With a wave of his hand the Red Chief nodded to Boobuk. The two parties separated and skirted widely out through the bush so that when they came together the enemy would be trapped between them. The Red Chief’s men took the top end and began stalking stealthily down the tree-lined gully bank, while Boobuk’s men began creeping up towards them. Soon both parties sniffed fresh smoke, then the smell of warm meat grilling on the coals. They crept closer until they were within spear-throw of one another, then crept to the gully bank and peered over.

Down there, huddled round a fire on the gully bottom midway between them, were the eighteen Cassilis warriors, now ravenously wolfing half-cooked meat.

The Gunn-e-darr men swept back their spear arms for the throw. As the spears hurtled from the wommeras they yelled their war-cry and sprang down into the gully. Seven Cassilis warriors leapt frantically for the gully bank. They got away, leaving their eleven friends writhing or dead among the gully stones. The young warriors were eager to pursue the escaping men, but the Red Chief called them back.

“We must not waste time chasing scattered runaways,” he explained. “We must hurry straight to the Cassilis tribal lands before any of these men reach there so that we may surprise their guard and capture their women. Those seven men will take to the scrub and hide there until we are well on our way. We must now overtake or pass the party who broke away from the fight in the scrub this morning. If we pass them we keep straight on. If we overtake them, then not one must escape to carry the news back to his own country. Now pull out what spears are not broken in these dying men and we shall carry on at a steady run.”

At mid-afternoon they stopped and ate, then with a strong guard circling them slept two hours. They travelled on again fast until midnight, when half the party kept guard while the other half slept. At dawn each ate a strong man’s meal, then the Red Chief had them hurrying on again at the jog-trot. At midday they were lucky, for they ran upon a big mob of roos lazing under a patch of wilga-trees. They speared eight, which gave them a hearty meal again without having to waste time in the hunting of it. They carried on again, slowing down to the long, easy stride that takes the Australian aboriginal so far and fast.

“We have passed those that broke away from us in the fight in the scrub,” said the Red Chief to Boobuk. “We’ve seen neither sight nor sound of them, neither track nor smoke nor cooee, and no sign from animal or bird to mark their passing or hunting.”

“They’re skulking in the scrubs away behind,” growled Boobuk. “They got such a hiding, they’re scattered like frightened dingoes. They’ll only be game to sneak back to their own country under cover of night.”