, out gushed the water in a
swiftly running stream. Soon the little fellows quenched their thirst
and then, in their joy, bathed in the water, which grew in volume every
moment.

In the meantime, those who had gone forth to hunt were returning, and
as they came towards their camp they met a running stream of water.
"What is this?" they said, "our goolahgool must have burst," and they
tried to dam the water, but it was running too strongly for them. They
gave up the effort and hurried on towards their camp. But they found a
deep stream divided them from their camp. The three Cookooburrahs saw
them, and the eldest one said to the little fellows: "You call out and
tell them to cross down there, where it is not deep." The little ones
called out as they were told, and where they pointed Googarh and his
wives waded into the stream. Finding she was getting out of her depth,
Cookooburrah the laughing jackass cried out: "Goug gour gah gah. Goug
gour gah gah. Give me a stick. Give me a stick."

But from the bank her sons only answered in derision: "Goug gour gah
gah. Goug gour gah gah." And the three hunters were soon engulfed in
the rushing stream, drawn down by the current and drowned.

12. THE MAYAMAH

The blacks had all left their camp and gone away to attend a borah.
Nothing was left in the camp but one very old dog, too old to travel.
After the blacks had been gone about three days, one night came their
enemies, the Gooeeays, intending to surprise them and kill them.

Painted in all the glory of their war-paint came the Gooeeays, their
hair tied in top-knots and ornamented with feathers and kangaroos'
teeth. Their waywahs of paddy, melon, and kangaroo rat skins cut in
strips, round their waists, were new and strong, holding firmly some of
their boomerangs and woggoorahs, which they had stuck through them.

But prepared as they were for conquest, they found only a deserted camp
containing naught but one old dog. They asked the old dog where the
blacks were gone. But he only shook his head. Again and again they
asked him, and again and again he only shook his head. At last some of
the black fellows raised their spears and their moorillahs or
nullah-nullahs, saying:

"If you do not tell us where the blacks are gone, we shall kill you."

Then spoke the old dog, saying only: "Gone to the borah."

And as he spoke every one of the Gooeeays and everything they had with
them was turned to stone. Even the waywahs r