Bandicoot Hunting

Jul 15, 2026

Upload by Ezra

A father and child venture into the bush at night to hunt bandicoots, preparing a platform beneath a pandanus tree and waiting in silence for the animals to come. After a spear kills a bandicoot, unsettling jungle noises test the child’s courage in the dark. The pair eventually return home, where a family crisis is revealed: a lawyer from the next village has passed away, and the unexpected events are linked to spirits that kept bandicoots away.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time35 min

Bandicoot Hunting

Preparing the hunt

Waiting in the dark

Terrifying jungle sounds

Returning home and the revelation

Check Your Understanding

02-Bandicoot Hunting School Journal Senior 2, 2008-V1 .1 English "There's no moon tonight," said my father. "Come and hunt bandicoots with me.” "Aio Papa!" I shouted. “Let's go now." While it was still light, we went into the bush. "Here's a pandanus tree, Papa. Look, the ripe nuts have fallen around it." 1 "That’s a good one," said Papa. He cleaned around under the tree, and laid all the dry leaves in a circle around the base of it. Then he built a platform over the leaves. That night Papa and I went back to the pandanus tree and sat on the platform and waited for the bandicoots to come. "Sit quietly," he said. Now I can hear them. Munch! Munch! Munch! The bandicoots were hewing the nut 2 Papa flashed his torch. He threw his pronged spear. It struck a bandicoot and pinned it to the ground. Papa jumped down from the platform, grabbed the bandicoot and twisted its neck to kill it. Then he gave it to me to put in the bag. Papa turned off the torch. It was pitch dark. There was no moon. I could not even see my father-just hear him breathing. Every now and then I would stretch my hand out to if he was still sitting th 3 All of a sudden, to the right of where we were sitting came a very big hollow bang. It was as if someone had thrown a stone at the trunk of a tree. “Mama!” I cried, and I moved very close to my father. "Oh, it must be a cuscus dropping something on the ground,” he said. 4 SSSHHH, CRASH, BANG SSSHHH! The noise was so terrifying that I threw my arms around my father."Mama!" I cried again. "Don't worry!" said my father. "There are lots of jungle sounds you are not used to. They are just the animals looking for food to eat. But maybe we should go home. Put that bandicoot in the bag and follow me. I'll lead the way and see if I can spear another one as we go.” 5 After hearing all those weird noises in the pitch black night, I couldn't stand to be separated from my father. I held tight to the bag over my shoulder with one hand, and clung to my father's shirt with the other I felt as if someone was about to snatch me from behind. I was so relieved when we reached home. 6 When my father and I were sitting around the fire, she said to him."While you were out, the lawyer from the next village passed away. I was waiting for you to come, so that we would take some food over. " My father was surprised. "No wonder we had all sort of things happening to us out there. It must have been his spirits that stopped so many bandicoots from coming under our platform." 7 My mother hurriedly cleaned our one bandicoot and cooked it with the food. As it was a big one, she left some for us and took the rest with the food to the house of mourning. 8 Check Your Understanding 1) What word best describes how the child feels when his dad invites him hunting? a) Scared b) Excited c) Worried d) Tired

FAQs

How does the child feel when his father invites him hunting?

The child experiences fear at first, especially as terrifying jungle sounds erupt in the pitch-black night.

What steps does the father take to set up the bandicoot hunt?

He cleans around the pandanus tree, lays dry leaves in a circle, builds a platform over them, and then waits while the child sits quietly.

What does the father explain about the frightening noises?

He tells the child that the sounds come from jungle animals searching for food, and suggests they may still go home if needed.

Jul 15, 2026

Upload by Ezra