The picaninny was kept in the black room of the homestead. The plan was to camp the lubra out in the bush a small way from the farm and for the white men to wait for the black man to come.

In the bush, Booraby crouched on his heels watching the farm and licked at the paste on the stone, which he took from a bag on his string of hair around his waist. His eyes were frenzied and dulled from the paste which was mixed by the magic man of the Murrang tribe to keep up a warrior’s courage.