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Quantum Computing
by Practice
Python Programming in the Cloud
with Qiskit and IBM-Q
Second Edition
Vladimir Silva
Quantum Computing by Practice: Python Programming in the Cloud with Qiskit and
IBM-Q, Second Edition
Vladimir Silva
CARY, NC, USA
v
Table of Contents
vi
Table of Contents
vii
Table of Contents
viii
Table of Contents
ix
Table of Contents
x
Table of Contents
Index��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 399
xi
About the Author
Vladimir Silva was born in Quito, Ecuador. He received a System’s Analyst degree from
the Polytechnic Institute of the Army in 1994. In the same year, he came to the United
States as an exchange student pursuing an M.S. degree in Computer Science at Middle
Tennessee State University. After graduation, he joined IBM as a software engineer. His
interests include Quantum Computing, Neural Nets, and Artificial Intelligence. He also
holds numerous IT certifications including OCP, MCSD, and MCP. He has written many
technical books in the fields of distributed computing and security. His previous books
include Grid Computing for Developers (Charles River Media), Practical Eclipse Rich
Client Platform Projects (Apress), Pro Android Games (Apress), and Advanced Android 4
Games (Apress).
xiii
About the Technical Reviewer
Jason Whitehorn is an experienced entrepreneur and soft-
ware developer and has helped many companies automate
and enhance their business solutions through data synchro-
nization, SaaS architecture, and machine learning. Jason
obtained his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from
Arkansas State University, but he traces his passion for de-
velopment back many years before then, having first taught
himself to program BASIC on his family’s computer while
still in middle school.
When he’s not mentoring and helping his team at work, writing, or pursuing one of
his many side-projects, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and four children and
living in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, region. More information about Jason can be found on his
website: https://jason.whitehorn.us.
xv
Introduction
The Quantum Computing Revolution
I wrote this book to be the ultimate guide for programming a quantum computer in the
cloud. IBM has made their quantum rig (known as the IBM Quantum) available not
only for research but for individuals, in general, interested in this exciting new field of
computing.
Quantum computing is gaining traction and now is the time to learn to program
these machines. In years to come, the first commercial quantum computers should be
available, and they promise significant computational speedups compared to classical
computers. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the field of cryptography where the
quantum integer factorization algorithm can outperform the best classical solution by
orders of magnitude, so much so that a practical implementation of this algorithm will
render current asymmetric encryption useless.
All in all, this book is a journey of understanding. You may find some of the concepts
explained throughout the chapters difficult to grasp; however, you are not alone. The
great physicist Richard Feynman once said: “If somebody tells you he understands
quantum mechanics, it means he doesn’t understand quantum mechanics.” Even the
titans of this bizarre theory have struggled to comprehend what it all means.
I have tried to explore quantum computation to the best of my abilities by using real-
world algorithms, circuits, code, and graphical results. Some of the algorithms included
in this manuscript defy logic and seem more like voodoo magic than a computational
description of a physical system. This is the main reason I decided to tackle this subject.
Even though I find the mind-bending principles of quantum mechanics bizarre, I’ve
always been fascinated by them. Thus, when IBM came up with its one-of-a-kind
quantum computing platform for the cloud and opened it up for the rest of us, I jumped
to the opportunity of learning and creating this manuscript.
Ultimately, this is my take on the subject, and I hope you find as much enjoyment
in reading it as I did writing it. My humble advice: Learn to program quantum
computers; soon they will be ever present in the data center, doing everything from
search and simulations to medicine and artificial intelligence. Here is an overview of the
manuscript’s contents.
xvii
Introduction
xviii
Introduction
around that. All in all, this chapter explores all the physical components of a quantum
computer: quantum gates, types of qubits such as superconducting loops, ion traps,
topological braids, and more. Furthermore, the current efforts of all major technology
players in the subject are described, as well as other types of quantum computation such
as quantum annealing.
xix
Introduction
xx
Introduction
xxi
Introduction
Integer Factorization: the notorious quantum factorization that experts say could bring
current asymmetric cryptography to its knees. This is the best example of the power
of quantum computation by providing exponential speedups over the best classical
solution.
xxii
CHAPTER 1
Quantum Fields:
The Building Blocks
of Reality
The beginning of the 20th century, more specifically 1930s Europe, witnessed the
dawn of arguably one of the greatest theories in human history: quantum mechanics.
After almost a century of change, this wonder of imagination has morphed and taken
many directions. One of these is quantum field theory (QFT) which is the subject of this
chapter. If you enjoy physics and wish to understand why things are the way they are,
then you must get your feet wet with QFT. It has been called the most successful theory
in history, riding high since the 1950s and giving rise to the standard model of particle
physics. This is the modern view of how nature works at the smallest scale, being proven
right time and again by countless experiments and instruments like the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC). All in all, the story of how QFT came to be, and the Masters of Physics
behind it, is a tale of wonder, furious rivalry but ultimate collaboration.
Our story begins in 1900 when Lord Kelvin stood in front of the British Science Royal
Society and enunciated: “There is nothing else to be discovered in physics” – a powerful
statement at the time but clearly wrong in hindsight. Perhaps, we should thank the lord
for such a bold proclamation because it is statements like that that drive others to prove
them wrong. This was put to the test 30 years later in Germany.
Around the 1930s, the great German physicist Max Plank (1858–1947) was working
on the black-body radiation problem, more specifically in the ultraviolet catastrophe.
To understand this problem, let’s backtrack to the physics of how materials glow in
multiple colors at different temperatures. In 1900 British physicist Lord Rayleigh derived
an approximation to predict that process. To accomplish his task, Rayleigh used the
so-called black body, a simple object that would absorb and emit light but not reflect it.
1
© Vladimir Silva 2024
V. Silva, Quantum Computing by Practice, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-9991-3_1
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Note that the term black doesn’t mean its color is black but that it simply absorbs and
emits light but does not reflect it, so when observed, you’ll see its glow or radiation.
Rayleigh’s work is known as the Rayleigh-Jeans law for spectral radiation of a black body
as a function of its wavelength λ (lambda) and its temperature in Kelvin degrees (K) (see
Equation 1.1):
2cK BT
B T (1.1)
4
where
• λ = wavelength
2
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Figure 1-1. Graph of the Rayleigh-Jeans law vs. Planck’s solution for the
ultraviolet catastrophe
2cK BT
B T (1.1)
4
2hc 2 1
B ,T hc
(1.2)
5
e K BT
1
3
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
It seems logical to assume that at high frequencies (short wavelengths), the energy of
the wave is higher (as there is more stuff flowing in) and that at lower frequencies (higher
wavelengths) the energy decreases. Therefore the energy (E) is directly proportional to
4
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
its frequency (v) and inversely proportional to its wavelength (λ). This knowledge gave
rise to the standard spectrum of light in the 19th century:
• On the left side of the spectrum (at the shortest wavelengths between
1 picometer and 0.01 nanometers [nm]), sit the gamma rays: very
dangerous, the usual result of a supernova explosion, they are the
most energetic. A gamma-ray burst from a supernova can destroy
everything in its path: all life on Earth, for example, even the solar
system. You don’t want to be in the crosshairs of a gamma-ray burst!
• At a tiny sort after the UV range sits the visible light spectrum that
allows us to enjoy everything we see in this beautiful universe.
• Finally, radio waves above the infrared range. These are used by most
human technology to send all kinds of information such as audio,
video, TV, radio, cell phones, you name it.
5
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
This is not well known to most people, but Einstein didn’t win a Nobel Prize for
his masterpiece on The Theory of Relativity, but for his work on the quantum nature
of light and the photoelectric effect. Using Planck’s idea, Einstein imagined light as
discrete waves (particles) which he called photons. He used this to solve a paradox in the
photoelectric effect unknown at the time (see Figure 1-3).
Figure 1-3. A fresh idea on the photoelectric effect earned Einstein the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 1921
As its name indicates, the photoelectric effect seeks to describe the behavior
of electrons over a metal surface when light is thrown in the mix. To this end, the
experiment in Figure 1-3 was devised:
• Start with two metal plates. Let’s call them the emitter and the
collector. Both are attached via a cable to a battery. The negative
end of the battery is connected to the emitter, and the positive to the
collector.
6
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
• The idea is to measure the kinetic energy of the electrons when they
flow from the emitter to the collector when a light source is thrown
into the emitter. To achieve this accurately, a vacuum is set among
the two.
However, this is not what happens. Two things were observed in reality:
7
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Figure 1-4 shows a graph of the kinetic energy of the electron (EK) as a function
of the light frequency (f ). At low frequencies, no electrons escape until the threshold
frequency is reached. Now, extend the line as shown by the dotted track in the figure,
and we have a straight line graph (note that the point at which the dotted track intersects
the Y axis is named by the Greek letter φ (Phi)). This is the energy needed to liberate the
electron. Thus, this line graph can be described by the algebraic equation Y = mx + c
where m is the gradient and c is the Y-intercept.
Now instead of Y, substitute the kinetic energy, with the gradient m being Planck’s
constant (h), the frequency (f) instead of x, and c being the energy needed to liberate or –φ.
Therefore, our line graph equality becomes Ek = hf − φ.
This is the equation for the photoelectric effect: the energy leftover after the electron
is liberated equals the energy given by the photon minus the energy needed to liberate it.
Tip Incidentally, the first scientist to think of light as a particle was Isaac Newton.
He thought light traveled in small packets which he called co-puzzles. He also
thought these packets had mass; something that is incorrect. Unfortunately, this
idea never took off and lay dormant until it was revived by the Planck-Einstein
revolution of the 1930s.
8
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Copenhagen Interpretation
This is the earliest consensus about the meaning of quantum mechanics, and was born
out of the golden age of physics with contributions from Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner
Heisenberg, and others in Copenhagen during the 1920s.
Schrödinger detested Bohr’s interpretation of the atom famously stating that “If I am
to accept the quantum jump, then I am sorry I ever got into the field of atomic research.”
As a matter of fact, his wave function was an attempt to defeat Planck-Bohr-Einstein. He
wanted to throw away the nascent theory of energy quanta and return to the continuous
classical model of wave physics, even pushing the idea that all reality can be described
entirely by waves. So why is ѱ used nowadays everywhere in quantum mechanics?
Thank this to our next physicist: Max Born.
German-Jewish physicist Max Born (1882–1970) took Schrödinger’s wave function
in an entirely new direction. Born proposed a probabilistic interpretation of ѱ, that
is, the state of a particle exists in constant flux, and the only thing we can know is the
probability of the particle at a given state. Born postulated that this probability is
P = ѱ2. Needless to say, Schrödinger didn’t like this at all as he thought his wave function
was being misused. He took a swing at Born with his now famous thought experiment:
the quantum cat. But before we check if the cat in the box is dead or alive and why,
consider this witty story: In the quintessential American cartoon Futurama (by Matt
Groening – creator of The Simpsons), our hero Fry enrolls in the police academy in
New-NewYork on Earth in the year 3000. One day while on patrol, Fry chases a bandit
carrying a mysterious box in the trunk of his car. Once in custody, the bandit is revealed
to be Werner Heisenberg. Fry looks at the box with a face full of trepidation and asks:
“What’s in the box?” To which Heisenberg replies, “a cat.” “Is the cat dead or alive?” asks
Fry. Heisenberg replies: “the cat is neither dead nor alive but in a superposition of states
with a probability assigned to each.” Long story short, Heisenberg the bandit is arrested
as a major violator of the laws of physics. This was a funny tale for the physics buff.
Nevertheless, it shows the quantum cat has become folklore, and the prime example
used to explain the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics.
10
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Tip A remarkable point is that at the beginning, this degree of uncertainty was
confused with the observer effect, which states that the act of measurement alters
the state of a quantum system. As a matter of fact, Heisenberg himself used the
observer effect as a physical explanation of this postulate. Since then this has
been proven untrue with a rigorous mathematical derivation of HUP provided by
physicist Earle Hesse Kennard in 1928.
11
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) was a dear colleague of Einstein and a
Nobel laureate for the remarkable Exclusion Principle which states that no two electrons
can have the same set of quantum numbers. These numbers describe the state of the
electron; therefore, no two electrons can be in the same quantum state at a time. In
Pauli’s time, the chemical effect of the electron was described by a set of three quantum
numbers:
Pauli studied experimental results from chemical tests on the stability of atoms
with even vs. odd numbers of electrons. At the time it was thought that an atom with
even numbers of electrons was chemically more stable than one with odd numbers.
Furthermore, these numbers were thought to be arranged in symmetric clusters or
closed shells around the nucleus. Pauli realized that these complex shells can be reduced
to a single electron by adding a new quantum number to the trio above. Pauli introduced
a new two-valued quantum number that will later be known as the quantum spin. Pauli’s
discovery was later generalized for all particles in the standard model:
Pauli’s exclusion principle is important in that it helps explain the complex shell
structure of atoms and its effect on their chemical stability. It also explains the way
atoms share electrons explaining the chemical variety of elements in nature and their
combinations. For this, Pauli received a Nobel Prize in 1945 for “a contribution through
his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle or Pauli principle,” with the
incredible honor of being nominated by Albert Einstein.
12
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Figure 1-7. The Dirac equation was the first attempt to inject relativistic space-
time in the context of quantum mechanics
13
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
14
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
15
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Bell’s Theorem Settles Einstein vs. Bohr and the EPR Paradox
Einstein vs. Bohr raged over the years with no clear winner in sight. Both physicists
passed away without settling their differences. However, in 1964, Irish physicist John
Stewart Bell (1928–1990) published a theorem to settle things once and for all. Bell’s
theorem did not seek to prove who’s right: quantum mechanics or relativity. It simply
provides the means to test the principle of nonlocality in entangled particles. In simple
terms, Bell’s theorem states that the sum of probabilities for a correlated three variable
quantum system is less than or equal to 1. That is, P (A = B) − P(A = C) − P (B = C) ≤ 1.
16
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
or equal to 1/3; what Bell’s theorem is saying here is that if reality is defined by the act of
observation as quantum mechanics predicts, then the minimum probability must be less
than 1/3.
On the other hand, if relativity is correct (the state of a particle is defined at creation),
then the probability must be greater than or equal to 1/3. Now the trick is to find out
if quantum mechanics violates Bell’s inequality. If it does, then our universe is bizarre
(Bohr and Planck were correct and quantum mechanics is saved). On the other hand,
if the inequality is not violated, then Einstein’s relativity wins and quantum mechanics
is wrong.
Amazingly, in 1982, French physicist Alain Aspect (1947–present) came up with
an experiment to test if quantum mechanics violates Bell’s theorem (see top right
side of Figure 1-8). The experiment used a laser and a calcium source to create pairs
of entangled photons. These photons travel in opposite directions passing through a
polarization filter with the results accounted for at the end. The goal was to calculate the
probability that both photons either pass thru or not at different angles, count the totals,
and see if the sum of probabilities is greater than or equal to 1/3. Remember that each
photon pair is entangled thus spooky action at a distance may occur when they pass the
filter. The results were astounding. The probability sum was around 1/4; Bell’s inequality
was violated as quantum mechanics predicted. It looks like God does throw dice after all!
Tip The late physicist Steven Hawking (1942–2018) once said “Not only god
throws dice but he is a compulsive gambler.” Some predictions of quantum
mechanics are so bizarre that they escape understanding. Our brains are wired to
make sense of the world around us; however, at the quantum scale, some things
cannot be understood, only accepted.
17
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
says that nothing in the universe can travel faster than the speed of light. The results
matched exactly in both instances: astounding and scary at the same time; imagine if
both photons were placed at the edges of the galaxy.
In an interview for the British BBC, John Bell spoke about these results: In physics,
some things escape our understanding, and we are left with no choice but to accept
them, as if reality is playing a trick on all of us. Amazing things occur at the quantum
scale, but the ultimate irony is that we cannot use them. Even though entangled particles
can send signals faster than light across huge distances, information cannot be sent in
the signal. A fact that is also predicted by quantum mechanics; what a bummer, forget
about texting your alien buddies on Alpha Centauri.
Tip It is hard to believe that Bell’s masterful theorem remained unnoticed for
years. Of course, that changed to the point that prominent physicists have called it
“The most profound discovery in science.”
18
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
In the double-slit experiment in Figure 1-9, photons originating from a laser beam
travel through a metal plate with two close slits with the resulting projection recorded
on a detector screen. In the first step, an observer or measuring device is placed on the
screen resulting in the interference pattern shown on top of the figure. In this case, the
pattern indicates that light behaves like a wave. Now, if the observer is moved close to
the two slits to look at which slit the photon goes through, then the resulting pattern
19
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
changes to a cluster of two lines (bottom of the figure); here the photons behave like
particles. Why this happens is one of the great mysteries in physics. A few concrete
conclusions were drawn by experts at this point:
Then there are the really strange implications. The great American physicist Richard
Feynman once said of the double-slit experiment, “the secrets of quantum mechanics
can be gleaned from careful study of this single experiment.” There seems to be one or
two bizarre things at work here depending on how you look at them:
20
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Science seeks to build objective and reliable models of the world thriving on the
standard and verifiable experimental method. Quantum mechanics now seems to reveal
that, at the deepest level of nature, objective science is no longer possible. Could the
mind play an intrinsic role in the unfolding of the world? Max Planck once said: “It seems
like the mysteries of nature cannot be solved by ourselves as we are part of nature and thus
the mystery we are trying to solve in the first place.”
21
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Figure 1-10. In MWI all possible photon trajectories continue in their own
timelines
Tip Everett’s idea was not taken seriously when first proposed, probably because
he was a graduate student at the time.
All in all, MWI may be the purest interpretation of quantum mechanics as its maths
does not require the collapse of the wave function. Nevertheless, the idea of realities
branching out of each other at every instance induces an existential crisis that could
justify its unpopularity. Imagine infinite versions of yourself out there going through
every possible life path. It just sounds too bizarre. All in all, the most important specifics
about MWI are
22
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Supplementary Interpretations
When it comes to interpretations of quantum mechanics, Copenhagen and many worlds
are the most popular. Yet there are many more, which fall in two big categories: collapse
vs. no-collapse of the wave function, further classified by determinism, nonlocality
(spooky action at a distance), and observer presence. The following list describes some
of them according to the collapse of the wave function.
Conscious Observer
Also known as the von Neumann-Wigner interpretation, proposed by Hungarian
mathematician John von Neumann (1903–1957) with contributions by Hungarian
physicist Eugene Wigner (1902–1995). It dwells in the realm of philosophy by
hypothesizing that the wave function is universal and that it is the consciousness of the
experimenter which collapses it. There is not much meat in the bones of this theory;
nevertheless, over the years it has branched into ideas such as
23
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Quantum Information
A truly fascinating theory, this is an attempt to eliminate the indeterminism (chance)
in the collapse of the wave function by taking cues from standard quantum physics
which says that information is recorded irreversibly. In this context, information means
a quantity that can be understood mathematically and physically, and irreversible
means that quantum states cannot roll back to previous ones due to the second law of
thermodynamics: entropy. Entropy states that the disorder (entropy) of the universe
can only increase. Perhaps, this could be better understood from the perspective of
the so-called arrow of time. That is, because time can only increase, and because of
Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle where quantum states are intrinsically random,
recorded information is irreversible due to the fundamental uncertainty of quantum
mechanics. All in all, the quantum information interpretation is based on three
principles:
• The wave function evolves deterministically, going through
all possibilities. A particle will randomly choose one of those
possibilities to become real.
24
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
Tip In this interpretation, there is only one world: the quantum world, and the
quantum to classical transition. Furthermore, the determinism of classical laws of
motion and causality are fundamentally statistical. Everything is probabilistic, but
near certainty.
The following theories eradicate the notion of the wave function collapse.
• A configuration for the entire universe. These are the positions of all
particles in our universe q(t) ∈ Q where Q is the configuration space.
So, at every moment there exists not only a wave function (pilot wave), but also
a well-defined configuration of the whole universe. This effectively gets rid of the
indeterminism of the Copenhagen interpretation and the superposition of states (no
quantum cat is allowed). Thus, what we perceive as reality is made by the identification
of the configuration of our brain with some part of the configuration of the whole
universe.
25
Chapter 1 Quantum Fields: The Building Blocks of Reality
• Relativity: Pilot wave conflicts with special relativity in the sense that
it is nonlocal (accepts instantaneous action at a distance). Over the
years, several extensions have been added in an attempt to overcome
this conflict. Bohm himself in 1953 presented an extension to the
theory using absolute time (where time is the same everywhere –
something that is a big no in special relativity; where time is highly
malleable and may be different relative to the position of the
observer).
26
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
“What shall I do?” thought the boy. “I know, I’ll turn into a great
bundle of straw, and crowd him out of the place.” You see, he was
such a selfish boy he never even thought about the lady who had
allowed him to fly into the room.
The lady was horrified to see the door filled up with straw; but, lo!
the little old man at once turned himself into a donkey, and began to
eat the straw. At every mouthful he of course ate what was really a
piece of the boy, and the boy knew he must soon die at that rate.
Hurriedly the boy changed himself into a mouse, but, alas! there was
no mouse-hole for him to run and hide in, and before he could reach
the door, the cat that belonged to the lady saw him, pounced upon
him, and ate him up.
So that was the end of the boy who tried to get rich by stealing
and lying. You might think that the £1,100 the old man had given
the father made him a rich man for life. Not so, the neighbours and
he soon spent it in gambling and drink, and in a short time he was
as poor as he had been before his son began practising his magic
tricks.
FINIS
THE MAGIC GUN
“BARAK TELLING THE STORY OF THE MAGIC GUN.”
The Magic Gun.
“Some of us are here,” cried a sweet voice, “and you shall have
just a glimpse of us at our work.” At the same instant he saw fairies
in all directions, all hard at work, making the fungi grow brighter and
brighter.
“Tell me what you are doing,” said Tom. “How do you make it all
glow like that?”
“The fairies’ secret, little man. Good-bye! Good-bye.”
“Good-bye,” answered Tom. “Thank you for the glimpse.”
He had scarcely finished speaking when he felt himself being
borne along at an awful pace; the water was rushing to meet the
sea. They met, and Tom felt himself hurled down ever so far below
the surface of the water, then tossed up again. He had gone down
as a fish, but he came up as a boy, and his wet clothes kept him
from swimming very easily. Just as he thought he would not have
strength to swim much further, he heard a voice say—“There is a
boy sinking, pull over and take him in the boat.”
In a few minutes he was safe among a boatload of picnickers who
had driven from the Mount to Dingley Dell, the beautiful place where
Adam Lindsay Gordon lived for many years.
“Why, it is young Tom Jones,” cried one of the rowers. “Did you
walk all the way here from your uncle’s place in the Mount? It is a
good nineteen miles.”
“No,” answered truthful Tom. “I swam from the Blue Lake.”
But no one would listen to his tale of adventures. They hurried
him to “Adam Lindsay Gordon’s” Cottage, wrapped him in shawls,
and soon drove away with him to a doctor, because, they said, he
was raving. In vain Tom pointed to a nasty jagged cut in his lip, and
told them he had been a fish for a time. They would not listen, and
even to this day, if he begins to tell his wondrous adventures, they
smile so broadly that Tom gives up the attempt to make them know
the truth about the river theory.
Tom knows what he knows, however, and he is certain he has not
seen the last of the fairies, but that in the wattle blossom season
they will allow him to see them among the golden blossoms on the
river banks.
THE ORIGIN OF THE YARRA YARRA
(Ever-flowing)
“BARAK SNATCHED THE HONEYCOMB AWAY, AND PUT IT IN HIS
MOUTH.”
The Origin of the Yarra Yarra
(Ever-flowing)
ong years ago, before the white men came to the Sunny
South, there lived a little black boy with his mother and
father near the happy hunting grounds among the Baw
Baw Mountains. Barak was the little boy’s name.
Barak was all very much of everything about him. He was very fat
and shiny, his eyes were very black, his hair very frizzy, his nose very
flat, and his lips very thick, his laugh very jolly, and his heart very
kind.
One day his mother said to him, “Barak, your mother is sad;
honey is the only medicine that will make her happy. Go, find the
wild honey and bring some in the honeycomb.”
Barak being very kind, went to look for honey for his mother. A
long, long way he went before he found a honey tree, and when he
found one he sat down under it and cried, for a big, big bear was
licking his paws after having eaten all the honey.
“Boo hoo! Boo hoo!” cried Barak. “Mother is sad because she has
no honey, and you have eaten it all up.”
“Good little fat boy,” said the bear, “there is another honey tree
behind this one. I am very thirsty, and the water is a long way from
here; bring me some water, and I will climb the tree and give you
honey.”
Barak dried his tears and smiled.
“Good, big bear, bring me the honey first, then I will get the water
for you.”
Now the bear was very thirsty indeed after having eaten so much
sweet honey, and the sun was shining so fiercely that he really felt
too hot and tired to walk to the water, while he could easily climb
the honey tree. Barak stood under the tree, watching the bear, who
quickly brought down a small piece of honeycomb.
“Give it to me to take to my mother,” said Barak.
“When I have drunk the water, you may have the honeycomb,”
said the bear, watching the golden honey drop slowly from the
comb. But even while he was speaking, Barak snatched the
honeycomb away, and when the bear tried to get it back again, the
little boy put it in his mouth, and the honey dropped down his
throat.
“Where is the water you promised me?” growled the bear.
“I promised to get you some water if you gave me some honey,
but you would not give me the honey.”
“You have eaten the honey,” cried the big bear.
“But you did not give it me, big bear; I took it.”
Then the big bear took up stones to kill the fat little black boy,
who ran quickly behind a tree, and there was such a chasing around
and around that tree that at last Barak got so tired he thought he
must fall to the ground, but he kept on running, and he cried aloud
to the Great Spirit to help him.
Now the Great Spirit knew that Barak had wanted the honey for
his mother, and that he had only eaten it so that the big bear should
not get it again. So when he heard the little boy cry to him for help
when the big bear’s breath was hot on him as he ran, the kind Great
Spirit was sorry for the little boy who had only been foolish.
“I will send a Shining One to help him,” he said.
How glad Barak was when a Shining One suddenly caught him up
in his arms and ran away with him. It was a hot, hot day; but Barak
could hear, first, the gurgle of a stream, then the sound of deep
running water, and as he peeped over the shoulder of the Shining
One to see if the bear were very near, he saw a strange sight, for as
the Shining One ran, he dragged his right foot along the ground, and
the earth opened and water flowed in the opening.
In and out among the trees, often doubling back, then on again,
ran the Shining One, with the bear following fast. All day long they
went, until the sun went down like a ball of fire and the moon rose
looking very much like the fiery sun, showing that the next day
would be another scorcher.
In the moonlight the big bear looked very terrible.
“He is coming nearer!” cried Barak. “Oh, don’t let him catch me!”
“Don’t be afraid,” said the Shining One, in a quiet voice that made
Barak feel happy even in his fear. “Tell me what you can see
following the bear?”
“Yarra Yarra it is,” said the boy joyfully; “a deep swift river flows in
the track you make with your foot as you pass along.”
“And look in front of you now, what do you see there?”
“The sea, the beautiful sea,” said Barak.
“We will go on the sea to the Great Spirit who sent me when you
called to Him for help; but the bear, who only thinks of revenge, will
be caught between the river and the deep blue sea.”
And so it happened.
Barak was taken in the Shining One’s arms right up to the Great
Spirit who had heard and answered his cry for help, and the bear,
who only wanted revenge, was drowned.
Barak’s mother waited long for the honey. When she found no
dear little black son coming back to her, she followed his tracks until
she came to the tree from which the chase had begun. There she
found marks of her dear boy’s feet, and knew he had been chased
by a big, big bear. There, too, she found, where all had been dry and
hard, a hole in the earth, as if some one had thrust in their foot with
great force, and from this hole flowed water.
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