Atondido Stories
Weedah the Mocking Bird
Weedah was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived
near him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos,
more than twenty. He made fires before each, to make it look as
if some one lived in the nyunnoos. First he would go into one
nyunnoo, or humpy, and cry like a baby, then to another and
laugh like a child, then in turn, as he went the round of the
humpies he would sing like a maiden, corrobboree like a man,
call out in a quavering voice like an old man, and in a shrill voice
like an old woman; in fact, imitate any sort of voice he had ever
heard, and imitate them so quickly in succession that any one
passingwould think there was a great crowd of blacks in that
camp. His object was to entice as many strange black fellows in-
to his camp as he could, one at a time; then he would kill them
and gradually gain the whole country round for his own. His
chance was when he managed to get a single black fellow into
his camp, which he very often did, then by his cunning he al-
ways gained his end and the black fellow's death. This was how
he attained that end.
A black fellow, probably separated from his fellows in the
excitement of the chase, would be returning home alone passing
within earshot of Weedah's camp he would hear the various
voices and wonder what tribe could be there. Curiosity would
induce him to come near. He would probably peer into the
camp, and, only seeing Weedah standing alone, would advance
towards him. Weedah would be standing at a little distance from
a big glowing fire, where he would wait until the strange black
fellow came quite close to him. Then he would ask him what he
wanted. The stranger would say he had heard many voices and
had wondered what tribe it could be, so had come near to find
out. Weedah would say, "But only I am here. How could you
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