inda and pilla took off the black hide of kuperee, and pegged it out carefully with sharp sticks. then they came back to the body, and their eyes glistened with satisfaction. meat is the best thing in the world to a blackfellow, and never before had either seen so much meat. it was almost staggering to think that it was theirs, and to be eaten. all they had feared and suffered became as nothing in the prospect of that tremendous feast.
"yakai!" mourned pilla. "we shall never finish it all before it goes bad, not though we eat day and night without ceasing—as i mean to do."
"and i also," agreed inda. "let us make ovens before we begin to cut him up—we shall waste less time that way. some of him will certainly go bad, but we will do our best."
they were turning aside to gather sticks when pilla suddenly caught at his brother's arm. he happened to seize a bruised part, and inda was justly annoyed.
"take care, blockhead!" he said, shaking him off roughly. "i ache all over—is it not enough for you?"
pilla took no notice. he was staring at the skinned body of kuperee, with eyes that were almost starting from his head.
"look!" he gasped. "look! he moves!"
inda leaped to one side.
"moves!" he uttered. "are you mad?"
"i saw his side move," pilla repeated. "see—there it is again!"
something bulged under the stripped skin of the monster. the brothers leaped backward.
"but he is certainly dead," gasped inda. "have we not skinned him? can a skinned animal move—even if he be kuperee?"
"let us leave him and go home," muttered pilla. "he is very bad magic."
but that was more than inda could bring himself to do.
"leave him!" he exclaimed. "leave the most wonderful feast ever heard of in all the bush! no, i will not. magic or no magic, he is dead, and i will see what moves."
he sprang forward, knife in hand, and with a quick movement slit open the body. out popped a head—a black head, with fear and pain and bewilderment on its features. inda sprang back, raising his knife to defend himself.
"let me out!" begged the head. "it is horrible in here—no air, no light, nothing but dead men! let me out, i say!"
"are you magic?" gasped inda.
"magic? i?" the wild eyes rolled in astonishment. "i am kanalka, of the crow tribe, but an hour ago kuperee swallowed me at a gulp, when he came upon me in the forest. i do not know why i am not dead—but i live yet, though i was wishing to die when suddenly you let the light in to my prison. make your hole larger, friend, and let me out."
"do you say there are dead men there?" demanded pilla.
"he is full of them. i only am alive, i suppose because i was the last eaten. be quick! be quick!"
half doubting, half afraid, inda opened the great body, and helped kanalka out. he staggered and fell helplessly to the ground. pilla and inda did not trouble about him. one after another, they took from kuperee ten black hunters, laying them in a row upon the grass. last of all they took out kon-garn and three others of their own tribe, and they wailed over them.
kanalka, who had somewhat recovered, came and looked curiously at the row of men.
"would you not say that they were alive?" he asked. "they do not look as though they were anything but asleep."
"i think it is magic," said inda, very much afraid. "two moons have gone by since kon-garn, who lies there, was eaten, and yet he looks as though asleep. kuperee was a strange host, truly, to keep you all in such good condition!"
the gaze of kanalka wandered to the stone axe of burkamukk, which lay on the grass near kuperee. instantly he became interested. he had seen many dead men, but no such axe as this had come his way.
"is that the mighty axe of which all the tribes have heard?" he asked eagerly. "ky! what a beauty! never have i seen such a one! i should like to handle it."
he picked it up and tested its weight, while pilla and inda watched him carefully, for they knew that the axe was a treasure beyond anything in the bush, and that a man would risk almost anything to possess it. they need not, however, have feared kanalka. he was a simple-minded fellow, and was merely lost in admiration.
"a beauty, indeed!" he exclaimed. "it will be something to tell my people, that in the one day i escaped from the body of kuperee and handled the stone axe of burkamukk! was it with this that you killed the monster?"
"ay," said inda. "it clove his skull—one blow was enough, though our spears had fallen blunted from his hide."
"a marvel, indeed!" cried kanalka. "it would be a mighty weapon at close quarters in a fight. one would swing it round—thus—and bring it down upon the enemy's head——"
he illustrated his meaning, swinging the axe aloft and bringing it down over the head of the silent form of kon-garn. just before it reached the head he checked it, letting it do no more than touch kon-garn—a touch no heavier than the sweep of a butterfly's wing.
kon-garn yawned, sneezed, and sat up.
with a yell of terror the three blacks started backwards, tripped over each other, and fell in a heap. kon-garn surveyed the struggling mass calmly.
"where am i?" he asked. "and what is all this about? is it you, pilla and inda?"
they struggled to their feet and looked at him distrustfully.
"you are dead," said pilla firmly. "why do you talk?"
"i do not know why, indeed, since it is evident that i am talking to fools," said kon-garn rudely. "what has happened to you, that you and this stranger have suddenly gone mad? ky! how hungry i am! have you food?"
the brothers suddenly began to laugh helplessly.
"food!" said inda. "there is more food than ever you saw before, kon-garn, and a few minutes ago you were part of it."
"that is a riddle i am too tired to guess," said kon-garn crossly. "i only wish that any food were part of me, for i feel as though i had never eaten in my life."
"it is certainly two moons at least since last you ate," pilla told him.
"i said already that you were mad, and i grow more sure of it every minute," said poor kon-garn. "who are these who lie beside me?"
"they are dead men; and a moment ago you too were dead," inda said.
kon-garn became afraid, as well as cross. it was clear that everybody was mad, and he had heard that it was wise to humour mad people, or they might do you an injury. so he hid his feelings and looked at the brothers as kindly as his bewilderment and hunger would let him.
"dead, was i?" he said. "then how did i come to life?"
"this man touched you with the stone axe of burkamukk," inda answered.
"dear me, how simple!" said kon-garn. "none of our meki-gar know anything half so easy. but why does he not go on, and bring all these other dead men to life too?"
"indeed," said kanalka suddenly, "i do not know."
he flung himself upon the stone axe, which he had let fall in his terror, and touched another still form with it. instantly the black hunter came to life. kanalka uttered a wild yell of amazement and triumph. then inda snatched the axe from him and ran along the line, touching one man after another; and when he had come to the end there were ten blackfellows sitting up and rubbing their eyes, and most of them were asking eagerly for food. the brothers drew back a few paces and looked at them.
"it is clear," said pilla, "that kuperee was magic, and that when our father's stone axe entered his skull it became magic too. more than ever we must guard it carefully, since it seems to have the power of life and death." he lowered his voice, speaking to inda. "i will lash it to your shoulders, brother—we are among strangers, and it will be safer so."
he lashed the axe to inda's shoulders firmly, and the other men looked on. each knew exactly why he was doing it, and respected him for his caution, since each knew that had chance thrown in his way the mighty stone axe he would not have been proof against the temptation of trying to get possession of it. then they all talked together, and were very amazed at what had happened to them; but since they were able to put everything down to magic, nothing worried them much, and they were quite relieved to find themselves alive, and to think of seeing their wives and children again. more than anything, they were overjoyed at the magnificent feast that awaited them.
and what a feast it was! never again in all their lives did such a chance come to them. the wild black never asked for any trimmings with his food: he would, indeed, eat anything that came his way, but meat, meat only, and still more meat, was what his soul most desired. and now meat awaited them, in a huge mountain; and they were hungry beyond belief.
"we will cut up kuperee," said pilla and inda, "since we alone have knives. the rest of you must make fire, and prepare ovens."
the men scattered to their tasks. some gathered sticks; others scooped out holes in the ground for the ovens; others teased dry messmate bark for tinder for the man who was making the fire. this was kon-garn, and he did it very quickly. pilla lent him one of his most useful household necessaries, which he always carried with him—a piece of dry grass-tree cane, having a hole bored through to the pith on its upper side, and a pointed piece of soft wood; and these were just as useful to the blacks as a box of matches would be to you. kon-garn sat down on the ground, holding the bit of grass-tree firmly down with his feet, and pressed the point of the soft wood into the little hole. then he held it upright between his palms and twirled it rapidly. within two minutes smoke began to curl round the twirling point, and another man carefully put some teased bark, soft and dry, round the hole and blew on it. a moment more and a thin tongue of flame licked through the tinder; more and more was fed to it, and then leaves and twigs; and in five minutes there was a blazing fire, while kon-garn restored to pilla his two flame-making sticks, very little the worse for wear.
the blacks did not usually light a large fire, after the fashion of white men, who like to make a campfire so big that they roast their faces while their backs remain cold. the way the blacks preferred was to make two little fires, and to sit between them, so that they were kept warm on both sides. but on this occasion they made a very big blaze, so that they should quickly have enough fire to heat the ovens; and then they made the big fire long and narrow, so that they could sit on each side of it and cook. while the ovens were getting hot they took small pieces of the kangaroo meat and speared them on green sticks, holding them before the coals. they were all so desperately hungry that they did not care much whether the meat was properly cooked—as soon as the first pieces were warmed through they stuffed them into their mouths, and then ran to pilla and inda for more. pilla and inda were working hard at cutting up kuperee, and though they did not mind the hungry men beginning without them, they became annoyed when they came again and again for fragments.
"do not forget that we are hungry too," pilla growled. "we have travelled far before we killed kuperee and let you all out, and now we are cutting up your meat for you. if you do not bring us some cooked pieces we must go and cook for ourselves."
that made the others afraid, for the cutting-up of so huge an animal as kuperee was no light work, and none of them had knives. so they fed the brothers with toothsome morsels as they worked, and the cutting went on unchecked, until the ovens were hot and there was a pile of joints ready to be put in. this was done, wrapping the joints in green leaves. then they carried to the fire the great heap of small pieces of meat left from the cutting-up, and cooked and ate, and ate and cooked, all through the night.
even in ordinary life it would have astonished you to see how much meat a black could eat—a well-fed blackfellow, with a wife who kept his wurley well supplied with roots and grubs and all the other pleasant things they loved. but these blacks had had no food, some of them for weeks, and it seemed that they would never stop. the great pile of pieces dwindled until there were none left, and then they hacked more off, and cooked and ate until the ovens were ready and the smoking joints came out. they were so hot that you would not have cared to touch them without a knife and fork; but the blacks seized them and tore them to pieces and gnawed them, until nothing remained but well-picked bones. and then they cooked more.
pilla and inda were the first to give in, and they had eaten enough for twenty white men. they waddled off to a thicket and flung themselves under a bush, sleeping back to back, so that the stone axe of burkamukk was safe between them. but the others had no thought for anything but kangaroo, and even the mighty axe could not have tempted them from that tremendous gorge. they ate on, all through the day. towards night some of them gave in; then, one by one, they could eat no more, and most of them went to sleep where they sat before the fire. but dawn on the next day showed the steadfast kon-garn, rotund beyond belief, and eating still. and by that time pilla and inda had slept off their light repast, and were ready to begin all over again.
they camped for more than a week by the carcass of kuperee, and ate it until it was no longer pleasant to eat, even for a blackfellow. then they began to think it was time to return to their tribes. so they greased their bodies comfortably all over, and set off through the forest, a peaceful and happy band, far too well-fed to think of quarrelling. when they came near the head-quarters of each tribe they marched to its camp in a proud procession, returning the warriors who had been mourned as dead: and great were the rejoicings throughout the country, and rich rewards of furs and weapons and food were showered upon inda and pilla. the stone axe of burkamukk became more famous than ever, and every one wanted to look at the wonderful weapon that had slain kuperee. songs were made about the two heroes, and for ages afterwards mothers used to tell their children about them, and hope that their boys would be as brave as burkamukk's sons.
at last they drew near to their own camp. they halted the night before a few hours' journey away, and by good luck they met a couple of boys out hunting, and sent them in to tell the tribe that they were coming. they had no idea of coming in unheralded, for they knew they had done a great deed, and they meant to return in state. besides, although the rescued men were with them, the load of presents they had received was far too heavy to be carried comfortably.
they got up early and painted themselves in stripes and put on their finest feathers and furs. inda carried the stone axe of burkamukk, and pilla had only a spear. long before they were ready to start they were met by some of the men of the tribe who had come out to welcome them. these loaded themselves with the gifts, and with pilla and inda stalking in front, and the rescued men behind, they formed themselves into a procession and marched for home.
near the camp another procession came out to meet them: burkamukk, their father, marching at the head of all his tribe. first came the meki-gar, very solemn, and inwardly very disgusted that the honour of slaying kuperee had not fallen to them; then came all the warriors and the old men, then the boys, and lastly the women and children. they were shouting greetings and praises and singing songs of welcome. burkamukk halted as his sons drew near. they came up to him and knelt before him and inda laid the stone axe at his feet.
"we bring you back your mighty weapon, my father," he said. "it has slain your enemy."
then all the tribe shouted afresh, and the warriors leaped in the air, and the whole country was filled with the sound of their rejoicings. and they bore pilla and inda home in triumph, naming them the most famous heroes of all the tribes of the bush.
but the magic of kuperee was not done with them yet.
they feasted late that night, and the sun was high overhead before they woke next day. they were in a wurley by themselves, but outside the boys of the tribe were clustered, peeping in to see the mighty warriors. pilla stretched himself, and flung out an arm, which struck inda.
"take care!" inda said, angrily, waking up. "you hurt me."
"why, i hardly touched you," pilla answered. "you must have been dreaming."
"well, it is no dream that i am very sore," said inda. "all my body seems covered with bruises, just as it was after our fight under the tree of kuperee."
"that is queer," said pilla, "for my nose also feels terribly sore. that must have been a mighty blow that you dealt it." he felt it tenderly. "it feels queer, too. does it look curious?"
"there is a furrow down it, but then there always has been, since our fight," said inda. "you look not much worse than usual. but i—see, is there anything wrong with me?"
he flung off his wallaby-skin rug, and sat up. pilla uttered a cry.
"ky! you are all over spots! did i really hit you in all those places?"
"you must have done so," said inda, crossly. "lucky for me that the spears were blunt!"
"i feel most extraordinary," said pilla, suddenly "it is just as though i were shrinking—and indeed, i have no cause to shrink, seeing how much i ate last night. but my skin is getting all loose."
"and mine too!" cried inda, faintly. "there is magic at work upon us, my brother!"
then a mist drifted over the wurley, and strange cries came out of it. the boys, watching outside, clutched at each other in fear. and presently, when the mist blew away, pilla and inda were not to be seen, nor were they ever seen more. instead, within the wurley crouched two little animals, new to the blacks, which uttered faint squeaks and scurried away through the camp into the bush.
there they live now, and through them are the sons of burkamukk remembered. pilla is the plump 'possum, who has always a furrow down his nose; and inda is the native-cat, whose skin is covered all over with spots. for the magic of kuperee lived after him, so that the blunt weapons that had struck him had strange power, just as there was power of life in the stone axe that had killed him. but though they lived no longer as men, the names of pilla and inda were always held in great honour, since through their courage and wisdom the tribes lived in security, free from the wickedness of kuperee.
