"No, I am afraid."

"Come on, I will be ready this time. Now come."

"I am afraid."

"Come on; I am strong." And he smiled quite kindly up at the child,
who, hesitating no longer, jumped towards his arms, only to meet her
sister's fate.

"Now," said Mullyangah, "here come the two wives. I must silence them,
or when they see their children their cries will warn their husband if
he is within earshot." So he sneaked behind a tree, and as the two
wives passed he struck them dead with his spears. Then he went to the
trapdoor that the children had shown him, and sat down to wait for the
coming of Deegeenboyah. He had not long to wait. The trap-door was
pushed up and out came a cooked emu, which he caught hold of and laid
on one side. Deegeenboyah thought it was the girls taking it, as they
had often watched for his coming and done before, so he pushed up
another, which Mullyangah took, then a third, and lastly came up
himself, to find Mullyangah confronting him spear and boondee in hand.
He started back, but the trap-door was shut behind him, and Mullyangah
barred his escape in front.

"Ah," said Mullyangah, "you stole our food and now you shall die. I've
killed your children."

Decgeenboyah looked wildly round, and, seeing the dead bodies of his
girls beneath the leaning tree, he groaned aloud.

"And," went on Mullyangah, "I've killed your wives."

Deegenboyah raised his head and looked again wildly round, and there,
on their homeward path, he saw his dead wives. Then he called aloud,
"Here Mullyangah are your emus; take them and spare me. I shall steal
no more, for I myself want little, but my children and my wives
hungered. I but stole for them. Spare me, I pray you. I am old; I shall
not live long. Spare me."

"Not so," said Mullyangah, "no man lives to steal twice from a Mullyan;"
and, so saying, he speared Deegeenboyah where he stood. Then he lifted up
the emus, and, carrying them with him, went swiftly back to his camp.

And merry was the supper that night when the Mullyans ate the emus, and
Mullyangah told the story of his search and slaughter. And proud were
the Mullyans of the prowess and cunning of their chief.

29. MAYRAH, THE WIND THAT BLOWS THE WINTER AWAY

At the beginning of winter, the iguanas hide themselves in their homes
in the sand; the black eagle hawks go into their nests; the garbarlee
or shingle-backs hide themselves in little logs, just big enough to
hold them; the iguanas dig