280 Gunnar Landtman. 



everybody came and looked. She was taken down and carried home, and the people wailed. 

 The body was buried close to the house, and a mourning feast was held. (Biri, Ipisia). 



211. Two Kfvvai men vvere vvooing the same widow. The one man gave her tobacco 

 saylng, „You like him tobacco?" and she replied, „I like him." She accepted tobacco from the 

 other man also. The one man said to the other, „I give him tobacco, he like me." „No good 

 you humbug me," replied the other man, „I been give him tobacco first." Both suitors were 

 very angry, and one of them sounded his trumpet shell desiring to fight his competitor, and a 

 great battle ensued. The people said to the woman, „Fault belong j^ou. One man been give 

 you tobacco; you take him, speak, 'I like him tobacco.' Behind (afterwards) other man come, 

 give you tobacco; you like him. More better you no take that tobacco." 



It is the fashion with us, said the narrator, that a girl accepts tobacco from one man 

 only. (Nâtai, Ipisia). 



GURUME THE RIDICULOUS LOVER. 



212. At Wauma on Sàibai Island lived a man named Gurüme. He was very short and 

 stout with a head and mouth of great size but very stympy legs, and he always carried an enor- 

 mously long koima (ornament stuck in the arm-guard). The people are always amused when a 

 description of Gurüme is given. One day Gurüme painted himself and put on all his ornaments, 

 and then began to dance alone to the sound of his drum. „Who make him drum all time?" asked 

 the people, and somebody replied, „That short man he make him. He no got no wife, he want 

 him wife." „By and by some girl he like me," thought Gurüme, „by and by I take one." He 

 called out to the Såibai people, „You fellow ask him all girl, let him go out along sand-beach. 

 When I dance, them fellow look me all time, no look other side." „Suppose you good (good- 

 looking) man, girl he like you," said the men, „suppose you bad (ugly) man, girl he no like you." 

 „Never mind I bad man," said Garüme, „inside I good man. Me and you fellow just the same 

 — let that girl come outside along sand-beach." The girls looked on while he danced and beat 

 the drum singing, 



„Guriimu Gurüme Gurüme Gurüme — wäiwai. — Me Gurüme, you look me." 

 He danced very badly, and the girls laughed and said to the other men, „You fellow 

 teil that man me fellow no like him. He no good man, he short fellow." This message was 

 given to Gurüme, and he said, „What for he no like me? He good he like me, I good man, 

 my name Gurüme!" But the girls said, „You fellow teil him, me fellow no like him at all. I 

 think that's no man, I think that oboro (spirit) or what." Gurüme was very angry and said, 

 „No good he call me oboroV and he threw away his ornaments and washed off the paint in 

 the water. 



One day when working in their gardens the girls chatted and laughed together, and 

 Gurüme thinking that they laughed at him was much offended. He put on his war accoutre- 

 ments and said to the people, „You all man, you come clear room, I go shoot him all girl he 

 laugh along me." The men drew aside, and Gurüme let go his arrow, and the people all bent 

 down to dodge the shot. But the arrow feil down powerless in front of Gurüme. „Oh, oh, I 



Tom. XLVII. 



