Show PRE PRETTY MYTHS OF BUSHMEN real poetry in legends handed down among the aborigine aborigines of australia fish were nere not always fish and did not alnajes stay under water accord ing to the story of the blacks of the australian bush they say that fishes once lived on land and went hunting just as other people do one day the fishes were gathered together in a camp near a river the story goes it was very cold and the fishes were huddled around a fire trying to get warm suddenly a great wind came up and blew both the fishes and the fire into the water the fishes just crowded around the fire under the waves and kept warm that Is how the fish first came to stay in lit rivers and aud streams the budmen say they add that the fire Is still under the water and that Is why by it Is always wanner warmer under water on a cold day than it Is on land they also fay say that the crow once owned all the fire there was on earth and that he kept it in a bag one day it dropped from his bill and a sparrow hawk saw it fall he dove after it and grabbed the bag when he flew away the crow gave chase and overtook him the two birds fought and in the the fire fell out of the bag and set the grass and leaves ablaze the crow tried in vain to prevent the spread of the flames baines by stamping on them and rolling in them but the fire spread over the earth and everybody got ome rome to this day the crow Is black from rolling on the burned grass they sav xav |