The Folk-Tales af the Kiwai Papuans. 231 



The next day the two marriages took place. The one bridegroom said, „You (your) 

 sister come along my house, I go take you sister." „All right," the other bridegroom replied, „1 

 take you sister, you me change." When matters had been arranged thus, all the people went to 

 their gardens to bring food for a great feast. Novâre's mother said to her boy, „Vou go behind 

 them fellow, you no vvant people he see face belong you. He got point (bend) along road, they 

 go one point, you go one point." The vvoman did not vvant the girls to see her boy. 



Novâre's mother tied two of her son's plaited arm-bands on a string and hung them 

 round her neck. Launching a small canoë she vvent away to find him a girl. She paddled dovvn 

 the Ôriômu and arrived at Old Mawâta. A number of boys and girls were sitting on the beach 

 making cat's-cradles, and in their midst was a \'&xy fine girl. The woman took the two arm-bands 

 and tried them on ail the girls in turn, and the one they shoulhd fit was to be Novâre's wife. At 

 last the rings were tried on the arm of the one beautiful girl, but to no avail, and the woman 

 said, „He no fit him good — too slack." Taking off the rings she said tu the people, „You fellow 

 no kaikai good, you got bone, that's ail, suppose you kaikai good, you got méat, fat." 



Proceeding on her way the woman came to Giirahi, where she found the boys and girls 

 making cat's-cradles on the beach, while their parents were in the gardens. She thrust the 

 paddle into the bottom, secured the canoë to it, and vvent on shore. ,0h," the Gürahi people 

 said, „bushman woman he come." The woman handed the arm-bands to the girls, who one aft^r 

 another tried them on, but the rings did not fit. There was a very fine girl among the others 

 and the woman put the ring on her arm, but it was too large. Again she said, „Nigo oriiho 

 nàrirlhodiiimi dunipi noribdriria. — You fellow no kaikai, suppose you kaikai, you got méat, fat; 

 you got bone, that's ail." 



She left Gûrahi and went on to Cbiri, where ail the girls were making cat's-cradles. 

 They called out, „Oh, one old vvoman he come!" She tied up the canoë to the paddle as before 

 and vvent on shore. There was a very pretty girl in the midst of the others. The woman handed 

 the girls the two arm-rings, and they ail tried them on, but did not get them to fit. The beauti- 

 ful girl, too, put the rings on, but they did not lit closely to her arm, so the woman took them 

 back and hung them round her neck. She said to the people as before, „You fellow no kaikai, 

 no got no méat, no fat, ail you -got that's bone." 



The woman pulled out the paddle from the bottom, and continued her journey to Mi'bu, 

 but as there were no people there she vvent on to lâsa. AU the grown up people there had gone 

 to their gardens, and the boys and girls were playing at cat's-cradles in the village. The woman 

 drove the paddle into the bottom, tied up her canoë, and v\ ent on shore. She gave the two arm- 

 bands to a beautiful girl, who was there among the others, and they ail tried them on. But the 

 bands did not fit any of them, so the vvoman took them back and addressed the people as in the 

 previous places. 



At last she came to Di'biri, where she fast'ined the canoë to the paddle as before. She 

 saw a very beautiful girl on the shore and thought to hersilf, „Oh, that girl he (she) vvoman 

 belong Novâre, suppose I get that girl, he good luck." The girls were ail playing at cat's-cradles, 

 while the elder people had gone to the gardens. The woman gave the girls the arm-bands to 

 try on, and at last she handed them to the beautiful girl in the midst of the others, and the 

 bands fitted her perfectiy. Word was s^nt to the people in the gardens, „One bushman woman 



N:o 1. 



