66 Gunnar Landtman. 



I go garden." ^ While the younger woman was away her sister was making a basket at home. 

 In the course of the day she carried the boy to the shore and washed him there, bathing herself 

 also. When they were ready she carried the boy back and put him down close to the basket at 

 which she was working. While she was changing her wet grass petticoat for a dry une the little 

 boy crept into the basket without her noticing it. On resuming her work the vvoman saw that 

 something was moving inside the basket; thinking that it was a dog she Struck at it with a stick, 

 and the boy was hit on the head and killed. „What name (why) that dog he no sing (cry) out?" 

 the woman wondered, „what name that.?" And she opened the basket; „Oh!" she cried, „that 

 no dog, that boy! All same dog I been kill him!" And she took the body in her arms and 

 wept bitterly. 



In the evening the child's parents returned from the bush, and the mother brought her 

 sister svvamp-fish, sago, coconuts, and firewood by way of compensating her for looking after 

 the child. „No good you bring that kaikai (food)," the unhappy woman said, „Oh, sister, I heen go 

 swim along (with the) boy, I change grass (petticoat). Boy seif go inside basket, I think that 

 dog. Head belong him I break him." The mother was beside herself with anger and attacked 

 her sister furiously with the same stick, and they fought. 



The parents of the dead boy wailed, and when they had finished they said, ,„No good 

 stop same place where big sister." So they launched a canoe, put all their things on board, and 

 taking the dead baby with them sailed off without anybody knowing. A light easterly wind 

 carried them along, and at daybreak they found themselves out on the open sea („no more 

 see tree"). 



They kept on sailing for a long while. At last the man on standing up in the canoe saw 

 something white looming ahead. „What name (what is) that float along middle?" they wondered. 

 Then they noticed the cterari in the tree and thought, „What name that colour there like grass, 

 some colour black; some colour red, some colour blue?" On reaching the sandbank they saw 

 that the cterari's eyes were as red as fire, ' and the man and woman were so terrified that they 

 nearly fulfiUed their wants involuntarily. But the eterari beat its tail against the tree and nodded 

 its head to them, and its longue was flickering in and out. So they said, „Oh, he sing out me 

 fellow (asks us to corne near)," and they ventured on shore. The man said, „You me (we) wait, 

 look what name (what) he make him. Suppose he wild, kill you me (us), — pickaninny he dead, 

 you me dead all right, no more life." 



At sunset they lay down to sleep. In the night the éterari's spirit camo to the man and 

 said, lashing the ground with its tail as before, „You no fright; I man, I friend belong you. You take 

 paint, dniéa, wibu, wcre (white, black, and red paint), you paint him body belong me. Suppose 

 you see canoe he come, you paint me; people he come, I fight him, sink canoe. You no go 

 fight, I sink altogether people seit. I look out (after) you fellow. Suppose friend he come, I kill 

 fish belong feed him people. That pickaninny belong you, to-morrow you dig him ground. You 

 two stop other (one) end belong place, I stop other end." 



Next morning the man related the dream to his wife, adding, „That man (the cterari) he 

 no fight, he friend belong me." They buried their child and afterwards planted sago, coconuts, 

 bananas, and crotons (which they wanted foi; dance décorations), having brought all these plants 

 with them from Manävete. They also built a house, and in the course of time the woman bore 



Tom. XLVJI. 



