Billy paused only a moment before moving to the base of the tree. He fished through a tattered box. Before he showed us this prize, he offered a serious warning.

"You can both look but only the bloke here can touch. These are men's objects. Even though you're not a tribal member, they have such a strong curse I would be afraid for you if you broke tradition."

He produced a pair of slippers woven from human hair and feathers.

"I keep them hidden so tribal women won't see them. These belonged to the karadji man, the fellow responsible for enforcing punishments handed down by the elders. If an Aboriginal women saw these she'd probably run away screaming."

He tossed one of the flat, grey shoes to the ground before rolling his foot onto the slipper. Then he gingerly peeled it from the ground, careful not to disturb the dirt beneath.

The slipper had left hardly any imprint in the dust, and soon the wind would sweep even that away. The victim never knows where his tormenter comes from or where he goes because there are never any tracks.