180 Gunnar Landtman. 



THE OLD MAN AND WOMAN WHO WERE HARASSED BY A SPIRIT. 



83. An old man and his wife one night went in a canoe from läsa to Ipisia, tiie man 

 paddling in the i^ow and the woman steering. A månakai (spirit of a dead man) was ttiere in 

 the water in front of the canoe. The man, who took it for a log of wood, said, „You go outside 

 little bit, he got wood there." The woman directed the canoe a little away from the supposed 

 wood, but at the same time the spirit too shified a little. „He strong tide," the man said, „you 

 look out good, by and by that wood he spear outrigger. You go little bit shore." The woman 

 changed the course, and again the spirit moved in the same direction. „Oh, he strong tide!" the 

 man exclaimed. As the canoe was brushing past, the spirit put his finger into the anus of the 

 man. „Oh, éterdrobo (old woman)!" the man cried out, „he been do another thing, he no wood, 

 he man." The spirit went to the stern ot the canoe and passed his finger into the vulva of the 

 old woman, and she called out, „Oh, éteradtibu (old man), he been do another something!" The 

 two old folk were much frightened. Once more the spirit set on them in the same way, and 

 afterwards it went on shore near Gibu. Ne.xt day they reached Ipisia, and the man told the 

 people of their adventure. Since then the people keep a good look-out when they pass the place 

 at night, but many do not like to go near it at all in the dark. (Biri, Ipisia). 



THE SPIRIT OF THE MURDERED MAN WHO RETURNED WITH THE 

 • FIRST WHITE PEOPLE.^^ 



84. A man at Ipisfa named Wabéa used to steal ripe coconuts which were kept for 

 planting purposes. The people were very angry but nobody knew who the thief was. At last 

 a man named Gi'irirai provided himself with a heavy digging stick, and without anybody knowing 

 went to watch the place where the coconuts were. Wabéa, little suspecting any danger, came to 

 steal some more nuts, when suddenly Görirai spräng up and said, „Ei! you steal-man, to-day I 

 find you. All time you been steal coconut?" „No, just now I come." „No, no," Görirai cried, 

 „all time you come, you one man (are the only thief)." He hit him three times with the heavy 

 stick, and then Wabéa was dead. Görirai went to the village and told Wabéa's wife and friends, 

 „You go take him Wabéa. He steal-man, I fight, I finish him." Wabéa's friends carried him 

 home, all of them wailing, and shortly afterwards he was buried. There was no fight, for Wabéa 

 had been a „steal-man". Some time afterwards the first boat of the white men arrived. Two 

 canoës went out to meet the boat, and Görirai was paddling in the bow of one of them. Wabéa's 

 spirit was on the white men's boat, and on seeing Görirai he thought, „Oh, Görirai, he come 

 now, finish now this time." So he shot Görirai with a revolver. The people in the canoe were 

 frightened, but the white men made signs to them, „You no fright, before that man been kill him 

 Wabéa, pay back now." Afterwards the people received many presents from the white men. 

 Wabéa never came on shore, and the white men shortly hoisted sail and returned towards Sa- 

 märi whence thej' had come. Görirai was carried to his house, and the people told his friends, 

 „Wabéa stand up along boat, shoot him. He speak, i pay back now this time.'" The people 

 all said, „Oh, true Wabéa been come back." (Kaku, Ipisfa). 



Tom. XLVll. 



