282 Gunnar Landtman. 



Késa and gave him sago, for they liked him. ,.You läsa boy?" they asked him. „Yes, me be- 

 long läsa. You want me?" „Yes, me want you." „All right, morning time me go." A great 

 number of girls came to him in the same way and gave him sago, saying, „Késa, me want j'ou, 

 me go along läsa too." ,.A11 right, clo.se up daylight you me go." The other boys vvere very 

 angry on seeing how the girls kept on hringing sago, tobacco, and water to Késa. 



Just before daylight Késa vvent on his way back to läsa, and twenty girls accompanied 

 him, but the people did not know of it. After a while the other boys noticed that Késa and a 

 great number of girls had gone away, so they ran after them. At Gibu, Késa and the girls rested, 

 and he brought down coconuts for them. There they vvere overtaken b}' their pursuers who 

 started to fight Késa. He was hit in the small of his back with a stone club and feil, and each 

 • one of the läsa boys caught hold of a girl and ran home with her. „Oh, what name (why) 

 you take me fellow?" cried the girls, „you no good boy. Késa he good boy." But Késa was 

 left alone. 



The låsa boys brought home the girls they had captured and were received by the people 

 with great joy. Késa came home alone after the others. „Oh, mother, father," said he, „alto- 

 gether man fight me fellow along road, take all girl. Plenty girl I been take along Wiörubi." 

 „Altogether boy speak they been take girl," said his parents. „No, altogether boy he gammon. 

 I been take all them girl along Wiörubi. Girl he like me." 



Késa did not want the Wi('»rubi girls any more. He married five läsa girls. (Kaku, Ipisfa). 



THE WOMAN WHO PRETENDED TO HAVE A HUSBAND (ef. no. 220). 



214. In Manävete a certain woman lived in a house all alone. She occupied herself 

 with making sago in the bush, and on returning home in the evenings she said to herself in a 

 strong voice, as if she had been addressed by her husband, „You no been cook him kaikai ! Me 

 got härd work along bush." She cooked the food, and when it was ready, she pretended to hand 

 it to her imaginary husband and said, „Kaikai belong you." Then she hit herself on the back 

 with a pièce of firewood and called out, „No good you hit me! All day I been make him sago. 

 No good you stop nothing along house all time, every day you sleep!" The same scene was 

 repeated every day. (Cf. no. 229). 



In a house not far away there lived a man with his two wives, and every day he heard 

 the woman crying. „What's the matter that woman?" he wondered and went to look. He heard 

 har screaming as she hit herself, and thought, „Oh, he gammon, that woman. Where man belong 

 him?" Presently he caught her by the hand and said, „What's the matter along you? You got 

 man?" „No, me no got man," she said, „me stop one man (alone)." The man went home and 

 sent his two wives to fetch the woman to his house, and she remained with him and his other 

 wives. (Navee, Ispisfa). 



A. The woman lived by herself in Dibiri. After working in the bush she returned home and 

 beat herself with a pièce of firewood, crying out as if she had been thrashed by her husband. She 

 was found out by a man who lived in the neighbourhood. He caught hold of her, and she fold him 



Tom. XLVU. 



