Atondido Stories
woman advance towards their friends, talk to them for a while,
and then go off with her two dogs. They saw their friends station
themselves at the point of the moorillah or ridge, holding their
nullahs in readiness, as if waiting for something to come. Pres-
ently they heard a low cry from the old woman of "Birree
gougou," which cry was quickly followed by dingoes coming out
of the bush in every direction, in hundreds, surrounding the
black fellows at the point.
The dingoes closed in, quickly hemming the black fellows in
all round; then they made a simultaneous rush at them, tore
them with their teeth, and killed them.
The black fellows watching, saw that when the dogs had
killed their friends they were joined by the old woman, who
helped them to drag off the bodies to their camp.
Having seen all this, back went the watchers to their tribe
and told what they had seen. All the tribes round mustered up
and decided to execute a swift vengeance. In order to do so, out
they sallied well armed. A detachment went on to entrap the
dogs and Bougoodoogahdah. Then just when the usual massacre
of the blacks was to begin and the dogs were closing in round
them for the purpose, out rushed over two hundred black fel-
lows, and so effectual was their attack that every dog was killed,
as well as Bougoodoogahdah and her two little dogs.
The old woman lay where she had been slain, but as the
blacks went away they heard her cry "Bougoodoogahdah." So
back they went and broke her bones, first they broke her legs
and then left her. But again as they went they heard her cry
"Bougoodoogahdah." Then back again they came, and again, un-
til at last every bone in her body was broken, but still she cried
"Bougoodoogahdah." So one man waited beside her to see
whence came the sound, for surely, they thought, she must be
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