404 Gunnar Landtman. 



brought him into his house and took care of him. But the Tato people thought him dead and 

 abandoned the gard:n v\here his body was supposed to be decaying. 



Gåbeu brooded vengeance and drawing his bovv said, „Next moon no more Tàti man." 

 He went and summoned the Mawåta people to come and help him, and Mäinou, the great Ma- 

 wäta leader, went and fetched the Såihai people as well, and they were joined by the Daväne 

 and Äita men. Gåbeu said to the assembled people, .,Pig there along clear place, you me (we) go 

 kill him, make 'kopamauro' (bake them in the carth-oven, ef. p. 229, foot-note)," he meant the Tåti 

 people. The men all prepared for fight. The Tiiritiiri people bad noticed the Säibai canoës, and 

 they too came to take part in the fight. When all were ready, they set out for Tàti with Gåbeu 

 at their head. 



On arriving near Tåti village the people stopped to rest, and at sundown some of the 

 fighting men proceeded to the xiUage leaving the rest to look after the fires. There each of them 

 chose the house he intended to attack, and then returned to the camp and said to the rest of 

 the people. „You me (we) all right; pig he there clear place." Some men spent the night talking, 

 and some sleeping. Just before daylight al! the strong men moved on preceded by the scouts v\'ho 

 lay down at the différent houses they had chosen for their attack. At dawn the onslaught was 

 made, and the noise resembled that of a strong wind. The great leaders rushed the houses first, 

 striking with their stone clubs right and left, and after them came the rest hammering the wounded 

 till they were dead whereupon they eut off their heads. The houses were plundered and burnt 

 down, and the dögs and pigs were shot. 



After the return of the war-partj- Gåbeu was presented with a great many things as a 

 reward for the good luck he had given the people, for such is the custom after a victorious fight. 

 The Mavxata and Säibai men kept the captured heads, because the Màsingâra bushmen do not 

 eut off the head of slain enemies. (Nåmai, Mawåta). 



342. While Gaméa, the narrator of this story, was a young man he was once sent by 

 his father to summon the Säibai men to come and kill the Tåti people. The Såibai warriors put 

 on their ornaments of war and came to Mawåta, and the Måsingära people too prepared to take 

 part in the forthcoming tight. The first night was spent at Måsingära. Just beyond the parting 

 of the ways to Bädu and Tåti a number of observances were held calculated to foreteli the issue 

 of the approaching battle and to make the weapons unfailing, and care was taken to direct the 

 effect of the rites towards Tåti leaving Bådu aside (abbrev.). 



A great warrior of Säibai named Japia was so eager for the fight that he went in front 

 of everybody eise, and when the Måsingära people tried to keep him back, he nearly went for 

 them. 



Mäinou advised the people not to attack the village during the day but to wait till 

 dawn, next morning. A few scouts, called vboro-rübi (spirit-people), were sent in advance, and 

 they lay downat the différent houses to watch. The Tåti people did not suspect any danger. 

 When the birds began to cry at dawn, the houses were surrounded and the fighting men rushed 

 in. The rest of the people who vvaited some distance off could hear the hammering of the stone 

 clubs and the yelling of the Tåti people, „Auau-au!" rnixed with the war-cry of the Mawåta men, 

 „Oo-oo-oo f' Japia caught the arms of two bushman in his one hand and killed them both with 



Tom. XLVII. 



