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Dinewan the Emu, and Wahn the Crows.
 
 

Dinewan the emu, and his two wives the Wahn (crow), were camping out. Seeing some clouds gathering, they made a bark humpy. It came on to rain, and they all took shelter under it.

When his wives were not looking, Dinewan gave a kick against a piece of bark at one side of the humpy, knocked it down, then told his wives to go and put it up again. When they were outside putting it up, he gave a kick, and knocked down a piece on the other side; so no sooner were they in, than they had to go out again.

 
 

Dinewan knocked down pieces of bark time after time, until at last the Wahn suspected him, and decided that one of them would watch. The Wahn who was watching saw Dinewan laugh to himself and go and knock down the bark they had just put up, chuckling at the thought of his wives having to go out in the wet and cold to put it up, while he had his supper dry and comfortably inside.

The Wahn who saw Dinewan told the other Wahn, and they decided to teach him a lesson. So the Wahn came in, each with a piece of bark filled with hot coals. The Wahn went straight up to Dinewan, who was lying down laughing.

 
 

"Now" the Wahn said "you shall feel as hot we did cold." The Wahn threw the coals over Dinewan, who jumped up, crying aloud with the pain, because he was badly burnt.

Dinewan rolled himself over, and ran into the rain, while his wives stayed inside, and laughed aloud at him.

 

Collected in 1897 by Mrs. K. Langloh Parker.