Standing there in shivering rage, Jerrabri knew that if he leapt upon this hated challenger to throttle him to death he would again break a law, and by breaking it deprive himself of his chieftainship, even if the tribe did not rush in and tear them apart. No, there was only one thing to do—accept the challenge and fight the duel in strict accordance to tribal etiquette. After which—his big chest drew a deep, shuddering breath, and slowly he bent to pick up his war boomerang, turning the heavy weapon round and round in his gnarled hands. After he had killed this dingo mongrel, Red Kangaroo, then—he glared at Nareen, but she stood there fearlessly returning glare for glare—ah, this slip of a captive girl who had reddened his pride and made him a laughing-stock—he would bash her with his nulla till she could only lie there and moan! He would teach her—again and again, and yet again!

For it is the law that he who loses his life in a duel also loses his property to the victor. Red Kangaroo’s property consisted of his war weapons, his hunting weapons and traps and fish snares and cooking utensils, his possum rugs, and now—these two young wives.

Licking his bleeding lips, slowly Jerrabri walked away towards the silent elders. Immediately his friends came hurrying to him, while to Red Kangaroo the warrior Burradella, with Tulumi, Bungadoon, Giluram, Boobuk, Kibiri, and many other friends came crowding. The bush breathed again with the patter of hurrying feet, the shouts, the excited yabbering of women, the squealing of piccaninnies. The birds, too, had been roused to excitement; cockatoos on tree-tops raised their yellow crests and shrieked excitedly, magpies warbled in carefree abandon, and a flock of parrots dived low in a flash of crimson and green over the scampering tribe.

XXIII

THE DUEL

On the seventh day the duel was to be fought on the Breeza Plains upon clear, level ground. Solemnly those in charge began preparing the duelling ground, even to burning off every blade of grass. The contestants at the start would face one another, standing at long spear-throw—one hundred yards apart by white man’s reckoning. Carefully those in charge measured out the exact distance beforehand, marking where each man would stand so that everything would be perfectly equal, and neither would have any advantage of distance, ground, position, light, or weapons against the other. The duel would take place exactly at high sun, so that the light shining down upon each man would be equal.

Red Kangaroo, who had eaten this week as never before, not only of the food prepared by his own wives but of the very best that old Bungadoon’s wife Pumbul and Boobuk’s Kapota could tempt him with, rested the day before the duel on the advice of his uncle Tulumi, while Burradella, with Boobuk happily suggesting advice, went carefully over his weapons. He must sleep well that night, so the warriors gravely advised, for he was in for the fight of his life.