XV. PEOPLE ENGAGED IN FABULOUS OCCUPATIONS 



(no. 374—386). 



EXTRAORDINARY METHODS OF FISHING (no. 374-377) 



374. Once in olden times a certain Ki'vvai man ananged with his two wives to go and make 

 sago on the follovving day. After the sago tree inad been felled and part of the hard surface was 

 removed, the women started to pound the sago, and the man vvent to fish. He came to a pond, 

 took out his two eye-balis which he put in a .safe place and plunged under water. Instantly a 

 swarm of fish and crabs came and attached themselves to his eyelids and empty eye-holes, and 

 after a while the man came up on shore, secured the fish and groped round for his eyes saying, 

 „Where eye belong me?" When he had found them he put them back in their proper places 

 and killed the fish. He brought them in a basket to his wives who said, „Where y ou been catch 

 that fish?" „I been find him along big fellow swamp," said he, for he wanted to keep his fishing 

 method secret. 



In the evening the three went hom.e. The next day they resumed the same work, and the 

 man caught some fish in the same fashion as on the previous day (abbrev.). None of the people 

 knew of his Singular doings. Another day when he took out his two eye-balls previous to jump- 

 ing into the water a bird which was also a man happened to corne to the pond to drink, and 

 on finding the two eye-balls it ate them. Then it tlew up and perched in a large tree. The 

 man came out of the water and felt round for his eye-balls but could not find them. Then he 

 called out to his wives, „You come look round where eye belong me." The two women came 

 and said, „What's matter?" „You look round two eye belong me where he stop." „Where you 

 leave him?" „1 leave him here," said he, „more better you look round." „He no stop here." 

 „More better you look round pigeon (birds)," he advised them. The two women made a small 

 how and^shot a certain bird. They opened it, examined the intestines but found nothing. Then 

 they shot a number of other birds and brought them to their husband and he opened them but 

 found nothing inside. After a while the large bird which had swallowed the eyes flew down and 

 alighted in a small tree, and there it was shot bj' one of the women. She ripped it open, and 

 there were the man's eyes. The women washed them in the water and put them in their right 

 places, and the man exclaimed, „Me fellow all right novv!" „Another time you do like that," the 

 two women warned him, „I no go find him. You lie-man, you been speak you catch him fish 

 along big swamp." But the man was very glad. On their return home the people heard of the 



Tom. .\LV11. 



