428 Gunnar Landïman. 



like the discharge of a boil poured out, filling three basins. îregi'de's belly had been \ery large 

 before, but as it was gradually emptied it slackened dovvn. While the man was still asleep 

 Miirke rubbed him with the sweet medicine, painted him, and decorated him with the croton 

 branches. Then she threw away all the rubbish, and just when the hirds began to call at 

 daybreak she lav down to sleep. 



After a while Iregfde woke up. He felt a great lightness of body and looked round in 

 bewilderment, „Ua, iiå, iicif" being the only sound he uttered. Then he found that he could 

 speak, „My god, I got mouth now ! My god, I got \arn (faculty of speech) now, from mouth 

 yarn he come ! My god, I got hole now ! Plenty nice thing (ornaments) somebody been put 

 along me!" Mùrke feigned sleep but heard how he kept on talking to himself, „i'^'> "à' I man 

 now. my word, I man now! My god, I savy kaikai now! What thing I kaikai? kaikai banana. 

 kaikai taro — what? No, I kaikai fish." It was broad daylight, and still he went on calling 

 out, „Löpe, Jångediiu (and many other peoples), I man now! I got no mouth before, you hear 

 m}- talk now ! That my name Iregfde, that my name big man Iregfde. I kaikai now ! 

 That's my gir! he been make good for me! That name belong that giri now Abapli, no 

 more Murke." 



In the morning he went and shot some fish, and the girl baked them for him, and he 

 ate. „Mj' god," he exclaimed, „I kaikai an_v kind now, very glad inside!" 



When Wöboiäme, Mûrke's father, returned home he found his girl missing and asked 

 his wife, „Vou been kill him Mürke? All time I been hear you want kill him," and he Struck 

 her. An old woman said, „No, you no fight him, I been see him go, he been carr\- kaikai and 

 bamboo." Woboiâme immediately set out to follow Mürke, chewing a gdmoda root to make 

 himself strong. At Nögopåte creek he found the first wild yam and bamboo which Mürke had 

 planted; ,,0h, him he there been walk about, track there been go other side along creek."' It 

 grew dark. and he returned home for the night, but he could not eat anything, onl}' dränk gdmoda. 

 Before dawn he started again and passed över the creek, and then he foUowed her track from 

 place to place where she had planted the yams and bamboo or lighted a fire, from Tsée to 

 Irelüale, and thence to Dümegide and Agedöro, at last arriving at the large swamp, and there he 

 shot some fish. He saw iregfde on the other side of the swamp and called out, ..Who you?" 

 „Me iregfde. Who you?'' „Me there Wöboiäme. I follow pickaninny, track there." „I no been 

 see him," iregfde gammoned, „I think alligator been catch him." Wöboiäme constructed a raft 

 of bamboo and ferried himself oyer. On seeing the girl he called out, „My God. pdna (friend), 

 that my pickaninny. Pdna, I look face, that Mürke!" iregfde had forbidden her to listen to that 

 name, for he wanted her to be his daughter and named her Abapli. But Wöboiäme insisted that 

 she belonged to him and said, „You look my face, you look that pickaninny there, he got my 

 face. Mürke, my pickaninny, that you! You been plant him that bamboo every place." Then 

 Mürke signed to him that she recognized him, but iregfde asked him angrily not to speak any 

 more to the girl. „All right, pdna," Wödoiäme then said, „belong you pickaninny. I been give 

 name Mürke, that my name, that my face, you been glve name Abapli. I go one man (alone), 

 no more take back pickaninny, belong you that pickaninny." „All right now, belong me now," 



Tom. XL VII. 



