“Ah!” said the Red Chief. “I was hoping to steal down and kill a few while they slept. We must weaken them somehow. But if they are prepared, then I dare not risk the loss of a single man. But we must do something—and quickly. Hold them until all our warriors can gather together. If we skulk here they will come for us tomorrow and must wear us down. Sooner or later then they will find the women.”

“I don’t think they’ll attack tomorrow,” answered Burradella. “There is another party to come yet—I fee1 sure of it.” He turned to Giluram. “Now, Giluram, be certain as to what you saw. How many warriors did you really see?”

“Bularui dinna,”³⁷ answered Giluram and, holding up the five fingers of each hand, gazed expressively down at his feet and spread out all his toes. He closed fingers and toes, said, “Bularui dinna” again, and again spread out all fingers and toes. Closing them again, he repeated “Bularui dinna”, and once more spread out all fingers and toes. And the Red Chief knew that Giluram had counted sixty Cassilis warriors.

“And I’m sure there is another party!” added Burradella.

“Then we must think of something,” said the Red Chief urgently, frowning, “something to cripple them down to our numbers without losing too many men ourselves.”

Burradella sent for four boys. “You four make your way back up to the Black Hill look-out,” he ordered. “Be very careful. The enemy will have seen this afternoon’s smokes—they may have sent men up there. If not, creep up, but see you are not caught should an enemy creep up there with the dawn. If you can stay there, then when light comes spy all around, and far and wide. As soon as you have news send one boy running back here. Stay there all day if you are not hunted away—and keep sending us news.”

As the eager boys hurried away Burradella asked, “What shall we do with the old women? I promised to send them word.”

“Send one night-wise warrior to tell them to stay where they are,” replied the Red Chief. “They are as safe there now as anywhere. The enemy may find their tracks in the morning, but they won’t bother to waste time tracking old women. They’ll find them whether or no if they can wipe us out.”

“That’s right,” grunted Burradella soberly, “but I’ll send young Gilwan with a message of cheer to them. He’ll find them and be back by dawn.”

“He’d better be!” answered the Red Chief grimly. “Every warrior, whether young or old, is worth ten to us now. Boobuk will come with the dawn—that will be another twenty-nine warriors.”

But Boobuk did not come with the dawn. And for the first time the Red Chief felt a chill of dread.

A cold dawn brought in a fiery sun threatening a hot day. The smoke of cooking fires arose down in the Mullibah Lagoon camp, in plain view of the Red Chief watching up at the scrub edge.