230 Gunnar Landtman. 



vvhere he killed a cassowary. Before daybreak he returned and became a snake once more. He 

 bade Sine, „You kopamauri." 



Mäigidübu plucked a number of small twigs of a kind ot croton called pia which is used 

 for ornamenting a dancer's dress. He went to all the villages in the country, and leaving one 

 twig in each of them as a sign of invitation bade the people, „You come my house, come dance"' 

 (abbrev.). Arriving at the home of Si'ne's husband, he gave him the same message. When he 

 had given this invitation to all the villages he returned to bis own place (abbrev.). The people 

 began to assemble from all over the country. *' Maigidübu dressed Sine beautifuUy in a new 

 grass-skirt and gay croton leaves. Then he painted himself red underneath and black on top 

 with a little white at the sides of the head and red at the eyes, and it is since then that many 

 snakes are so coloured. At his tail he fastened a dance rattle and a bird-of-paradise plume. 



When the dance was in füll swing the snake put in an appearance, and everybody was 

 frightened: „Oh, me been think thatbeen one man he sing out come dance ; that no man, that snake!" 

 Maigidübu, gorgeously decorated, moved among the dancing people, with the rattle clattering at 

 his tail. Madâra, who was there, noticed Sine at Mdigidijbu's side and thought, „I say, that woman 

 there, he mj' woman before, how that snake he get him?" Daybreak came and the dance ended. 

 The remaining food was distributed, and the people went homet Madâra went up to Maigidübu 

 and asked him, „I say, how you been take that woman come along you place?" „Oh, that 

 woman belong you, hhvai-abcre been make fool, he go on top big tree, he bear pickaninny on 

 top. 1 take him down from that big tree. I make him mj' girl (daughter). True you (your) wife 

 and pickaninny. All right, you take him." 



The whole matter now became clear to Madâra: „I think," he said, „that same h.wai- 

 abére been humbug me." He took with him the boy, who was now grown up, and they went 

 to the house where the hivai-abcre was. They shot her with their bows and arrows, killing her 

 on the spot. When they returned, Mdigidübu said to Madära, „You come stop my place, leave 

 place belong you. Suppose you stop you (your) place, by and by another bad thing catch you." 

 „All right, I come," Madâra answered him. Maigidübu had a fine large house. At first he used 

 to live inside a tree, but after he had brought home Si'ne he built a house. (Adâgi, Mawâta). 



Other versions of the taie of Mâigidi'ibu, the woman, her husband, and the hhvai-dbcre occur 

 in no. 414. 



A HIWAI-ABERE USURPS THE PLACE OF A BRIDE. 



150. There was once a man named Novâre who lived with his mother at Péva on the 

 Öriömu river; his father was dead. Novâre was a handsome boy whom all the girls liked. One 

 evening, while the men were drinking gmnoda (cf. p. 14) together, two of them said to each 

 other, „To-morrow you me (we) change sister." Novâre heard their conversation and thought to 

 himself, „Oh, two man he change sister, catch him girl. I no got no sister, no can change." 

 His mother called him and said, „Them fellow go change sister to-morrow. You no go among 

 people, you stop one side." The two girls were weeping for Novâre's sake, saying, „No good 

 they change me fellow, me no want that man, me want Novâre." And they went to Novâre's 

 mother and had a good cry. In the night all the people slept. 



Tom. XLVIJ. 



