Kakadu Calling Read Free

baler shells lying on the floor of the canoe. ‘Grab them, Bulak. It’s time to start bailing.’
    They bailed and bailed and bailed. When Namanji finally looked up he saw the waterspout had moved a long way out.
    â€˜Hey, Bulak, you can stop now,’ said Namanji.
    â€˜I’m glad. I had my eyes closed the whole time, I was so scared.’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Namanji, ‘me too. But I think we’ll be all right now because the wind is blowing us towards that beach.’
    Away in the distance they could see the outline of a small island on the horizon.

    The two brothers used their hands to paddle, and some time later they made it to the shoreline. They were exhausted, but very happy to be back on the land. They pulled the canoe up high on the beach so the tide couldn’t take it, and then they collapsedonto the sand under a casuarina tree.
    Keeping an eye on the canoe, they wondered if their family had started to worry for them. They knew it was wise to stay on the beach until their family arrived.
    â€˜Well,’ said Namanji, ‘we’re on land and we know how to find water.’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Bulak. ‘Now we really do have to look after ourselves.’
    The rain began to ease off and Namanji could see some blue sky in the distance.
    â€˜I think it will be fine tomorrow,’ he said, ‘but for tonight we just have to drink water, no fish, because the wood is too wet.’
    The brothers climbed over a sandhill and found some pandanus palms growing in a hollow, near the treeline. They dug into the hollow and soon water started to seep to the surface. They filled their bottle and returned to the casuarina tree, promising each other not to talk about food untilthe morning. They made themselves comfortable on the cool sand and lay down to sleep.

    The next morning a soft breeze was blowing and the sea was calm. The brothers chose the highest sandhill they could find and climbed to the top. When they looked around, they could see their island away in the distance. They couldn’t see their community though, because that was located on the other side of the island.
    â€˜We must gather lots of wood to make a fire with smoke,’ said Namanji to his brother.

    They collected wood, grass and green leaves and laid them in a big pile on top of the sandhill.
    â€˜How are we going to light it?’ asked Bulak, with a worried voice. He was still feeling a bit shaky after seeing the waterspout the day before.
    â€˜I’ll show you,’ answered Namanji. ‘Go get the knife from the canoe while I look for some wood to make firesticks.’

    By the time Bulak had returned with the knife, Namanji had found some soft wood from the hibiscus tree and some hard wood from the casuarina tree. Namanji shaped both pieces the way his father had taught him. First he carved out a hollow in the hibiscus wood, and made a small v-shaped cut in the side of the hollow. Then he laid the hibiscus wood on the ground, and with his foot keeping it steady, he placed the casuarina stick in the hollow and began rotating it swiftly between his hands. Before long the sticks had heated upenough to create a smouldering ember. The ash from the ember fell down onto the grass and lit the fire.
    â€˜First we’ll cook the fish,’ said Namanji. The day before they’d buried the fish in the wet sand to keep them fresh. ‘They still smell okay’, he said.
    After cooking the fish in the hot embers, they built up the fire again and added more wood. Then they piled the green leaves onto the burning wood to make lots of smoke. Someone was sure to see the smoke and come looking.
    All morning the brothers took turns keeping a lookout for a smoke signal from their island. At mid-day, Namanji decided to go and hunt some mudcrabs for their lunch. He followed the tide out, searching the flat rock beds. With Bulak’s spear he was able to catch a couple of good-sized mudcrabs