kur-bo-roo was a little black boy baby. his father and mother had no other children, and so they were very proud of him, and he always had enough to eat. it is often very different when there are many hungry pickaninnies to be fed—especially in dry seasons, when roots and yams and berries are hard to find, and a black mother's task of filling her dilly-bag becomes more difficult every day. then it may happen that the children are quite often hungry, and their ribs show plainly through their black skins: and they learn to pick up all kinds of odd food that white children would consider horrible—insects, grubs, and moths, and queer fungi, which may sometimes give them bad pains—although it is not an easy thing to give a black child indigestion.
but kur-bo-roo had not known any hard times. he was born a cheerful, round baby, quite light in colour at first; and as he darkened he became rounder and jollier. his hair curled in tight little rings all over his head, and his nose was beautifully flat—so flat that his mother did not need to press it down to make him good-looking, as most of the black mothers do to their babies. he was very strong, too, with a straight little back and well-muscled limbs; and when his teeth came they could crunch up bones quite easily, or even the hard nardoo berries. his mother thought he was the most beautiful pickaninny that was ever born, which is an idea all mothers have about their babies. but kur-bo-roo's mother knew that she was right.
he had so many good things to eat that he grew fatter and fatter. his father brought home game—wallaby, wombat, iguana, lace-lizards, porcupines, bandicoots, opossums; and though it was polite to give away a good deal to his wife's father, there was always plenty for little kur-bo-roo. then delicious bits of snake came his way, and long white tree-grubs, as well as all the native fruits and berries that the black women find; and he had plenty of creek water to drink. so long as you give a wild blackfellow good water he will always manage to forage for food.
kur-bo-roo did not have to forage. it interested his father and mother tremendously to do all that they could for him, and watch him grow. as soon as he could toddle about, his father made him tiny throwing-sticks and a boomerang, and tried to teach him to throw them; and his mother, squatting in the shade of the wurley, would laugh to see the baby thing struggling with the weapons of a man. and, while she laughed, she was prouder than ever. she used to rub his limbs to make them supple and strong. he did not wear any clothes at all, so that she was never worried about keeping his wardrobe in order. instead, she was able to give all her time to making him into what she thought to be the best possible kind of boy. and, however that may have been, it is quite certain that there never was a happier pickaninny.
it was when kur-bo-roo was nearly six years old that the evil spirit of trouble came to him.
sickness fell upon the tribe. no one knew how it came, and the medicine-men could not drive it away. first of all, the people had terrible headaches, and the meki-gar, or doctor, used to treat them in the usual manner—he would dig out a round sod of earth and, making the patient lie down with his head in the hole, would put the sod on his head, and stand on it, or sit on it, to squeeze out the pain. if this were not successful, he would tie a cord tightly round the patient's head, and cut him with a sharp shell or flint, beating his head with a little stick to make the blood flow freely. these excellent measures had in the past cured many severe headaches. but they could not cure the sickness now.
so the meki-gar had the patient carried out of the camp. the bearers carried him slowly, singing a mournful chant; and behind them came all the sick man's friends, sweeping the ground with boughs, to sweep away the bad power that had caused the disease. this bad power was, the meki-gar said, the work of a terrible being called bori. but, whether it was bori's fault, or whether the tribe had simply brought sickness on themselves by allowing the camp to become very dirty, the meki-gar could not drive away the sickness. it grew worse and worse, and people died every day.
kur-bo-roo was only a little lad, but he was unhappy and frightened, although he did not understand at all. the air was always full of the sound of the groaning and crying of those people who were ill, and of lamenting and mourning for the dead. everybody was terribly afraid. the blacks believed that their bad spirits were angry with them, and that nothing could do them any good; and so, many died from sheer fright, thinking that once they were taken ill they were doomed, and that it was no good to make a fight against the mysterious enemy. that was stupid, but they did not know any better.
then there came a heavy rain, and after it was over, and the sun had come out to smile upon a fresh, clean world, the sickness began to get better and pass away. but just at the last, it came to the wurley where kur-bo-roo lived with his father and mother.
kur-bo-roo could not understand why his parents could not get up and go to find food. they lay in the wurley together, shivering under all the 'possum rugs and talking quickly in queer, high voices that he could not make out at all. they called often for water, and he brought it to them in his little tarnuk, or drinking-vessel, going backwards and forwards to the creek, and up and down its banks, until his little legs were very tired. long after he was tired he kept on going for water. then there came a time when they could not lift the tarnuk, and he tried to hold it to their lips, so that they could drink; but he was not very successful, and much of the water was spilt. you see, he was only a very little, afraid boy.
he woke up one morning, cold and hungry. there was no more food in the wurley, and no voices: only a great silence. he crept under the 'possum rug to his father and mother, but they were quite still, and when he called to them, they did not answer. he rubbed their cold faces with a shaking little hand, but no warmth came to them. then he broke into loud, frightened crying, like any other lonely little boy.
presently some of the blacks came to the wurley and pointed at the quiet bodies under the 'possum rug, and jabbered very hard, beckoning to others to come. kur-bo-roo heard them say "tumble-down" a great many times, and he knew that it meant "dead"; but he did not know that his father and mother would never speak to him any more. only when an old woman picked him up and carried him away he understood that a terrible thing had happened to him, and he cried more bitterly than ever, calling to his mother. she had always run to him when he called. but now she did not come.
