The Folk-Tales of tlie Kmai Papuans. 355 



been go dovvn, tuitle take him," and Gami'ga's friends all wailed. The\' held the tdera ceremony 

 and wept when his splrit came and danced. 



Gamfga remained seven days with the öboubi, or turtle people, then they let him return. 

 The same turtle swam with him to Tüdo, and he was still holding on to its back. They stranded 

 at the Island, and Gamfga got up and hauled the turtle on shore. He thought to himself, „No 

 good I show my face first time, 1 think people been make something for me." So he went to 

 the hôriomu shrine and looked round. „Oh, new coconut-leaf, green one!" he exclaimed. „Devil 

 (spirit) belong me been dance now. They been call me devil now." He was very frightened ; 

 „By-and-by I come, people he kill me." For if he returned safe and sound after his spirit 

 had taken part in the hörionm dance, would not the women conclude that the dancers were no 

 genuine spirits? 



A certain Tüdo man found Gami'ga's turtle on the beach and foUowed his tracks to 

 the shrine. Gami'ga saw him and bent down his head. „Oh, Gami'ga!" the other man 

 cried out, „me been make devil-devil for you finish." „More better I stop here," Gamiga 

 said, „no good I come along people," so he remained in the shrine. He taught the other 

 man the ceremony connected with the spearing of turtle, for he had learnt it while he was 

 in the water. 



The other man went and said to the people, „I been see Gami'ga, he stop inside Arir/ow;«." 

 Gami'ga's relatives said, „Me fellow no can say nothing, you fellow been make devil-devil quick. 

 You fellow do seif." („They mean kill him," explained the narrator). One man took a stone 

 axe which he sharpened and handed it to another, but he did not bid him, „You kill him Gami'ga," 

 he merely handed him the' axe. But the other man pitied Gamiga, so he hung his head without 

 saying anything, and so did all the others to vvhom the first man handed the axe, for none of 

 them wanted to do the deed. Then the first: man took his axe back and kept it during the night. 

 In the morning he seized the axe and went to the hôriomu. On seeing him Gamiga thought, 

 „Oh, one man he come, he got something, he want kill me," and he wept. He sat on the 

 ground with his knees bent up and his arms and face resting on them. „What good I run away?" 

 he thought, „I no want stow away all time, where find kaikai? Man he been make devil-devil, 

 he spoil me." The other man came up and hit him once with the axe on the back of his head, 

 and Gami'ga was killed by the blow. The people buried him in the ground, but they did not teil 

 his wife or any other woman of his return, so the\' all thought that he had been drowned at sea. 

 In the night the men went and made payment to Gami'ga's relatives, four arm-shells for his head, 

 one for his nose, two for his arms, and two for his legs; one harpoon-handle for his penis and 

 another for his backbone, and a string of dog's teeth for the intestines. They gave many other 

 things too as his blood-price. All the presents were placed on the ground outside Gami'ga's house, 

 and near by they put the axe with which he had been killed and the stone with which it had 

 been sharpened. 



When Gami'ga's relatives got up in the morning they wondered at all the things. The 

 people did not teil them why the presents were given, and one of them said, „That time people 

 been go Yam they lose him Gami'ga. They fright family belong him, that's why they put him 

 plenty thing." Gamiga's kinsmen did not knovv that he had been killed, and they wailed and 

 accepted the presents. 



N:o 1. 



