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Soon a great whirring is heard, telling that Gayandi, the Boorah spirit, is near. Yudtha Dulleebah, one of the oldest black men in the district, said at this stage once two boys did look up. The wirreenuns saw them, though the boys did not know it and went on looking.
Of the Gayandi, the Boorah spirit, sometimes called Wallahgooroonboooan, there was no figure, because he was always present at Boorahs, though invisible. His voice only gave evidence of his presence.
Every night was heard at intervals the Gayandi, and immediately the younger women and children stopped their ears, while the old women shrieked their BRUMBOORAH. As each fresh batch of blacks arrived the volume of sound was increased, for the old men with their Gayandi would go into the scrub and whirl them.
There each Munthdeegun told his boy he could sleep that night; he would go to sleep the boy he had been, to wake in the morning a new man; his courage had now been tried, and in the morning a new name and a sacred stone would be given to him. The Gayandi would settle their names that night and tell the wirreenuns.
One day he was chopping a big Coolabah tree close to Weetalibah water-hole, which tree, much to the horror of our blacks, was burnt down a few years ago by travellers. As Byamee chopped, out flew a big chip. He heard the whizzing sound it made, gave another chop, out flew another; again the whizzing sound. 'That is what I want, he said I'll make a Gayandi of wood.
This spirit, known variously as Gayandi, or Darramulun, went to the Boorah, but when he was to knock out the front tooth, he began to eat the boys' faces. He was too strong; he would not do to preside over, Boorahs. Byamee transformed him into a large piggiebillah-like animal, though instead of being covered with spines, thick hair grew over him; he has since been known as Nahgul.
The tribe of a neighbouring creek, when we were first at the station, used to threaten to come and get it, but the men of the local tribe used to muster to protect it from desecration even at the expense of their lives. The Minggah by the garden I have told you of before. Further down the creek are others. At Weetalibah was the tree from which Byamee cut the first Gayandi.
At length there came a night when was heard a whizzing, whirling boom far in the scrub. As the first echo of it reached the camp, the women, such as were still young enough to bear children, stopped their ears, for should any such hear the Gurraymi, the women's name for the Gayandi, or Boorah spirit's voice, that spirit will first make them mad, then kill them.
After the fifth Boorah the mystery of the Gayandi was revealed and the bull roarers shown oval pieces of wood pointed at both ends, fastened to a string and swung round; but though this was shown, the wirreenuns told them that the spirit's voice was really in this wood animating it.
There the Gayandi swung, making a whirring noise. 'What's that? said the women. 'We'll have a look what it is. Seeing Byamee they said, 'We heard voices in that big tree over there. 'Whereabouts? he said. 'In that Coolabah tree. Such strange voices, such as we never heard. 'You two go' he said, 'to our camp and make a fire. I'll go and see what it is.
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