186 Gunnar Landtman. 



Gäiba, and one day when he was Walking behind her he shot an arrow through her body. 

 Gâiba ran a short distance and feil dead close to the garden, and Drjgo carried her home where 

 she was buried. In the night Dögo saw the ghost of the girl appearing close to the house, where 

 she feil down shrieking exactly as she had done when she was killed. The next night Dögo 

 took Miruu, who was at that time a small boy, rolled him up in a mat, and put him to sleep 

 on the spot where the ghost had fallen. This he did in order that the ghost should enter into 

 the boy and teach him wonderful things. 



The following night the ghost returned to the same spot, and Dögo heard her footsteps 

 when she came running and feil down close to the boy. She crept into the mat and passed 

 right into the boy's body, and afterwards her whistling could occasionally be heard from inside 

 his stomach. In the morning the boy found himself lying outside the house. „Halloo!" he e.xclaim- 

 ed, „Where I been sleep.'" „I been take you go sleep outside," his father said. The girl's spirit 

 could be heard whistling in the stomach of the boy. Dögo said, „Oh, my boy he savy something 

 now, more better we take him go inside man-house" (initiate him). Then Miruu was beautifully 

 attired, and the people prepared a great feast, after which he remained in the men's house. 



One evening Mi'ruu went to sleep in the bush, and in the night a large snake, which 

 was also a man, came to him and said, „Morning you go along creek, one canoe he stop, you 

 go inside that canoe." Next morning Miruu found the canoe and got into it, and the canoe sank 

 down with him in the water. He was taken to the house of the same large snake and taught 

 how to kill people by sorcery. A long passage led thence underneath the ground opening near 

 Mâsingâra, and Miruu came up that way. 



On another occasion his attention was attracted by a certain peculiar àmulie fruit on a 

 tree, and one night he felt that he had to go and see it, but instead of the fruit he found a pddi 

 (cuscus) in the tree. Mîruu shot several arrows at the animal, till all of a sudden it feil down, 

 and simultaneously a heavy rain came on. The cuscus was transformed into a stone which Mi'ruu 

 took home with him. One night the cuscus, who was also a stone, appeared to him in the shape 

 of a man and said, „Me belong rain, suppose you want make rain, you take me (the stone), rub 

 me along 'medicine' (made of a certain wood), and put me along water-hole. That time I go 

 along water, rain he corne." 



The spirit of the girl who had passed into Miruu while he was a boy, later on when 

 he had grown up came out of his body and could be seen by anybody when it was dark. She 

 looked like an ordinary woman and used to sit down close to her master. Her face was hidden 

 with leaves and branches, but the people could hear her voice. Occasionally she even smoked a 

 pipe. Miruu could send her to bring news of people or to fetch any object from far away, and 

 she went there without any canoe, returning in a very short time to her master. If a man lost 

 anything, the spirit told Mi'ruu where to find it; „You go look that house, that man been take 

 it." During the day Miruu used to keep her in a basket. When he wanted her to come, he 

 would pass her grass skirt quickly over the fire and whistle. She generally arrived from outside 

 the house, and he went out to meet her, but no other man dared to go close to her, as the smell 

 of the spirit might have caused his death. The woman never stayed long in the house, for 

 Miruu always sent her away quickly. The people used to pay Mi'ruu for his services. They 

 gave him food and various other presents, and he found out all kinds of sorcery which was 



Tom. XLVn. 



