124 Gunnar Landtman. 



in the morning she was dead. After this lollows the épisode of Sido and the twin wornen „Kumu" 

 and „Kasu" wliich is mixed up with the above tale (ef. p. 118). 



I. Khvai version (vol. v. p. 36). Continued from a version of the story of Soiida (ef. p. 1 IS). Sida 

 killed a woman who lived on the Wasi Kusa river and burnt her in the grass, and sonie time afier- 

 wards a great crop of vegetable food grew up there. He was carried to Murray island by a pélican. 

 At that time there was no food on the island, but the morning after he had married Pekai there was 

 plenty of food. 



J. Miriam version (vol. vi. pp. 19 sqq.). Sida or Said came from New Guinea in a canoë 

 to the Murray Islands. He planted various trees and had connection with a number of wornen. The 

 young men at Mer were dancing in order to show themselves off before a certain beautiful giri named 

 Pekari. She feil in love with Sida, and in the night they slept together. Some semen was spilt on 

 the ground, and as a resuit, a number of coconut palms sprang up. The ne.xt morning the peoplo 

 were afraid when they heard the rustling of the coconut leaves which was a stränge sound to thcm. 

 Sida met two lads named Abob and Kos and sent them on a fool's errand to catch fish, and in the 

 meantime he made unawailing overtures to their molher, then he stabhed her and put her in his basket. 

 The two lads followed Sida who fiew in the air in the shape of a frigate-bird. Sida threw the woman 

 into the sea, and the place vvhere she feil became a reef, ^^ ^^d he flew off to New Guinea. 



MESEDE AND ABERE (no. 45-51; cf. Index). 

 MESEDE, THE GREAT MÄRKSMAN, AND DIBIRI-SAGARU. 



45. Meséde lived inside an rà-palm at Dämera in Di'biri, and not far off there was a 

 village witlT niany people. EveiTbody there had plenty of food except two women, a mother 

 and her daughter, whom nobody troubled about, and they fed on certain bad fruit only. 



Meséde carne out of his tree at night and shot pigs, cassowaries, and kangaroos with his 

 wonderful bow and arrows. He rolled up the dead animais in Ipaves, making them quite small, 

 and carried them in his adigo, arm-guard. ^'•' When he wanted to go anywhere, he did not need 

 to walk, but simply stood erect, and the ground moved underneath his feet, so that no tracks were 

 left by him. On returning home he took out the game from his arm-guard, and the birds and 

 animais resumed their natural size. He then eut them up and cooked the méat. 



The people in the village shared their food with each other, but nobody gave the two 

 women so much as a morsel. The name of the girl was Di'biri-Sagàru. The mother asked her 

 every day, „Somebody no give you nothing.?" and the girl had to ansvver, „Somebody no give." 

 Ail slept in the night and in the rnorning resumed their various occupations. Di'biri-Sagdru and 

 her mother were making sago close to the palm in which Meséde lived. The people ail returned 

 in the evening, bringing with them fish, méat, and garden produce, which they shared, but Di- 

 biri-Sagâru and her mother were again forgotten. The mother went to the place where the men 

 were cutting up the pigs they had killed, as if expecting to get a pièce, but nobody gave her any. 



Meséde had been watching the two women pitying them, and when in the night a pig 

 came and ate their sago, he shot it and left it there for them, returning himself into his tree. In 



Tom. XL VU. 



