Wayarnbeh The Turtle

: Australian Legendary Tales

Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had

three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard some one

moving behind the big Mirrieh bushes. She listened. All of a sudden out

jumped Wayambeh from behind a bush and seized Oolah, telling her not to

make a noise and he would not hurt her, but that he meant to take her

off to his camp to be his wife. He would take her three children too

nd look after them. Resistance was useless, for Oolah had only her yam

stick, while Wayambeh had his spears and boondees. Wayambeh took the

woman and her children to his camp. His tribe when they saw him bring

home a woman of the Oolah tribe, asked him if her tribe had given her

to him. He said, "No, I have stolen her."



"Well," they said, "her tribe will soon be after her; you must protect

yourself; we shall not fight for you. You had no right to steal her

without telling us. We had a young woman of our own tribe for you, yet

you go and steal an Oolah and bring her to the camp of the Wayambeh. On

your own head be the consequences."



In a short time the Oolahs were seen coming across the plain which

faced the camp of the Wayambeh. And they came not in friendship or to

parley, for no women were with them, and they carried no boughs of

peace in their bands, but were painted as for war, and were armed with

fighting weapons.



When the Wayambeh saw the approach of the Oolah, their chief said:

"Now, Wayambeh, you had better go out on to the plain and do your own

fighting; we shall not help you."



Wayambeh chose the two biggest boreens that he had; one he slung on

him, covering the front of his body, and one the back; then, seizing

his weapons, he strode out to meet his enemies.



When he was well out on to the plain, though still some distance from

the Oolah, he called out, "Come on."



The answer was a shower of spears and boomerangs. As they came whizzing

through the air Wayambeh drew his arms inside the boreens, and ducked

his head down between them, so escaped.



As the weapons fell harmless to the ground, glancing off his boreen,

out again he stretched his arms and held up again his head, shouting,

"Come on, try again, I'm ready."



The answer was another shower of weapons, which he met in the same way.

At last the Oolahs closed in round him, forcing him to retreat towards

the creek.



Shower after shower of weapons they slung at him, and were getting at

such close quarters that his only chance was to dive into the creek. He

turned towards the creek, tore the front boreen off him, flung down his

weapons and plunged in.



The Oolah waited, spears poised in hand, ready to aim directly his head

appeared above water, but they waited in vain. Wayambeh, the black

fellow, they never saw again, but in the waterhole wherein he had dived

they saw a strange creature, which bore on its back a fixed structure

like a boreen, and which, when they went to try and catch it, drew in

its head and limbs, so they said, "It is Wayambeh." And this was the

beginning of Wayambeh, or turtle, in the creeks.



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