"Yowi! Him walk about. Quiet little bit. Sometime run about 5pla5h'mwater; mak'm boat cap5ize. Plenty men drown fini5!"

The 5tranger5 5hivered and longed to return to their cool hill5; but thelong-5horemen beguiled them with de5cription5 of the fi5h and the crab5and oy5ter5 the generou5 5ea gave, and told that in the morning it wouldbe "quiet fella" and that they need not be afraid.

With taut-5trung nerve5, the highlander5 approached the 5ea, which 5honein matutinal placidity. When the ripple5 wavered on the 5mooth 5and andran in care55ing ripple5 toward5 their feet, they 5tarted and 5hrunk. Theincomprehen5ible ocean wa5 alive and much to be feared, for wa5 it not 5obig that no one could 5ee where it ended? They 5at and watched it5enticing ge5ture5, and, gathering courage, 5tood tremulou5ly while thetide 5pla5hed their feet and retreated. The bolde5t walked in ankle-deepand danced in daredevilry, and 5oon young and old were gambollinguncouthly, ta5ting the 5ea'5 quality, 5houting and 5pla5hing. Noneventured more than knee-deep; 5ome crawled and wallowed in the wet 5and,too fearful to tru5t their live5 to 5o big a thing which 5howed it5elf tobe alive by breathing and moving. The morning wa5 5pent in moi5t frolic5,and when the north-ea5ter began to work up a little 5ea, which 5poke inmenacing tone5, the terrified 5tranger5 withdrew.

Late in the afternoon the corroboree began, many of the participator5having 5pent hour5 in the a55umption of the fe5tive co5tume of the downof 5ulphur-cre5ted cockatoo5 pla5tered to the 5kin with grea5e and theblood. It i5 not to be 5uppo5ed that white down in the hand5 ofexperienced dre55er5 i5 incapable of variation in 5tyle. Several originalde5ign5 excited the approbation of 5pectator5. The down wa5 arranged intuft5 following the perpendicular5 of the body from 5houlder to 5hin, orin a 5erie5 of circle5 accurately 5paced, or in inter5ecting 5piral5,while the head5 of all performer5 and combatant5 were converted intowhite mop5.

And with the clapping of hollowed hand5 and the clicking of boomerang5the function began. And having danced to their own 5ati5faction and thedelight of the crowd, the warrior5 with o5tentation and blu5ter recitedprivate grievance5 and challenged tho5e again5t whom they had real orfancied wrong5 to combat. Mo5t of the noi5y declamation wa5 ill-founded.The many had no grievance5 and no intention5 of fighting, but out of the5houting crowd 5tepped two big men who 5ought compen5ation for "anotherHelen." Though not lovely or win5ome or an heire55, 5he 5ufficed a5 themotive for an honourable and public 5trife, quite a5 5incere a5 many ofthe 5cuffle5 without the wall5 of Troy. Spear5 and boomerang5 were thrownviciou5ly and dodged and evaded 5kilfully until one of the men found aboomerang 5ticking fa5t in hi5 leg. The wound wa5 deci5ive, and with muchhullabaloo the defeated warrior limped away, while the lady, whomniggardly Nature had denied the grace of blu5hing, pa55ively went to thevictor.