Tlic Ffi/k-Tti/cs of llic Khvni Pa/iiiaiis. 373 



306. Some Mawäta people once arranged tu go to Kura the foUowing night, and a cer- 

 tain iittle boy wanted to accompanj' liis motlier, a woman named Tavåni. „No, no, you stop," 

 she vsaid, but as tiie boy went on begging she at length conceded. During tiie night the people 

 got up and sailed away in their canoës, but as Tavåni found her son sleeping she left him behind. 



Some Iittle time aftervvards the boy \voi<e up and finding that his mother had gone set 

 off to run after her aiong the beach. He was pursued by a \ery wild dog named Gi'süri and 

 wailed to hiniself, 



„Tavdni Gisiiri ogopiari uiogcrchai. — Tav.ini you lift mu up, Gisüri ccjme kill me." 



Some people in the last canoe heard the boy crying, but thought that his mother was 

 with him. He tried to get away from the dog but was soon overtaken and bitten to dcalh, 

 whereupon the beast ate part of his body and then lay down to sleep by the side of it. 



After reaching Kura some of the people started to fish and others, Gisüri's owner included, 

 went (lUt hunting. But the owner of the dog did not shoot anything, for the spirit of the dead 

 boy, although invisible, came and humbugged him, and pre\-ented him from shooting any pig. 

 This action of a soul belongs to the phenomena which are called mdbukrc. The man, however, 

 thought that Gisiiri had been taken by a crocodile and that différent kind of niabuàre was the 

 reason of his bad luck. 



The next day the people went on thcir way back to Mawata and found the boy lying 

 dead on the beach with the dog by his side. „Uéi! whn belong that pickaninny?" they exclaimed, 

 „belong bushman? belong what place? Uéil where Tavåni? That pickaninny belong Tävani !" 

 Tavåni wailed and explained how she had left the boy at home. The body was buried, and 

 the people killed the dog. 



Tavåni ought to have awakened the boy when she went away, as she had promised to 

 take him with her, said the narrator. (Ndmai, MawåtaV 



D. THE TREATMENT OF SHIPWRECKED PEOPLE (no. 307-311 ; ef. Index). 



307. Long ago a certain married woman at Mawåta named Kiimi, the wife of Tabåia, 

 used to bestow her favours upon a boy named Wårav\ia. One day a man said to Tabàia's 

 lather vvhose name was Yângâna, „Éterera (daughter-in-law) belong you he like some boy; he 

 stow away kaikai all time, give boj',,, and Yångåna said nothing but kept the information to 

 himself. 



Once when the people were preparing to go to the reef Yångåna procured a powerful 

 „poison" from a man named Müsu who was versed in those things. In the night prior to sailing 

 MÜSU applied the „medicine" to one of the canoës saying, „You make him that canoe he sink." 

 The next day the Mawåta canoës all set sail and went away. One of the great men named 

 Måiåri travelled in the canoe, which had been prepared with „poison", and was accompanied by 

 Jogova, Ônii, Âudo, and a Dåru man named Täradåra. The canoës sailed past the Otamabu reef 

 and landed at the large reef called Mådjaia or Auo-mådja, where the people started to catch fish. 



N:o 1. 



