368 Gunnar Landtman. 



rescue, and the men on board stood up to look for the shipwrecked canoe. A great number of 

 sharks had assembled round it after devouring the flesh of the drowned bushmen, and the 

 shipwrecked people had to sit vvith their legs drawn iip not to be caught by the ferocious mon- 

 sters. At last they got on board the canoës, and the two bushmen wished to be landed on the 

 coast. But the Säibai people said, „No, you been lose you (your) thing along water, and vve 

 want pay that dead man too." So they pulled down the mat-sails_ and paddled back to Saibai, 

 and there the bushmen were given payment for their lost friends and property. Wimari and 

 Gäidji received nothing for themselves, for the Saibai people said, „By-and-by (låter on) give you. 

 You go back (vvith) nothing; suppose you take him thing, by-and-by people belong that dead 

 man he kill you." 



Then the people sailed över to the mainland in (ive canoës so as to be safe in case one 

 should capsize. On their landing some of the Saibai men accompanied Wimåri and Gåidji to 

 Dabu v\hile the rest remained with the canoës. 



The Dabu people were given a detailed account of the death of their friends (abbrev.), 

 and Båira offered them compensation saying, „Suppose you fellow take — that's all right, good 

 friend." W()nigo, one of the Ddbu leaders said, „All right, Bdira, you no go back, you sleep 

 here, me take that thing. We savy you no becn kill him. Everybody go one road now. No- 

 body go kill you, nobody go humbug you." They all wailed över their lost friends. 



Båira sent two men Libai and Wâidûa beforehand to the coast asking the people there to 

 make the canoës ready, and he said, „You go, by-and-by (otherwise) them fellow go back Saibai 

 think bushman been kill me fellow." On their way to the coast Wâidûa said to Übai, „What 

 you say, you me (we) go make fool them people there?" „All right, you me go make him fool," 

 and they determined to frighten theii' friends on the shore. 



The men on the shore were occupied with eating crabs, fish, and oysters when Ubai 

 and Wåidiia arrived. The two first spied out what their friends were doing, and then they came 

 running down to the water as if in a panic flight. Their friends looked up and exclaimed, 

 „What name (why) them fellow come who been go along bushman place? 1 think bushman he 

 come now!" And they all rushed away, leaving the canoës, and some of them jumped into the 

 water. It was only after a good while that they ventured back and asked the two men who 

 lay panting on the ground, „Where all them people now?" „We no savy," they lied, „we look 

 bushman he hold bow-arrow. We fellow run, we think all he been kill them fellow." The 

 others believed them and scolded them for iheir covvardice saying, „What name (why) you two 

 run away? You two no got no wife, you bad man he come! What name you leave them fel- 

 low behind — kill you two all right too." The people were very angry, and some even attacked 

 them with sticks. „Oh, we make fool along you," said the two men at last, „we been make 

 friend, bushman he no wild. That's why we make you fellow laugh." And the people all 

 laughed and said, „Oh, suppose some puripuri-man (sorcerer) here, he kill you." 



After a time the Saibai people all arrived from Dabu, and everybody made merry. The 

 canoës were launched, and the whole party relurned to Saibai. The next morning all the presents 

 were brought on shore and distributed among the people. Båira said, „You fellow listen good 

 what I go speak along you fellow.. All bushman he speak, „All right, Båira, he (the people who 

 were drowned) been lose along water, you no been kill him, you no eut him head." You no 



TcniK .\LVI1. 



