Blue-Tongue Lizard

Blue-tongue lizard and his family camped near a swamp long ago. One day, blue-tongue went to get sme food. While he was down at the swamp, he left his wife sitting under the shady tree. A little while later, Taipan passed by blue-tongue lizard’s camp. He saw blue-tongue lizard’s wife sitting under the tree. He decided he would steal her from blue-tongue lizard.

He took her with him and together they ran a long way. Taipan did not know that a black bird had been watching him. As long as he ran away with blue-tongue lizard’s wife, black bird began singing out to blue-tongue lizard “your wife is gone,  Taipan has taken her away”, he cried. Blue-tongue lizard herad black bird’s call. He went back to the shady tree  where he had left his wife and saw she was gone. He put down his bag which was full of food and made a fire. He cooked his food after he had finished eating it, he went to get his spears.

He found they had been broken by Taipan. Then he found the tracks of his wife and Taipan and he followed them. Blue-tongue lizard followed followed their tracks until he came to a freshly killed emu. It had been killed by Taipan. Blue-tongue knew that Taipan and his wife must be nearby. He soon found them near a river. When Taipan saw him, soon Taipan ran to get the spears but Blue-tongue had already broken them.

“We can fight with our teeth”, said Blue-tongue lizard. Taipan agreed and the two fought wildly. Ubtil finally Blue-tongue lizard caught hold of Taipan’s body in his powerful jaws and bit him in half. With Taipan dead, blue-tongue lizard took his wife and together they returned to the swamp.

*Note: Taipan is a snake.

(Source: Extract from the land of the snake people. Percy trezise 2000)