Mick Quilliam

The story for this painting can be found in “The Land of the Sleeping Gods” page 102. One evening some black men were sitting around their campfire putting sharp points on small, stubby hard wood with their stone knives. They had been hunting in prickly-mimosa country during the day, and the small sticks were being sharpened to remove mimosa splinters from their arms and legs. They were rudely interrupted by a frisky little Drogerdy rushing around the campfire kicking ashes and dirt into their faces. The black men tried to catch him, but the little animal was too quick for them and scuttled out of their way like Kee the kangaroo rat. The harder they tried to catch him the more he pelted them with hot ash, until, after hopelessly chasing him, in anger they threw their pointed sticks. They threw so many and scored so many hits that little Drogerdy became slow and heavy with so much added weight. At last he seemed easy to catch – but when the black men tried to grab him, the sharp points of the sticks stung their hands. One of them spitefully rushed at the unfortunate Drogerdy and hit him on the head with a stick which broke into two pieces, so hard was the blow. The Drogerdy was stung into action. Rushing the black men, Drogerdy tore the rest of the sticks out of his hand and trotted off in triumph to the safety of the thick scrub, pelted all the way with sharp sticks. The tribesmen decided that Drogerdy had shown great courage. His withdrawal from the battle against great odds was one of triumph rather than defeat. They humoured him by calling him Mimla, the stickmouth.