The Folk-Talcs of llic A'iivai Paptiaiis. 269 



beat the diuiiis but was stopped by Avâti who did not want to be left alone. In the night, 

 ho\\'e\ei', when Avâti was asleep Bâidam arnse and-went up on a washytl-up nipa palin. He 

 sliu\ed it off, iioisted a mat l'or a saii, and the east wind can-ied him ovcr to Daninii\àva. There 

 lie was t'ound in the morning by the women who summoned ail the peuple, and Bàidam was 

 brought on shore and well leceived. Thcn follows a description uf the dancing compétition 

 diiiing which the inen tried to win the beautifu! girl Mahéiuo or Pônipiini (cf. no. 4,^)7 ('). 



.A\dti woke up in his brother's absence and wondered where lie had gone. In \ain lie 

 calleil !5didam by name and at length cuncluded from the tracUs that his brother had 

 lel't the island. In the nioi'ning the girls ail came to him, bringing with theni the babies which 

 they had gi\en birth lu in the meantime. ..Where you (your) brother?" the\- asked Avâti. ,.My 

 brother he go away night-time." „Hère, pickaninny belong you two fellow hère," said they, „you 

 brother make that pickaninny." But Avâti did not believe them and sent theni back. 



When Bâidam came back from Daninikâva, the girls again came to his place with the 

 babies. „Pickaninny belong you fellow," they said, „you been niake hini. .Ail sanie you, that 

 pickaninny ail same you (are like you)." Bàidam would not beliexe them but at length he said, 

 „AU right, 1 take you ail lot, ail my vvife." Avâti was hov\ever not content to be lett alone and 

 said, „What's the matter you no give me some woirian?" Then Bâidam gave him two girls 

 and kept seven for himself. They prepared a feast, and Avâti went alone and speared two 

 dugong for himself and se\en for Bâidam. Each woman eut up and cooked one dugong, and 

 they ate them. 



.A little later the two men and their wives went to the place where the girls had li\ed 

 and settled down there. They are the ancestors of the Biiigu people. (Menégi, Mawâta). 



19(1. On Bôigu island there lived a man named Débo and his brothers but no woman, 

 whereas a number of girls Ii\ed in Bùdji. One day Débo and his brothers speared a dugong 

 which they eut up. threw the intestines awa\' into the water, and they tloated over to Bùdji. 

 The eldest sister, on finding them, said, „1 think man there along Bôigu. Me go see him by and by." ^'^ 



Another day when Débo and his brothers went to spear dugong the youngest boy was 

 left in the house wrapped up in a mat, and was told not to come out. On the .same da\' the 

 Btidji giils climbed a lai'ge bamboo tree which feil with them over to Boigu and was caught in 

 a tree there. „What name (what) noise.' I no been hear before," wondered the little boy in 

 the mat, but he was too frightened to come out. .After a vvhile the Biidji girls went back in the 

 same fashion, but a great number of leaves had been shaken down around the house. On their 

 relurn the boys asked their little brother angrily where the leaves came from, but he said, ..Oh, 

 brother, where you put me I stop there. 1 no go outside, I no savy who make that thing." 



Another da\% in the absence of Débo and the elder boys, the girls came again, and the 

 little boy on hearing the noise of the falling bamboo came out of the mat in which he was 

 hiding. „Oh, plenty girl he stop along tree, ail nice girl!" he e.xclaimed. Then he counted them 

 and thought to himself, „Big girl belong big brother (Débo) — belong other brother — belong 

 other brother. Oh, belong me one small one he stop on top." 



Just before daylight the bamboo went back to Bùdji with the girls, and Débo and his 

 comrades retui'ned from fishing. Débo grumbled at the boy on account of the leaves which were 

 K:o 1. 



