For a long time there was no sun, only a moon and stars. That was before there were men on the earth, only birds and beasts, all of which were many sizes larger than they are now.
O n e d a y D i n e w a n t h e e m u a n d B r a l g a h t h e native companion were on a large plain near the Murrumbidgee. There they were quarrelling and fighting. Bralgah in her rage rushed to the nest of Dinewan, and seized one of the huge eggs in it, which she threw with all her force up to the sky. There it broke on a heap of firewood, which burst into a flame as the yellow yolk spilt all over it, and the flame lit up the world below, to the astonishment of everything on it. They had been used only to the semi-darkness, and were dazzled by such brightness.
A good spirit who lived in the sky saw how bright and beautiful the earth looked when lit up by this blaze. He thought it would be a good thing to make a fire every day, which from that time he has done. All the night heand his spirit helpers collect wood, and heap it up. When the heap is nearly big enough they send out the morning star to warn those on earth that the fire will soon be lit.
They, however, found this warning was not enough, for those who slept did not see it. Then they thought they must have some noise made at dawn of day to herald the coming of the sun and waken the sleepers. But for a long time they could not decide who should do this.
At last one evening they heard the laughter of Gougourgahgah the kookaburra ringing through the air. "That is the noise we want, " they said. Then they told Gougourgahgah that, as the morning star faded and the day dawned, he was every morning to laugh his loudest, that his laughter might awaken all sleepers before sunrise. If he would not agree to do this, then no more would they light the sun-fire, but let the earth be ever in twilight again.
Bu t Goug ou rg ahg ah save d t he lig ht f or t he world, and agreed to laugh his loudest at every dawn of day. This he has done ever since, making the air ring with his loud cackling "gou-gour-gah- gah, gou-gour-gah-gah, gou-gour-gah-gah. "When the spirits first light the fire, it does not throwout much heat. But in the middle of the day, when thewhole heap of firewood is in a blaze, the heat is fierce. After that it begins to die gradually away, until only the red coals are left at sunset, and they quickly die out, except a few the spirits cover up with clouds and save to light the heap of wood they get ready for the next day.
Children are not allowed to imitate the laughter of Gougourgahgah, lest he should hear them and cease his morning cry. If children do laugh as he does, an extra tooth grows above their eye-tooth, so that they carry a mark of their mockery in punishment for it; for well do the good spirits know that, if ever a time comes wherein the Gougourgahgahs cease laughing to herald the sun, then the time will have come when no more suns are seen in the land, and darkness will reign once more.
From More Australian Legendary Tales, by K. LanGloh ParKer.
About the Author.-See notes to "How Mussels were brought to the Creeks."About the Story.-Is the sun really a blazing fire? Find out all you can about the matter. Why does the kookaburra laugh at dawn, according to the legend? What are the "red coals" at sunset? Why must black children not imitate the kookaburra? Write a composition about "The Sun."Lesson 35
THE LyRE-BIRDS" CONCERT
The invitation, which was written with sap of the red-ink plant on the white side of a musk-leaf, said : "The Lyre-birds present their compliments to the children of Down Under, and will be glad to have them at a concert and dance at Flannel-tree Glade, Blue Range, on Thursday, at what o"clock.
"Directions-Take the red path through Cherry-tree Grove over Jack"s Look-out, where they may look out for a while, and then across the stepping stones. Mind the stone that wobbles."When the children reached the glade, the Kangaroo came over with a hop, skip, and a jump to meet them. "The artists are getting ready," he explained, "and they"ve asked me to take the chair on a log, because, though we kangaroos have long tails, we don"t make long speeches. Those little red mounds of earth, which are all swept clear of dead twigs and fallen leaves, are their dancing places. You won"t have long to wait. Just sit down and have a chat. Take that blackwood log.""Do you mean the log wearing the green plush?" asked Ohmy.
"Don"t be silly, Ohmy," whispered the Bush Boy. "That isn"t plush; it"s long moss and little wee ferns all mixed up together, and it grows always in the shade.""Green seems to be very much worn up here," said the Town Girl. "The tree-ferns wear their green capes on one side only. It goes well with their brown costume, and those big frond hats. One doesn"t really need a parasol with hats like that.""But why do they call the log blackwood," asked Query, "when it"s not black?""You might just as well call it that as anything else," remarked the Kangaroo. "If you cut the blackwood it"s red wood. Perhaps that"s why.""It"s like the blackberry," said the Bush Boy. "Mother used to say that when a blackberry was red it was green. They call blackwood dogwood sometimes.""Oh, that"s because of its bark," explained the Kangaroo, who seemed to have quite a lot of useful knowledge packed away in his pouch.
While they were still waiting for the concert, the mother Lyre-birds, who are always too busy to dance or sing, told about the dinner they had given a few daysbefore, when the Babblers came up to take dancing lessons.
"To begin with, we had snails on the shell-black mountain snails, which are ever so much better than the garden snail for the table, and have a nice pinky taste.""A pinky taste!" said Ohmy, curiously.