ly keep up with him. It was a booming
voice which rose above the turmoil of native cries like a strong
swimmer battling with the waves.

It was a white man's voice.

Sax recognized it as his father's.

Suddenly the camp burst into view. The lad would have dashed across
the open space at once, but Coiloo pulled him behind a rock. A
terrible tragedy was about to be enacted in front of that cluster of
sordid wurlies. The dead body of Wuntoo lay out naked on the sand. At
the head of it stood Stobart, bound hand and foot, and clad in nothing
but his tattered trousers. He was about to die. He knew it well, but
held his head proudly and looked round at the yelling fiends with great
scorn. From time to time his strong voice boomed defiance at his
enemies. All around, dancing in almost delirious excitement, were the
warragul men, while an outer ring was formed by the women, who kept
time with their hands to the chanting which was gradually working their
men up to a state of frenzy. Chief figure of all was Arrkroo, once
more restored to authority, and about to have his revenge upon his
rival. He strode up and down in front of the victim, armed with a huge
carved and painted club.

Sax struggled in Coiloo's detaining grasp. He was but a lad, and the
odds were a hundred savages against one white boy, but he wanted to
leap across the intervening space and stand beside his father.
Coiloo's hand was at Sax's neck. He unfastened the string of the
luringa and stood up, still hidden from sight. Slowly he whirled the
thin slab of wood round his head, hitting it on the ground once or
twice to make it spin. The thing gave out a droning sound. The crowd
of yelling fiends around the corpse became suddenly quiet. The droning
increased to a loud humming. Every eye was turned.

Coiloo handed the luringa to Sax and disappeared. The boy had seen the
effect of the peculiar note which the whirling luringa made. He
stepped out into the open, swinging the strangely carved fillet of wood
round and round his head. The sound grew louder and louder. It seemed
impossible that such a small thing should make so far-carrying a sound.
The dancing men stood petrified. The women leaped to their feet and
became motionless. Arrkroo stopped with up-lifted club. Stobart stood
amazed. Sax walked forward slowly.

The tension increased. He was twenty yards from them--fifteen--ten. A
movement of horror ran through the crowd. Before he