The Folk-Tales of tlie Khvai Papuans. 335 



string as a blade. He found that the friction made the wood hot, „Try like tliat, like that," the 

 narrator described, „he smoke, I think he come, try, try, try — ah, fire he come up!" He used 

 some dry coconut-fibre for tinJer and soon ligiited a bright fire. He was very pleased with his 

 invention, for when feeling cold he could soon get v\arm at the fire, and he cooked his food 

 with it. At first he roasteda taro-root, and when it was done, he broke it in two'and smelt it, 

 uncertain whether it was good or not. „I think," he said hesitatingly, „suppose I kaikai I die." 

 But after tasting it he exciaimed, „I say — sweet!" 



The man returned to the people in the house and hrought them fire. Everybody was 

 frightened- and wanted to run away, but he said, „^'ou feliow no run away, that's fire, make 

 you me (us) hot. No good you me kaikai anything raw, that's fire more better." He showed 

 the people how to cook their food, at first they were afraid to eat it, but after a time they all 

 adopted the new method of cooking. All right," the man said, „no more kaikai raw anything, 

 ripe banana kaikai raw, that's all." (Séggium, Dirimo). ' 



HOW VARIOUS ANIMALS WERE SENT TO FETCH FIRE, 



276. In former times the Mâsingâra people had no fire, and their only food consisted ot 

 ripe bananas and fish dried in the sun. „Teeth he vejy sour," they lamented, „all time kaikai 

 ripe banana." They therefore sent some animais to fetch them fire and chose the rat first for 

 this task. Thev prepared gdnioda for the rat and said, „^'ou drinlc, gawoda here, you go look 

 what place fire." The rat dränk W\e gânioda and ran away into the bush, where it remained without 

 troubling about tlie fire. Then the people gave gåtiioda to the iguana and sent it to get fire, but 

 the iguana too ran away into the bush. Next they tried the snake, hut like the rat and iguana it 

 took to the bush. At last they turned to the mgua (in Maw;ita ikii, a kind of iguana) and gave 

 it gåmoda, and the ingua dränk it and ran off. „I savy now, I go," it shouted and off it went 

 to Tüdo Island, swimming all the way. The higua found fire in Tûdo and kept it in its mouth 

 the whole way back, carefully lifting its head at each wave as it swam, and the fire was kept 

 alight in its mouth. Since then the people in the bush have fire. Nowadays they make it by rubbing 

 or drilling a stick of ivårakår a -wood or bamboo with another pièce of the former wood previously 

 smeared with a little beeswax. (Some Mâringâra men). 



A. In Rep. Cambr. Anlhrop. E.\p. vol. vi. pp. 29 sq. How Karoni the Lizard stole Fire from 

 Serkar. Serkar, an old woman of Nagir, had an e.xtra digit beetween the ihumb and forefinger of each 

 hand, and that on the right hand she employed for kindling wood.^" Varions animais on Moa wanted 

 the fire, but only karoni (the monitor lizard) could swim across. Serkar did not want to give him fire, 

 and at parting she offered him her left hand which he refused, then he bit off the finger of ihe right 

 hand and swam with it to Moa. In another version rhe animais who tried to get the fire were ori- 

 ginally men. 



THE FIRST IRON HARPOON-HEAD. 



277. Kagäru was not yet married when once upon a time some Mawäta people, 

 herself included, went to Päråma. While they were there the Päråma men sailed out to the reef, 

 but the Mavvåta men stayed behind as it is not customarry for visiters to accompany their hösts 

 N:o I. 



