At early morning time Tulumi, Burradella and Boobuk were anointing Red Kangaroo’s limbs and body with emu oil, massaging it well in to help suppleness of joints, muscles, and sinews. Then they painted him in war-paint of red ochre with bars of yellow and white, lastly adding bunches of brilliantly hued feathers to his hair and limbs. They would make sure that Red Kangaroo looked what he was, a fighting man, when he took his stand on the duelling ground before all the tribe. Yes, he would look his best on this day, whether he was fated to see the sun set or not.

There was no question as to whom the women and children and the younger warriors at least would wish to see the sun set.

Soon after sunrise the particular men appointed for this duty came to each contestant, and with due etiquette claimed his weapons. Carefully each weapon was examined and counted. Two war spears to each fighter, two war boomerangs, his favourite tomahawk, favourite nulla, and shield. Gravely these men, three on behalf of the chief, three on behalf of Red Kangaroo, carried the weapons from each man’s gunyah to the duelling ground, and laid them neatly out at each man’s position. Then they returned to camp, except for one from each group, the guardians of the weapons. One stood silently by the weapons of the chief, Jerrabri. The other stood watching over the weapons of Red Kangaroo.

The sun beat down more strongly upon the cleared duelling ground. A crow, from away back on the timber line, carked inquiringly. Time droned on. The two guardians of the weapons, silently standing one hundred yards apart, the weapons neatly arranged at their feet, were like statues in ebony.

A little before high sun the contestants, in full war-paint, appeared walking some distance apart, each with his little group of weapon men following. While away behind came the whole tribe down to the youngest piccaninny, the oldest old man and woman hobbling along after.

The contestants took their places, facing one another. Their weapon men retired. But each guardian of the weapons still remained on guard at his place on the duelling ground. In deadly seriousness each contestant fitted and balanced his spears in turn in his wommera, chose which weapon he would throw first, and thrust the other to stand upright in the ground. Then stood, facing his antagonist, waiting.

The council of the elders took their place, then the people streamed round all, squatting down in a wide-eyed, silent circle. Each guardian then strode to the weapons and placed them neatly in order at the feet of his man. Then with serious care he placed the two boomerangs and the nulla into the holding thongs attached to his man’s belt, securing each weapon in its correct place, handy to hands and feet of the duellist. The onlookers waited in complete silence while this important duty was being done to everyone’s satisfaction.

Then, at a nod from Jerrabri, his man wheeled round, facing Red Kangaroo’s man, who had already turned round, waiting. Both guardians then strode with measured paces towards one another. They met exactly in the centre of the duelling ground. Each stood a moment, then stepped backward twenty paces, then each turned, one stepped twenty paces to the right, the other twenty paces to the left. Each turned again. Immediately their faces turned towards one another each wheeled round and shouted down towards his man.