SHORT STORY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 30, 28 April 1927, Page 14

SHORT STORY

THE DUGONG By H. Hudson. Many years ago there lived on Moa Island, Torres Straits, a widow and her only son. One day the mother, Oosar, sent the boy to shoot pigeons with his bow and arrows, while she herself went fishing on the reef. The son, whose name was Gelam, pushed his way through the thick scrubs on the hillside, and at last his perseverance was rewarded by the sight of flocks of white pigeons drinking at a small pool. Approaching them with all the skill in woodcraft that he possessed, he succeeded in killing a number, and toward dusk set out for home with his kill. Before reaching the camp, however, he sorted out the birds, reserving the fatter ones for himself. His mother, on the other hand, had, with true maternal feeling, reserved the larger fish for Gelam. To avoid the exposure of his greed, the son, after presenting his mother with her share, cooked his j meal at a separate fire, and did not j again approach his mother until his J meal had been consumed. So pleased was Oosar with the success of his expedition that, far into the night, she praised him for his prowess as a hunter. Neither this nor his mother’s unselfish gift of the best fish awakened any remorse in the boy’s heart, and he determined that next day he would, if possible, eclipse his first effort. Telling his mother of his intentions, he was off at the first paling of the eastern sky. This time he was even | more successful than on the previous day, and returned home in triumph at evening. As before, he selfishly reserved the better birds for himself, but owing to the gathering dusk he unintentionally allotted some of the better-conditioned birds to his mother. When he duly presented her with her share, Oosar quickly noticed these plumper pigeons, and at once understood her son’s strange reluctance to share her fire and coYnpany on the previous evening. Giving no sign of her discovery, she pondered over plans for punishing the boy until the night was half spent. At early dawn Gelam was once more ascending the hillside with his weapons, but did not notice that his mother was making no preparations for her usual fishing expedition. As soon as he was gone, Oosar covered her face and body with pmtted grass, red earth, and shells, so that she presented a fear-inspiring figure. She followed her son’s tracks; but made a detour near the pool so as to approach it from the opposite side. In spite of the utmost caution, the pigeons, startled, cooed and fluttered in alarm, so that Gelam in his place of concealment knew that something had disturbed them. Even so he was not prepared for the spectacle that he actually saw. In the half light of the scrub appeared an awful figure, like nothing on earth he had ever seen—a thing that seemed to be an inhabitant of the infernal regions. His native folk lore abounded in tales of the “devil-devils,” and he did not for a moment question \ that this was one come to punish him y for his deceptions. With a wild cry of terror he rushed blindly down hill to gain the security of his home. Taking no heed of the obstacles in his track, the bush extracted immediate punishment for his impetuosity.

Bamboos smote him, thorns dragged at him, while more than once the stones and sticks underfoot were the cause of a fall. At last he reached his home and fell, bruised, bleeding, and penitent, on the floor. Meanwhile, Oosar had descended to he beach at some distance from the touse, and quickly washed off her disvuise. Returning to the house some ime later, she expressed surprise at the early return of her son, and the state he was in. Gelam told her of his adventure, and also confessed to the deception he had practised on her, for which, he was sure, this calamity was the punishment. Later in the day. however, he noticed some red soil still adhering behind his mother’s ears, and guessed what had happened. Consumed with anger at the trick his mother had played on him he determined to run away. How was he to accomplish this? For hours he puzzled out the problem, and at last he determined to hollow out a log, and drift wherever the tide would take him. He knew that his mother, if she saw him, would frustrate his plans, so he decided to swim with the log as much under water as possible, only coming up at infrequent intervals to breathe. The first log he fashioned his vessel from was of kutta wood, which is very light. He found that it was very difficult to keep it under water, so he allowed it to drift away. The tide carried it in the direction of Mabuag Island. His next attempt was made with wongi wood. This he found too heavy, as it would not hold his weight. Throwing it into the sea. it did not drift far away before sinking to the bottom. His third and last attempt was made with tul wood. ' This he found admirable, and, partly swimming and partly drifting, he was carried away past Yama and Tutu to the islands of the eastern Torres Straits. Thus, to-day the dugong of Mabuag rises quickly to the surface, and stays there some considerable time. It is the offspring of Gelam’s first experiment. The dugong of Moa and Badu, like its ancestor that was made of wongi wood, rises slowly and soon dives again. The dugong of the eastern islands follows a middle course between these two.

When she found that her son had gone, Oosar was filled with sorrow. She went to the beach facing the northeast, and gazed over the sea. looking for signs of her erring son. abandoning hope, she sat on a rocky point and covered her face with her hands while the tears rolled down her cheeks. While still in this position, the gods turned her into stone, so that to-day a rock in the shape of a crouchirig woman may be seen on Moa Island. As each wave breaks over the stones, the native fancy imagines the tears to be pouring from her eyes into the sea. —“ The Australasian.”