creek, fearing to take it out and cook it
straight away, lest 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 picked up their mussels and started for their camp,
when up came the hunters, Quarrian and Gidgereegah, who had tracked the
kangaroo right to the creek.

Seeing the women they said: "Did you see a kangaroo?"

The women answered: "No. We saw no kangaroo."

"That is strange, for we have tracked it right up to here."

"We have seen no kangaroo. See, we have been digging out mussels for
food. Come to our camp, and we will give you some when they are
cooked."

The young men, puzzled in their minds, followed the women to their
camp, and when the mussels were cooked the hunters joined the old women
at their dinner. The little boy would not eat the mussels; he kept
crying to his mother, "Gwineeboo, Gwineeboo. I want kangaroo. I want
kangaroo. Gwineeboo. Gwineeboo."

"There," said Quarrian. "Your little boy has seen the kangaroo, and
wants some; it must be here somewhere."

"Oh, no. He cries for anything he thinks of, some days for kangaroo; he
is only a little boy, and does not know what he wants," said old
Gwineeboo. But still the child kept saying, "Gwineeboo. Gwinceboo. I
want kangaroo. I want kangaroo." Goomai was so angry with little
Gwineeboo 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 Goomai, who returned the blow, and so a fight began, more words
than blows, so the noise was great, the women fighting, little
Gwineeboo crying, not quite knowing whether he was crying because
Goomai had hit him, because his mother was fighting, or because he
still wanted kangaroo.

Quarrian said to Gidgereegah. "They have the kangaroo somewhere hidden;
let us slip away now in the confusion. We will only hide, then come
back in a little while, and surprise them."

They went quietly away, and as soon as the two women noticed they had
gone, they ceased fighting, and determined to cook the kangaroo. 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 the
kangaroo. They dragged it out, and were just making a big fire on which