The Folk-Tales of llie Khvai Papuans. 137 



Sfgai once said, „More better leave him fight, you me go Daudai." His canoe, which 

 was made of a solid trunk and provided with outriggers, carried them along of its own accord, 

 and Sîgai speared five dugong on the way. They went up the Bi'natüri river and arrived at Bûravo, 

 where they distributed the dugong meat among the people, but some of the bushmen vvere afraid 

 to eat food which they had not tasted before. Sigai wanted to return to Yam, and Wakéa 

 went with him; a hornbill carried them thither. They remained in Yam till their death, and were 

 buried in the same gra\e. A long time afterwards the people dug up their grave to see what was 

 in it, and one thighhone of Wakéa, of enormous size, was brought up and kept on a rock up to 

 the present time. ^- „I been see that bone," my infcM-mant said. (Gaméa, Mawdta). 



A. Wakéa went in a canoe from Bûravo to Yam Island to see his friend Malda, wlio had a 

 son called Sigal. After a tIme he returned to felch his mother from Bûravo, and speared dugong and 

 turtle on his way. Sigal and Wakéa died in \am and their bones are still there on a large stone. 

 (Samärl, Mawdta). 



NÄGAS INJURY AND REVENGE. 



55. Nâga and the Tijdu people went to spear dugong, erecting platforms on the reefs. 

 Näga harpooned five tlugong, and some of his people three and others two, Näga always being 

 foremost. Once in his absence his wife was sitting at the fire with one knee raised when 

 two unmarried men passed by and saw her. They thought to themselves, „Next time more better 

 you me (we) no go along reef; me look good thing belong that woman, I think more better you 

 me stop." When the people again prepared to go and spear dugong, the two men pretended to 

 be ill, and tying a band tightly round one thigh lay down at the fire. They remained in the 

 village when the other men went away to the reefs. ^* 



As soon as the canoës were some distance off, the two men got up, untied the strings, 

 and walked about upright. When night came, they stole into Nâga's house and laid hold of his 

 wife telling her, „Me fellow been see thing belong you, that's wh\- me been stop, no go along 

 reef."' They committed violence against her the whole night. ^^ 



Nâga kept on summoning the dugong to corne, but not one did he see, although his 

 people on the other platforms speared many. some men three, some two, some four. When the 

 water ebbed and the reefs became dry, Nâga ordered his people to pull out the platform posts, 

 and they returned to Tijdu, Näga's canoe sailing at the head. On landing he went straight to 

 his wife, and found her sitting still without uttering a word. Nàga said, „All time I spear plenty 

 dugong, this time I no spear dugong, I no hear him dugong hälla (snört); mj' people spear du- 

 gong. I leave two boy here — you all right?" The woman said, „Oh, Näga, that two boy he 

 bad fellow, he look thing belong me, that's why he no go along reef. He humbug me all night, 

 me too much sore." Näga asked her to keep the thing secret, „You no talk,-' he said, „you no 

 speak nobody, you keep him inside." ^* 



While the people were cutting up the dugong, Naga went to the höriömu shrine (ef. 

 Introduction to no. 287), and cutting a log of the ivårakdra-tree fashioned it like a crocodile. He 

 entered the crocodile and went into the water, but the wood was too light and floated on the 

 surface. Next he took a pièce of the /uiimniira-U-ee and shaped it like a crocodile, but when he 



N:o 1. 18 



