Diginboya was an old man, and it was already difficult for him to provide food for his two wives and two daughters. He lived with his family away from his tribe, but usually joined the people of Mullian the Falcon when they went hunting. This way he could get food more accurately than on his own.
One day, when the Mullians went hunting, he was late to join them, hid in the thickets at some distance from their camp and waited for their return. He heard them, as they returned, singing “The Song of the Emu Sitting on the Eggs,” which is always sung by the first person to find an emu nest in the season. Hearing the singing, Diginboya jumped up and headed towards the Mullian camp, singing the same song as if he too had found an emu nest. Everyone walked towards the camp, cheerfully singing:
Nardu, narber me derrin derrinbach, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
Gambay buan iniahdeh bihwah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
Gabbondi, di, and, and, and.
Neeh, neen, galbiah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
Translated, this song means approximately the following:
I was the first to see her among the young trees,
White mark on her head
The white mark I saw before
when during the day the emus walked together.
I had never seen an emu in a nest before, it was always moving around.
Now that we've found the nest,
We have to make sure the ants don't get to the eggs,
If they crawl on them, the eggs will spoil.
When the hunters came to the camp, Diginboya was with them. Mullian asked him:
“Did you find an emu nest too?”
“Yes, I found it,” answered Diginboya. “I think that you noticed the same nest, but after me, since I did not see your traces.” I am older than you, my legs were stiff, and I could not return quickly. Tell me where is the nest you found?
“Among the eucalyptus trees, on the edge of the plain,” answered the unsuspecting Mullian.
- I thought so; this is my nest. But that doesn't mean anything. We can share, everyone will get it. Tonight you need to position yourself with a net near the nest, and tomorrow you need to catch an emu.
The Mullians took an emu net made of thin rope and, together with Diginboya, positioned themselves near the place where the bird was sitting on its eggs. Having chosen a place for the camp, they had dinner and had a corroboree.
At dawn the next day, they set up a net on poles in the form of a triangular pen, open on one side, and they themselves positioned themselves at the ends of the net and along it.
The Daens then surrounded the emu's nest with a wide ring, leaving the side facing the net free.
They gradually began to converge until they scared the emu away from the nest. Seeing people from all sides except one, the bird ran in that direction and found itself in a pen. Frightened, she rushed towards the net like crazy. The Daens ran up, grabbed the bird and twisted its neck.
Some returned to the nest, took the eggs, baked them in the ashes of the fire and ate them. The emus were plucked and a hole was dug to bake the bird in. When enough coals had accumulated in the fire, they were raked out and laid in a thick layer at the bottom of the pit, branches with leaves were placed on top, and feathers were placed on them. Then they laid the emu, covering it with feathers, leaves and a layer of coals. Then everything was covered with earth.
Emu took several hours to cook, so Diginboya said:
“I’ll stay to fry the emus, and you young people, take your spears and try to hunt down more emus.”
The Mullians found this proposal reasonable and took a pair of long spears with sharpened hooks at the end to hold the emu when the spear pierced him. The spears were decorated with emu feathers and went hunting.
They soon spotted a herd of emus walking towards a watering hole past where they were staying. Two of the detachment, armed with spears, climbed a tree, broke branches and disappeared behind them. As the emus came closer, the hunters hung their spears and began to swing them so that the feathers at their ends fluttered. The emus became interested in the feathers and approached the very spears. The Daen tightened their grip on their spears and thrust them forcefully into the two emus they had targeted. One of the emus immediately fell dead. Another ran with a spear stuck into him, but Daen caught up with him and killed him.
With the killed birds, the hunters went to Diginboya, who was roasting emu.
Having fried two more birds, everyone headed to the camp in excellent spirits. Along the way they threw waddy clubs and returning bubbler boomerangs.
Old Diginboya said:
“Listen, let me carry the emu, then it will be more convenient for you to throw a waddy and a bubbler and decide who is the most accurate.”
They gave him the emu and moved on, some throwing waddy, others showing their skills from the bubber.
But then Diginboya fell to the ground. The others thought he had sat down to rest for a few minutes and continued running, laughing and playing. Each successful throw of the weapon led to a new throw, since no one wanted to be defeated while he had a waddy. Moving further away and seeing that Diginboya continued to sit, they called out to him and asked what was the matter.
“Everything is fine,” he answered. “I’ll just rest and go in a minute.”
Then they moved on.
When they were out of sight, Diginboya jumped up, picked up the emu and headed towards a seemingly invisible hole in the ground. It served as the door to the underground home of the Murga-mugai spider. Diginboya went down, taking the emu with him. He knew that there was another exit nearby through which he could get to his home.
He often used this move when returning from hunting.
The Mullians came home and waited for Diginboya, but he was nowhere to be seen. Then they retraced their steps, called him loudly, but received no answer and did not meet him.
Then the wisest of the Mullians, Mullian-ga, said that he would find Diginboya. Taking with him bundi clubs and spears, he went to where Diginboya had previously sat. He saw that Diginboya's traces had turned to the side and disappeared, but could not understand where, since he had not noticed the small neat door of Murga-mugai. Mullian-ga decided to search in the bushes until he found Diginboya.
Finally he saw the camp, approached it and met two little girls playing, the daughters of Diginboya.
-Where is your father? - he asked them.
“Hunting,” they answered.
—Which way does he come home?
“Our father comes home from here.” And they showed him the descending door of the spider’s underground house.
-Where are your mothers?
— They went to collect honey and sweet potatoes. - And the little girls ran to the tree on which they were playing, running up its inclined trunk.
Mullian-ga came up, stood where the trunk rose highest above the ground, and said:
“Now, little ones, climb up here and jump, and I’ll catch you.” Jump one at a time.
One girl jumped into his outstretched arms, but he let them go and stepped aside. She fell and died.
Then he shouted to another child:
- Go jump. Your sister jumped too fast. Come when I call, and then jump.
- No, I'm afraid.
“Go ahead, I’ll get ready this time.” Now jump.
- I'm afraid.
“Go, I’m strong,” and he smiled affectionately at the child.
The girl made up her mind and jumped, sharing the fate of her sister.
“Now,” said Mullian-ga, “both wives are coming here.” I have to keep them quiet, otherwise their screams at the sight of the children will scare away their husband.
He hid behind a tree and, when the women passed by, killed them with spears.
Then he went to the door indicated by the children and sat down to await the arrival of Diginboya. He didn't have to wait long. The door lifted and a roasted emu appeared on the ground, which Mullian-ga took and placed next to him. Diginboya thought that the girls took the emu because they expected him to return and always did. He stuck out a second emu, which Mullian-ga also accepted, then a third. Finally, Diginboya himself got out and saw Mullian-ga in front of him with a club and a spear in his hand.
Diginboya rushed back, but the door slammed behind him, and Mullian-ga blocked his path to escape.
“You stole our food,” said Mullian-ga. “Now you will die.” I have already killed your children.
Diginboya looked around fearfully and, seeing the bodies of the girls under the tree, groaned loudly.
“And I,” Mullian-ga continued, “killed your wives.” Diginboya raised his head and looked around fearfully again. On the path leading to the house, he saw his dead wives. Then Diginboya exclaimed loudly:
“Here are your emus, Mullian-ga, take them and spare me!” I won’t steal anymore, because I need a little myself, but my children and wives were starving, and I stole for them. Please, have mercy on me, I'm already old. I won't live long, have mercy on me.
“No,” said Mullian-ga. “Whoever stole from Mulelian twice will not live.” And with these words he pierced Diginboya with a spear. Then he took all the emus and quickly went to the camp.
Dinner that night was fun. The Mullians ate emus, and Mullian-ga told the story of how he found and killed Diginboya. The Mullians were proud of the power and cunning of their great man.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru