlie, thudding on the 

 ground with their feet, and so imitating the sound of running 

 emus. Out rushed the mighty hunter eager for the fray. At 

 the successful issue of the pleasant ruse the dusky dames 

 laughed jubilantly, the while adding such little touches of 

 coquetry as the urgency of their case demanded. The mighty 

 hunter, as many another, succumbed to these feminine wiles 

 and agreed to give them some game to satisfy their craving 

 hunger. The barrier of reserve broken the trio entered the 

 wurlie, and after much cooking performed the genial rites with 

 such effect that they all fell into a heavy sleep. In the mean- 

 time the wily, all-powerful Nurundie altered his plans, and 

 returning to his own wurlie discovered the absence of his 

 dual wife. As the result of experience, hoary with 

 antiquity, even in those far-off days, he hied him with 

 unerring instinct to the wurlie of the mighty hunter — 

 the human forbidden fruit. On ascertaining the state 

 of affairs he waxed wrathful and swore mighty vengeance. 

 He tore up all the trees and bushes in the neigh- 

 bourhood and piled them round the wurlie sheltering the 

 sleeping sinners and set alight to the whole. Now Wyangaure, 

 the mighty hunter, and the two dusky temptresses had no 

 desire to perish by fire, and watching their opportunity 

 escaped by breaking through on the side opposite to that on 

 which Nurundie was labouring with pious solicitude. The 

 three guilty ones ran away into the bush, but Wyangaure, the 

 hunter, knew that Nurundie, the all-powerful, would eventu- 

 ally find and destroy him. So he took a spear and threw it 

 into the sky ; but after a time the spear returned. So he 

 with a mighty effort despatched another — and it also returned. 

 He now selected his favourite barbed spear, attached to which 

 was a long line. This spear he threw into the sky, and it 

 returned not. He pulled heavily on the line, and still the 



