The troubles in the tribe had gradually simmered down and confidence returned. The majority became satisfied to wait for the hoped-for changes they felt sure Red Kangaroo would introduce when he became chief. The remainder, becoming reconciled to what they knew now must come, were confident that at least the chief to be would not interfere with the actual immemorial laws of the tribe.

Thus two summers and winters drifted by bringing the time for the people finally to decide whether the warrior Red Kangaroo would become chief of the Gunn-e-darr tribe.

The answer was overwhelmingly yes.

To a shout of, “The Red Chief! The Red Chief!” as every warrior threw his spear to the ground in token salute before Red Kangaroo every shield was held to the chest while every nulla swung to the shield with a “Clash! Clash! Clash!” as their feet in unison began stamping to a roar of war song joined in by the wild chant of the women. Upon the sunlit corroboree ground the tribe with immemorial ceremony made him their warrior chief. As he faced them his red-ochred body seemed afire under the sun, his heart beating wildly, his face glowing as his ears rang to that stamp of feet, clash of shields, roar of, “Red Chief! Red Chief!”

Enough to set a much older man on fire, that wild enthusiasm of his very own warriors bedecked in brilliant feathers, each wearing his skin cape, each ochred in the coloured bars of warriorhood as he danced and sang his allegiance to the tribe and the new chief—the Red Chief. And thus the one-time warrior lad, Red Kangaroo, became the Red Chief, warrior chief of the Gunn-e-darr tribe of the Kamilaroi.

The council appointed Burradella as second chief, Tulumi gravely retired to become one of the seven, the council of the elders.

The Red Chief next day called a council of the elders and all the warriors. In his ringing voice he addressed them on the corroboree ground in front of all the people.

“Now that you have made me war chief, and I am a grown man in body and thought, I will act—for the good of the tribe, not as Chief Jerrabri and his elders, who acted but for themselves. They neglected the good of the tribe, and tampered with some of the tribal laws to their own selfish advantage. I am going to settle this question now for good and all, otherwise it will always cause trouble in the tribe, and finally would destroy us. So now! All elders and elderly warriors who have more than one wife of our tribe may keep one tribeswoman wife but must hand the others over to the younger warriors, and to warriors who have no wives. And they must do so this day! For it is bad for a tribe that old warriors should own two, three, four and more young wives while younger men have but one old wife, and the young warriors none at all.