a place called Mankara-timpiworana.[1] In the lake at that place they disported themselves in the water, by striking it with the flat of the hand and thus raising themselves up and again sinking down in it. Then the Pinnaru involuntarily said these words[2]:—
| "Aftto | | niipa | | kairi | | balanpa | | pitaira" |
| My | wives | they | sliding (in) | water strike (it). |
The girls, hearing this, cried out, "What do you want?" to which he replied, "Nothing, I was only calling my dog Dulderana."
At the next resting-place, at Nipatakana,[3] the older girls told the younger to spread out the skin rugs to dry, so that they should not be spoilt.[4] The Mankara-waka did this, stretching them out with wooden pegs.
After that they remained at Nipatakana for some time, then marching farther to Kalyara-kodiangu,[5] where the Pinnaru brought all the girls before him, and wished to take the youngest for his wife. Here an immense flood overtook them, extinguishing their fires, covering their camp, and driving them on to the sandhills. The Pinnaru endeavoured to stay the flood, but was driven by it to Kaliriwa,[6] where the whole of the flat land was covered by water. He took refuge on a sandhill called Yendada,[7] but the water rose higher and higher until it was covered, and the Pinnaru fell on the ground exhausted, from which the place was named Madaputa-kuda-kun.[8] Hastily rising, he made a mound of earth at Wadlupirpaka;[9] but all in vain, as was also his attempt to stay the waters at Wolka-wolka[10] by driving stakes into the ground, fastening cross-pieces to them, and covering them with grass and bushes. The current broke through and carried it all away.
It was only at Kirha-kudana[11] that the Pinnaru succeeded in stopping the further spread of the flood-waters, by sticking his boomerang in the ground with its back toward the current. Then having brought the waters to a standstill, he converted them with his hand into a wide-spread layer of salt at Mara-karaka.[12]
- ↑ Timpiwora is a plant, which has not been identified.
- ↑ In the Wonkanguru language.
- ↑ Nipa is "clothing," and takana is "to peg out."
- ↑ As the Wonkanguru have not any skin rugs, the context suggests that as the Mankara started from the Kukata country, they had obtained skin rugs from the coast tribes.
- ↑ Kalyara is "quick," Kodiangu is "to flow" or "run like water."
- ↑ To overflow, to blot out, to cover the ground.
- ↑ Yendada is "ridicule."
- ↑ Madaputa is the Wonkanguru word for Pinnaru, and Kuda-kudana is "to fall down."
- ↑ Wadlu is a sandhill; in Dieri, Dako.
- ↑ Wolka-wolka is any young animal.
- ↑ Kirha is "boomerang." If the natives at Killalpanina wish to stop the flood-waters from spreading, they stick a boomerang in the ground, especially that kind that returns when thrown—Kandri or Wanamaru. Thus the Kopperamana and Killalpanina blacks think when the flood-waters do not extend to them that the people at Pando and Perigundi have stopped their flow in this manner.
- ↑ Mara is "the hand," and Karaka is "to touch."
