18. MOOREGOO THE MOPOKE, AND BAHLOO THE MOON

Mooregoo the Mopoke had been camped away by himself for a long time.

While alone he had made a great number of boomerangs, nullah-nullahs,

spears, neilahmans, and opossum rugs. Well had he carved the weapons

with the teeth of opossums, and brightly had he painted the inside of

the rugs with coloured designs, and strongly had he sewn them with the

sinews of opossums, threaded in the needle made of the little bone

taken from the leg of an emu. As Mooregoo looked at his work he was

proud of all he had done.

One night Babloo the moon came to his camp, and said: "Lend me one of

your opossum rugs."

"No. I lend not my rugs."

"Then give me one."

"No. I give not my rugs."

Looking round, Bahloo saw the beautifully carved weapons, so he said,

"Then give me, Mooregoo, some of your weapons."

"No, I give, never, what I have made, to another."

Australian Legendary Tales: folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told to the Piccaninnies · 第 32 / 50 题