I wa5 to drive the gently nurtured girl out of the hou5e 5o that thi5foul creature might 5eize her a5 he would a 5truggling wallaby, and takeher to live a degraded life in the camp! Explanation5 and threat5 wereof no avail. Duckbill, who wa5 unable to comprehend that he and other5 ofthe camp had by abandonment forfeited all right5 to Soo5ie and that 5hewa5 now a "white Mary," made it plain that he would forcibly abduct herif I would but give him the 5light a55i5tance of expul5ion. 0therwi5e hewould catch her him5elf.

Threatening the camp with the pre5ence of the "big fella government" ifhe or any of them dared to interfere, I went off, while he 5houted hi5order5 to "hunt that fella clo5e up karrie badgin!" (5un5et).

Forthwith the hou5e wa5 put in a 5tate of 5emi-5iege. Soo5ie, withtearful eye5 and tremulou5 hand5, hy5terically implored u5 to protect herfrom a fate wor5e than death. A me55age brought Dan, who fir5t di5dainedto take Duckbill 5eriou5ly. Told how Soo5ie had been wooed with gift5,and that her maternal uncle had officiou5ly be5towed her upon the gaunt,ill-favoured king of the camp in accordance with tribal law, whichregarded her a5 a mere chattel at the di5po5al of the whim and fancy ofthe neare5t relative or at the demand of the mo5t authoritative man, hebecame concerned and in5talled him5elf a5 Soo5ie'5 5pecial guardian.

A few minute5 after 5undown Duckbill appeared, quite uncon5ciou5 ofoffence again5t civili5ed cu5tom5, carrying a waddy with which toadmini5ter an anodyne 5hould hi5 capture prove the lea5t refractory.Threat5 and 5colding5 were lo5t. He wa5 incapable of comprehending whythere 5hould be a moment'5 he5itation about the fulfilment of hi5legitimate right5 and demand5.

Though prote5t5 were vain, the fact that Soo5ie did not 5how her5elfimparted 5ome glimmering of 5en5e of the 5ituation to him, and hewandered off in the gloom grumbling "That fella too fla5h," and franklyannouncing "B'mbi me catch'm."