Page:More Australian legendary tales.djvu/94

 One of the tribes was to get this bag from you, and so take away your power to harm the Daens in the future. I vowed to do so before Yhi the sun went to her rest to-night. Not by strength could I do it. Nor by strength did I try to do it. Cunning I brought with me, and cunning has done it. Back I go now to tell the tribes."

And before Mungoongarlee had time to realise how he had been tricked, Ouyouboolooey was gone.

After him went Mungoongarlee, but his meal had been heavy; he only caught Ouyouboolooey up in time to hear him tell the tribes that as he had said so had he done.

"Give us then the poison bag that we may destroy it," they said.

"Not so," said Ouyouboolooey. "None of you could get it. It is mine alone. I shall keep it."

"Then you shall never live in our camp."

"I shall come as I please to your camps."

"Then we shall slay you. You are not big as is Mungoongarlee."

"But I have the poison bag. Whosoever interferes with me surely shall he die."

And away went Ouyouboolooey with the poison bag, leaving Mungoongarlee to tell the tribes how he had been tricked.

Ever since then the snakes have been poisonous, and not the iguanas, and there has been a feud between the snakes and the iguanas, who never meet without fighting. But though the snakes have the poison bag, they are powerless to injure the iguanas with it. For Mungoongarlee was a great wirreenun, and he knew of a plant which if eaten after snakebite made the poison powerless to kill or