He eased the cord and the noose fell away as if by itself. It was a perfect job—just the slightest pull and the cord gripped the neck and bit into the throat, slightly relax the cord and the pressure immediately eased.

Red Kangaroo held the noose in his hands as a girl might hold a prized necklace. He was very proud of this “necklace”; he had won the materials and made it himself, and not a soul knew about it. He really had made a “strangling cord”.

The tribe believed that only old Muga Tulle, the expert, had the skill to make such cords. Muga Tulle means “blind and deaf and tongue-tied”. He seemed a very quiet man, but he was none of these three—except when it came to anything at all connected with a strangling cord. Red Kangaroo with the other lads had often watched the old craftsman at work fashioning cords, which were eagerly sought after, but of course had never seen him making a strangling cord. They did not even know about it.

But recently Red Kangaroo had learnt of its existence and discovered the secret of its making by spying upon the old cord-maker at work. And now he had made for himself a cord as good as any old Muga Tulle could make. And not a soul knew about it. No one must. What he was going to do he must do alone, and no one must know a thing about it until it was done. Thus no bad trouble could be caused to the tribe, or to anyone in the tribe, over what he was about to do. If he succeeded, then it would be all for the good of the tribe; if he failed, then it was only he who would suffer.

One night when all were asleep he crept out of his gunyah, glanced up at the dark sky—smelling. Yes, he could smell rain—it would rain before dawn, he felt certain.

He crept back into the gunyah and began thoroughly massaging refined animal and emu oil into his body to keep away rain and cold and to make his limbs slippery in the hands of an antagonist. And now his face was grim, though quiet excitement was there also.

Next morning Red Kangaroo was missing.

XV

HE TREADS ALONE IN ENEMY COUNTRY

Giluram found that Red Kangaroo’s hunting weapons were in his gunyah, but his war weapons were missing. This looked ominous. The people were surprised also because a new moon was due and all were busy piling up a great heap of wood to keep fires brightly burning round the corroboree ring at the ceremonial dances to welcome in the new moon. And now Red Kangaroo’s cheery laugh, his willing help, would be missed. For he could carry a large pine log that no warrior in camp could stagger under, and he loved dancing, he could dance the longest and was the most active of them all. It must be something very important that had taken him away from camp when he would miss the log-carrying. But of course he would not miss the dances!