Thr Folk-Tales of tlie Kiivai Papuaiis. 439 



drawn, vvaiting and waiting, and at length the bushes grew up around him entangling his limbs 

 and the bow in their branches. He was held tight in their grip unable to move, and there he 

 died, and nobody saw him in the dense bush. (Samäri and Nâmai, Mawåta). 



THE WOMAN WHO BAKED HER HUSBAND ALIVE. 



383. A certain Dâru man and his vvife were tired of eating vegetable food all the time 

 and wanted some fish or meat. They made the earth-oven ready but had nothing to put in it. 

 Then the man asked his wite to wash him carefully and wrap him up in the leaves which are 

 used for baking. She did so, and then placed him in a large basin which she put in the öven 

 (ef. p. 229, foot-note). She laid two hot .stones on his eyes and some others on his tongue, 

 neck, stomach, etc, till he was completely covered b\' them, and finally she closed the öven up 

 with bark, wood, and earth. When the baking was done the woman opened the öven, took out 

 the basin which was novv full of fat, and carried her husband to the water where he was washed 

 and shortly recovered. Then the two ate the fat which had flowed into the basin. „Good kaikai 

 this one," they said, „to-morrt)\\^ we do all same. Vou me (we) fool kaikai all time dry kaikai, 

 good thing mc find him now." 



The next daj' they did the .same thing again (abbre\'.). VVhile the man was baking in 

 the öven the woman worked at a belt and forgot all about the cooking. .At length she remem- 

 bered the uven and called out, „Oh, I fool, he take nim long time make him, that thins he boil 

 long time!" When she opened the öven there was no fat or meat, hardly anything moie than 

 bones. She carried them ti) the water but it was too late to recall the man to life. „Oh, man 

 helong me he dead altogether, no more life," she wailed. „Fault belong you, what for you been 

 pick him up that fashion." She threw the body away vvithout burying it. (Såibu, Mawåta). 



THE MAN WHO WANTED TO MAKE HIS SKIN WHITE. 



384. Ai Domôri near Gâima there lived a man whose skin was white. Once he met a 

 Pagdna man who said to him, „Oh, that good (good-looking) man. No good I stop black skin, 

 I want white skin.'' Then he asked the Domöri man, „What fashion you been find him that 

 white skin? You been burn him that skin along fire?" „No, me fellow been stop all time along 

 white skin," replied the Domc'iri man, „no good you fellow talk like that." „No, you been burn 

 him," insisted the other man, „by-and-by I go back do all same." 



The Pagana man went home and asked his vvife to lighl a big fire. Theh he brought 

 in a large pièce of the rind of the te palm, wrapped himself up in it, and asked his wife to tie a 

 rope round him. When this was done his vvife placed him on the fire. He wriggled to and fro in 

 the burning fiâmes till he was 'dead, but his wife did not hear his shouting from inside the rind. 

 After a while she carried him to the water, and opened the rind, and there he was dead, and 

 she wept bitterly. The fire had scorched the whole of his body, and he was carried home. 



The woman sent a messenger to teil the man with the white skin that his friend was 

 dead. He came to look and said, „He fool, who tel! him burn that skin?" They buried the 

 .N:o 1. 



