Tlw Folk- /nies of thc Kiivai Papiinns. 381 



A A similar adventure happened to a Agiadâi man who was catching ihe nests of the niére- 

 miie bird wilh a bio. None of ihe passers-by came to the rescue, for they did not like the man. He 

 remained hanging all night, and in Ihe niorning was helped down by his friends. He had great diffi- 

 cully in bringing his arms down to their natural position after hanging so long. (Mamatüa, Sümai). 



318. A certain man once vvanted feathers for a dance and a.sked his friends for some, 

 but they did not give him any. Then he went to shoot some birds on his own account. He 

 came to a large tree in v\hich there werc many birds, and tying his bovv and arrows on to his 

 Shoulder he climbed the tree. W'hen he came to a suitable branch he started to shoot at the 

 birds, and flapping their wings they feil to the ground. There was one large bird which remained 

 hanging by its clavvs although wounded. As the man climbed after the bird the branch broke, 

 and man and bird feil down, and the former was crushed to death. 



After the peopie had uaited in \'ain for his return thej' thought that he had gone in a 

 canoe to another village. His v\'ife wailed over him. In course of time the dead body decayed, 

 so that only the bones remained. One night the woman dreamt that her husband came to her 

 and Said, „Vou no sorry me.'" „I sorry you," she replied, „I no kaikai, no can drink water, I 

 sorry you. Where you stop?" „Oh, I go shoot pigeon (birds), I fall down, me finish. You go 

 look me, you no find, bone he stop." The woman woke up in the night and wailed. She called 

 out to her mother, „Mother, mother, you sleep?" but the mother was sound asleep and did not 

 hear anything. Then the woman touched her with her hand and awoke her. „Wake him up 

 father too," she said. Thej' lighted a large fire. „Man belong me he no been go along canoe," 

 the woman related, „he come along dream: he go bush, he fall down tree, bone he stop." And 

 the woman and her parents wailed together. 



Before daylight the mother cooked a little food and gave it to her daughter, but the latter 

 said, „You no give much kaikai, I sorry man belong me." In the morning the peopie all went 

 to look for the dead man. They v\anted to follow up every fork in the path so as to be sure 

 to find him, but the woman said, „Yoy no go other way, you go along me; I been dream that 

 place." .And they sought for the large tree. The woman went first, and at length she found 

 the tree, and there were the bones. The peopie all wailed. Then the woman put the bones in 

 a basket to carry them home. One of the leading men said, „You no take bone inside house, 

 by-and-by you fellow get big sick." So they dug a hole in the ground and buried the bones 

 there. 



Since then it is a rule among the peopie never to refuse to give feathers to anyone who 

 asks for some with which to decorate himself for a dance. (Natal, Ipisia). 



319. A certain låsa man had promised to give his friend some feathers the next time the 

 peopie held a dance. But he forgot his word and gave the the feathers to soniebody eise. His 

 friend felt hurt and went by himself to find some birds. On seeing a v\ hite cockatoo in a large 

 tree he cautiously climbed up and caught hold of its legs. While he was sliding down the tree 

 the bird pecked at his wrist with its powerful beak till his hand was eut off. The man feil down 

 dead, and the .bird flew awa_\-. After a time the peopie went to look for him in différent directions, 

 and not until the next day did they find his bow, and shortly afterwards the man himself. They 



N:o 1. 



