Till' Folk-Talcs of llie Kiivai Fnpiimis. 421 



spots here and there, for Dägi could not see what his hand was doing. The tvvo women brought 

 home the food, and they became Dâgi's vvives and lemained with him. In the night when the 

 women were sleeping Dàgi sent out his hand and caught a number ot pigs, kangaroo, and 

 cassowaries, placing them by the side of the Iwo women who found them into the morning. 

 They eut up the animais and cooked them. 



After a while the two women went aside and whispered among themseives, „Poor feliow, 

 moie better me eut him hand (arm) belong him — too heavy. That time he sleep me eut him." 

 In the evening Dägi called out as usual, „Nobody there? Who go Uaikai plenty pig, cassowary, 

 kangaroo? To-night 1 no go kill nothing, other night go again." Then he feil asleep, and the 

 two women said. „Time belong you me feliow now, he sleep all night." .After a while thej^ tried 

 to rouse him saying, „You sleep? House he burn!"^^ But Dågi did not move. Then they eut 

 off his arm in two places, a little above the wrist and a little below the Shoulder, and throwing 

 away all the mindle part they glued the two stumps together. They gave the new aiin the 

 e.xact length of the other arm. The flesh was eut through with a bamboo knife and the bone 

 with a Shell. Ddgi was dead asleep all the while. After the operation was done the two women 

 shaved all his body leaving the eyebrows and moustache intact. The latter is regarded as the 

 oi-nament and ..fighting ihing-' of a man, as it is missing with the women. A little hair was 

 also left under the chin, at the centre of the ches^ and at the genital organs except the p^nis 

 which they shaved. Then they painted Ddgi black with cinder and water and white with mud, 

 and put on him all kinds of ornaments. Thej' also left a basin with water close to him in order 

 to enable him to see his reflection on awaking. They buried the severed portion of the arm and 

 cleaned the house carefuUy after which they lay down to sleep. 



.'\fter a while Dägi began to stir and woke up, and his two vvives watched him in secret. 

 He lifted up the arm which had been eut off and exclaimed, „Halloo!" Thinking that it was his 

 short arm he lifted the other, but that too was short. „Halloo, he all same!" he cried. Neither 

 arm was heavy any more. He passed his hand över his body and felt that there was no hair. 

 .At last he got up and cried out, .,D;igi, Dågi, Dagi!" and his two wives watched him all the 

 while rejoicing. Dägi looked at his reflection in the water and exclaimed, „Me there, me proper 

 man! Me got paint, plenty nice thing I got! Hallo, I all right, I man now! And he jumped up 

 and danced round in the house shouting out, „Good now? AU right now!" Awaking his wives 

 he said, „What name (why) you fellov\' sleep? I all right now! To-night I been stow away 

 that hand, I got)d now." But the two women knew that that was not true and said, „Oh, you 

 gammon, you no been make himself, me two been make him." 



The two women arranged to go back to their place and make préparations for a great 

 dance wliich they intended to hold, and Dågi was to foUow them låter on. On their way home 

 they called in many villages asking the people to come and dance, and this invitation was brought 

 to the Güruru, Täti, Bügia, Tâtirue, Mirapo, Bådu (Irupi), Ddrube, Lame, Ölme, Wåleåmu, Irue, 

 and Àripara peoples (abbrev.). 



Great préparations were made for the dance by the two women and Dägi, and on the 

 appointed day the invited people made their appearance (abbrev.). Dågi arrived with the others, 

 and he drew his bow and called out, „No iiioroi Dågi! — Me Dägi here!" None of the people 



N:o 1. 



