270 GuNNAn Landtman. 



lying all ovef tlie place. In tlie night the boy took him asiil« and told him what he had seen 

 (abbrev.), and Débu sharpened his stone axe and determined to keep a strict watch. Towards 

 dawn hc heard a stränge noise, and at the same time the tree feil. „Oh, gut)d (good looking) 

 girl there on top," Débo said. He eut off the bamboo vvhich was l\'ing along the ground except 

 at the top end. „Ah! I catch you fellovv now!-' he exclaimed, and then he understood where 

 the leaves had come from. He told the girls to corne dovvn, and they did so weeping, and asked 

 him not to kill them. At the return of his brothers he gave each of them a girl, the \'oungest 

 hoy received the youngest girl vvhereas Débo himself kept the eldest. All sat down and ate, and 

 the next day they prepared a great feast. 



Débo asked each of his brothers to build a separate hoii.se, and his own house as well 

 as tliat of his little brother was built apart from the rest. He wanted the little brother to look 

 aftur him. Débo impre.ssed upon his bi'others strictly to obey him. One day they all went to 

 see the place where the girls had lived at Büdji. (GenJva, Mawåta). ■ . 



197. A number of boys lived by themselves at Bibi, between Mawåta and Mäsingdra, 

 and their naines were üea, Tube, Läni, Libududüru and Giwe. At Ngrübe, not far away, lived 

 a number of girls named Âuie, Bümeni, Dädeva, Dädue, and Düdu. The boys used to make 

 gardens at Kdiwdte, and after finishing their work they returned home, dränk g(iino(hi and went 

 to sleep. In the night the girls all came to the boys' garden and started to dance there, trampling 

 down the crop, and at daylight they returned into a large kapàro tree where they lived. 



On seeing their garden the boys exrdaimed, „Uéi! Öi! who been spoil him garden? All 

 he along foot smash him." As the trespassing was repeated every night the boys determined to 

 watch the garden at night. The eldest brother, Oea, remained there alone in hiding, while the 

 rest went home and slept. 



After sunset the girls put in an appearance, and they were all nude except for a few 

 branches of croton with which they had decorated themselves. „My God," Oea thought, „no 

 got no grass (petticoat) that woman ! Oh, big âe (vulva) ! Come humbug all time along garden!" 

 He counted them and thought to himself, „What woman he come along head, that my woman 



— close up him, that belong Tube — next him, that belong Läni — close up him, that Gfwe 



— last one Übududüru." At the rise of the morning star the girls finished dancing and went 

 back. They were very sleepy and did not notice Üea who foUovved them. On their arrivai at 

 the large tree the youngest girl went in first and then the rest in turn, the eldest girl being the 

 last. After dancing all night they slept in the day. 



Oea did not teil his brothers what he had seen but said that he had slept all night after 

 drinking too much gàmoda. At his request they made a number of women's grass petticoats, 

 the elder brothers large ones and the younger brothers smaller ones. Then he sent his brothers 

 to place the petticoats at the tree in which the girls li\-ed, and he promised each boy a girl. On 

 arrlving at the tree the boys heard the heavy breathing of the girls who were sleeping inside. 

 They knocked at the tree, and the girls woke up. „You fellow all time humbug garden belong 

 me," said the boys. „You fellow altogether wife belong me fellow now. You come down." 

 The girls came out, and Tube handed each of them a petticoat. Oéa had remained at home, and 

 the eldest girl was considered to belong to him. But on seeing her Gi'we, the youngest brother, 



Tom. XLVll. 



