The Folk-Tales of tlie Kiwai Papuans. 471 



He saw how the spirit of the créature shot many men with some „poison thing". The ghost 

 said to him, „Before I stop good, you feilow stop good, full up people. What's vvay (in the same 

 way as) I stink, all you fellqw dead too. That time 1 stink finish, you people come dead, altogether 

 you people finish." In the morning the boy told the people what the crocodile had said. The 

 Dfrimo people suggested to the others, „More better you me go kill that man he been spoil me." 

 They let the Kunini men know, and all those vvhn had „medicine" for killing people said, „AU 

 right, to-morrow you me (vve) go kill him." 



The Dfrimo people, terrified by the crocodiles message, left their village and encamped 

 at a place called Méreovéra, close to Müogfdo passage. The Magi, Bodfgo and Sävva people 

 went to stay on the opposite hank of the creek, and the Türüpdja people on the far side of 

 Âberemùba point. The Kunfni people moved to Pömoguri, close to Türitüri. Some Dfrimo men 

 went to Äripara, and the Gövvo men to the east of Tiiritüri where there is a coconut grove. 

 .■\11 deserted their old villages, leaving their gardens and empty houses behind, for ,.\\hat dream 

 that alligator been give, that true dream." The man who had shot the crocodile was killed by 

 some „poison- man". 



The crocodile sent a great sickness all över the country. Men, women, and children died, 

 and two were buried in every grave. The people had to tlee from their new camps, and some 

 hid themselves far avvay in the bush. The inhabitants of Magi and Säwa were wiped out, and 

 the Dfrimo folk too were nearly annihilated. A few Türitüri houses were stricken by the pestilence, 

 and there was even fear of its reaching Mawata, although some people said that it only belonged 

 to the bush. The Mawåta men, hi)wever, stopped the progress of the sickness by putting „medicine" 

 in the Binatüri river. 



After a time, when the survivors thought that the bane of the crocodile had ceased, they 

 began gradually to move back to their old homes. Some places, where the people had died out 

 entirely, remained deserted. The Kunfni people did not go back to the bush but stayed on in 

 their new \'illage on the coast. (Nåmai, Mawåta). 



HOW THE OPOSSUMS WERE FOOLED BY THE DÖGS. 



435. The' dögs and opossums (cuscus; in Kiwai and Mawåta pådi or påriina) u.sed to live 

 together, but as there was not sufficient food for both, the former wanted to send the latter away. One 

 day the dögs asked the opossum to turn round and look at a certain tree, and in the meantime the\- 

 rolled up their ears. Then they said, „Vou turn round, look me," and the opossum did so 

 wondering, „What's the matter ear belong you feilow?" „Me feilow been eut him ear belong me 

 feilow. You eut him too." The opossum eut off its ears, and no sooner was this done than the 

 dögs said, „Pdrwta. you look me, me make you fool now," and they unrolled their ears. Then 

 the opossum became very angry and parted from the dögs saying, „Me feilow go on top, kaikai 

 plenty fruit; you feilow stop along ground. ..HoMomere nigo oriihona nigo iriho. Nöu tndupo 

 oiu'ra iiiörigtdo. — Altogether you tly. you go kaikai him. he been speak gammon along 

 me feilow." 



N:o 1. 



