256 Gunnar Lanutman. 



One day, hwvever, he asked his lii-.st wife to accompany him to the bush, and thcre she 

 started to make sasfo. „I go along house," said the man, „bj^ and hy sundown I come back." 

 And he left her but did not return at all. The woman waited for him all day, and finally it 

 became dark. She called him. by his name över and över again, but there was no answer. Presently 

 a cei'tain bad spirit {oboro, spirit of a dead person) came to her, and on seeing him, the woman 

 thought, „Oh, that no man belong me! That (i.s) oboro he come, foot beiong him all same pig," 

 and she was greatly frightened. „My girl, uhat name you make him.'" the spirit said. „Oh, I 

 make sago." „1 hungry," said the spirit, whereupon she cooked a great quantity of sago and 

 gave it to him, and he de\oured it ravenously. She kept on feeding the spirit for a long time 

 and gave him vvater, till at length he wanted to sleep, and she made his bed ready. ^" In the 

 middle of the night she tried to wake him up in order to see whethcr he really was asleep, ^■- 

 and as he did not stir she picked up ber large knife (made ot the wood of a sago palm) and 

 ran away. She ran and ran as fast as she could and was near home when he came on in hot 

 pursuit, and she had to climb a coconut tree. ^^ The spirit ran past the tree without noticing 

 her, but soon he scented his way back and found her in the tree. „My God, I go kill you!'' 

 he cried. He summoned a great niimber of other spirits and said to them, „Vou fellow go on 

 top that coconut tree, take him dovvn that woman. ^'ou me (we) kaikai." And they all started 

 to climb the tree, but she eut off a leaf-stalk with her knife and knocked them all down. Again 

 the first spirit ui'ged them on, but she threvv a coconut at them, and they all feil. All night the 

 .spirits endeavoured to get at the woman but in \ain, and at length daylight came. 



Manüba got up and went himself to the bush. He found the coconut tree in which his 

 wife was and thought to himself, „What's the matter that coconut tree he got no leaf, no got no 

 coconut on top? Oh, poor wife belong me he stop!" He called out to the spirits, „What name 

 (why) you fellow humbug my woman?" and they all ran away, and she climbed dovvn. She was 

 very angry and did not say a word to her husband. He asked her to go in front of him on 

 their way home, but she made him go first, and when they were close to the village she liited 

 her knife and broke his head in one blow, and he died. On arriving home, she said to the mem- 

 bers of his family, „You fellov\' go take pig belong you fellow; I been kill him along road." 

 The}' found the dead man and exclaimed, „My God, that woman belong him, he kill him that 

 man!" and they carried him home. The woman said, „That man he no savy me. He been 

 take me first time; he make pickaninny along la.st woman, he no make pickaninn\' along me. 

 He make fool along me, go eut sago, he leave me there." And she told the people her adven- 

 ture in the bush (abbrev.). She left her husband's people and went to li\e with ber own family, 

 and they paid for the dead man. (Gibiima, Mawata). 



A. The lirst wife of a certain Kiwai man was neglected hy him. One day he left her alone 

 in the bush, and she was harassed by a spirit which had a body covered with hair and a long tail, 

 not stuck underneath the belt like an ordinary dancing-tail but grown to his back. She gave the spirit 

 food and water till it feil asleep, and then she escaped. Holly pursued she climbed a coconut tree, 

 and the spirit summoned the lUiiiim (spirits of beheaded people) and ivioboro (spirits of people who have 

 hanged themselves, they carry a rope round their necks). These ghosts started lo climb the tree but 

 the woman knocked them down, and at daylight all the spirits returned to their abodes. The woman 

 Was fetched down by her husband, hut she was furinusly angry with him and killed him \\ith her 



Tom. XLVIl. 



