XXXV

THE RED CHIEF

The Red Chief and his exhausted captives arrived safely back to the lands of the Gunn-e-darr, to the great relief of Burradella and the joy of the tribe.

Thus, when he had been but two years chief Red Kangaroo not only saved his tribe from extinction but defeated its most feared enemies so disastrously that it took them years to recover. Not only so, but the news spread like wildfire and made such a reputation for the Gunn-e-darr men that other powerful tribes feared to attack them. Only just in time, for three large tribes were combining with the purpose of wiping them out, having at last come to the conclusion that the Gunn-e-darr tribe was not nearly as powerful as they had for long believed. The disaster to that picked band of Cassilis warriors immediately halted such plans. They feared now that the Gunn-e-darr must be even more powerful than they had believed in the first place. And this gave the Red Chief the greatly desired breathing space in which to build up his tribe.

But to tell of his long, exceptionally active and adventurous life, and all that he did for his tribe, would take another book even though only using the remainder of the story as left by old Bungaree. Suffice to say that before he was forty years of age he had absorbed six small tribes, built up his tribe to one hundred and sixty fighting spearmen, all able-bodied. Year followed year and more and more lads were trained to go through the Bora. The children were numerous now; he delighted in their numbers. Every young warrior had a wife, five-year warriors had two and three, older warriors more still. He led strong, swift raiding parties to as far away as Bingara, Warialda, Moree, Walgett, Coonamble, Narrabri, Tamworth, Quirindi, Murrurundi, Wingen, Walcha, Gulargambone, Gulgong, and Uralla, as those localities are named today. Thus, in a wide circle he kept enemies and would-be enemies busy and guessing, thus also keeping them away from his own tribal grounds.

A time came when his old enemy the Goonoo Goonoo tribe, and the Manilla River tribe, sought both peace and his aid. These two tribes had been badly mauled by the fierce Bundarra and Kingston tribesmen, and at last Ilpara, the chief of the Goonoo Goonoo, and Mooti the chief of the Manilla, sought the aid of the Red Chief of the Gunn-e-darr.

The Red Chief, though not keen on outright fighting against the Bundarra and Kingston tribes, shrewdly saw how he could guide the problem to his own tribe’s advantage. Also, he was uneasy at the heavy raids those two tribes were making, coming so close to his own tribal lands. They might cripple the Goonoo Goonoo and Manilla people, then eventually turn their attention to the rich lands of Gunn-e-darr. So here was a wonderful chance to cripple them, with the aid of eager allies. Far better than being forced to fight alone later on.