LEGEND FROM AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 33, 8 February 1930, Page 18

LEGEND FROM AUSTRALIA

"Many, many years before the white man, Tasmania and Australia' were one land. Each tribe had their own.territory, and no tribes were to hunt, or to go into any other '3 hunting ground without sending special messengers or great gifts to tho chief .warriors... It was a wonderfully sunshiny land,,, and the blacks were a. happy, contented lot. There was food for all, game ia plenty. Now the Atora tribe lived in a territory which was a highly prized .land, as every fruit would grow and ..there was abundance oJ. water.. No,matter how many droughts came it old., not affect this tribe's land; and the blacks lived and'danced and,sang and thought of no to-morrow. Then ..there .came a great drought;.the beautiful, birds died, the rivers dried up, and the medicine men and rain-maker tried, all their arts, but, alas, it was all in;: vain, v.great cracks came in the : parched ..earth. Then, the chief warrior-called all,the young men and held a council. /My brothers,' he said, 'we shall all perish if we stop here; we must try tp . get to our brothers, tho tribe.,p£ : Toolugi. They will help us, as theirs ii.a,land of'plenty? 'They picke^out rich gifts and sent out two incssengersJwbQ,,.like themselves, were very weak.' 7 They, started out with the women and- children, and many of them died by the wayside. ' "Now, the tribe of Toolugi were a very proud race, and when the.two messengers came and made 'known' their wants, Toolugi snid: .' Go, ba«k' " and bring me more' gifts, and' 'then'-I will givo you water.' ' ■."•'" '■-/■ ■■ <{ < Great Chief, we are too we;ar^ to walk one half the ■ way;' • Tho Chief, therefore, became angry, and clubbed them dead instantly, and set.great fires alight along the boundaries' of their territory. When the famished tribe came they were met by arinod, hostile tribesmen, who mocked'them and refused them water and food, so that they laid down to'die. "In the evening the great heat' was cruel and the moon blood red. There: was'one young warrior of the tribe of Toolugi, and his nauio was Guandy (wise one), and his heart melted with pity, but'he dared i.ot show it in front of- the ;chief Toolugi. The tribe loved' him because lie was wise and good,; and' had only one wife, and. would not another because he > loved her better than anything. So in tho hour before dawn, he filled a basket woven by his wif^ of rush reods with beautiful re d^'juicy apples, and stole silently through; the beautiful bush; then became to°a; wonderful sparkling stream 'of codling water, and filling two huge clay vessels he tramped to where tho fantished tribo were. But, alas,' they 'were all dead. Guandy fell,"down' and "'wept great heartrending sobs, and' as he w«pt he fell into a deep sleep beside the dead, unhappy blacks.' "Whilst he was asleep a beautiful white-robed figure stood beside him and said, 'Thou mayst well weep/ Guandy, for your tribe has broken the great law of the great Wonderful Spirit, love one another —and so your beautiful land and her-unkind tribe must perish,' At this Guandy kept very deeply, for he loved his land very, much; it was his :garden of Eden, and so he. slept again'in exhaustion. ~ •- : : •■: ''.The white-robed figure came again in pity and said, '-Cease weeping, Guandy, the Great Spirit has heard thy pleadings, your land will, be saved, but your tribe must perish, and they will be cut off from all tribes by a.-:-:grea.t water. A race of people \with -, faces like the snow will come and be masters of them, and your tribe will perish one by oho and they shall vanish.:/ The kind gift you brought to your brother, it will grow in abundance. The :raco that will inherit your land' will: be known for that love which •you'havo shown yourself—hospitality.' • -V, ''Tho figure vanished; -Guandy ■woke and returned to his tribe... The-next day.a tidal wa\*e came, and'the land of Guandy was . jwishpd-.'over by water and became aii island; The. tribe was cut off from the mainland, and wandered many years ■:< miserable; and unhappy. Tho white, man cam? and the blacks perished. Tho; apples grow in abundance, and Tasmania is noted for her beautiful apples all Over the world. And the people are noted for their wonderful hospitality.?' ~