re from the end
of his humpy. He called out to the three women, who were cooking, and
they rushed to help him extinguish the flames. But in spite of their
efforts the fire only blazed the brighter. Mullyan's arm was burnt off.
The Moodai had their feet burnt, and Buttergah was badly burnt too.
Seeing they were helpless against the fire, they turned to leave the
humpy to its fate, and make good their own escape. But they had left it
too late. As they turned to descend the tree, the roof of the humpy
fell on them. And all that remained when the fire ceased, were the
charred bones of the dwellers in the yaraan tree. That was all that the
blacks found of their enemies; but their legend says that Mullyan the
eagle hawk lives in the sky as Mullyangah the morning star, on one side
of which is a little star, which is his one arm; on the other a larger
star, which is Moodai the opossum, his wife.

17. GOOMBLEGUBBON, BEEARGAH, AND OUYAN

Goomblegubbon the bustard, his two wives, Beeargah the hawk, and Ouyan
the curlew, with the two children of Beeargah, had their camps right
away in the bush; their only water supply was a small dungle, or gilguy
hole. The wives and children camped in one camp, and Goomblegubbon a
short distance off in another. One day the wives asked their husband to
lend them the dayoorl stone, that they might grind some doonburr to
make durrie. But he would not lend it to them, though they asked him
several times. They knew he did not want to use it himself, for they
saw his durrie on a piece of bark, between two fires, already cooking.
They determined to be revenged, so said:

"We will make some water bags of the opossum skins; we will fill them
with water, then some day when Goomblegubbon is out hunting we will
empty the dungle of water, take the children, and run away! When he
returns he will find his wives and children gone and the dungle empty;
then he will be sorry that he would not lend us the dayoorl."

The wives soon caught some opossums, killed and skinned them, plucked
all the hair from the skins, saving it to roll into string to make
goomillahs, cleaned the skins of all flesh, sewed them up with the
sinews, leaving only the neck opening. When finished, they blew into
them, filled them with air, tied them up and left them to dry for a few
days. When they were dry and ready to be used, they chose a day when
Goomblegubbon was away, filled the water bags, emptied the dungle, and
started tow