472 Gunnar Landtman. 



The dögs ansvvered, „All right, you fellow been give me that water (bitter dose), me 

 fellow give you water. Me go stop along proper people; people take me go kill you fellow all 

 time. Before you me (we) friend, that's bad friend now." 



But the opossum said, „Me fellow no go stop close to now; you fellow no got no chance 

 catch me fellow. Me go stop long way along tree. Sometime you find me walk about along 

 ground, sometime 3'ou no find me." 



Since that time man and dögs chase the opossum, and sometimes they find them and 

 sometimes they do not. 



On parting trom the dögs the opossum said, ^" „Sometime man give you kaikai, sometime 

 he no give you kaikai. You kill something for nothing, you no kaikai self. Man he chuck away 

 bone, you kaikai, ne (excréments) belong man, that's you (your) kaikai, anything along ground. 

 Me kaikai fruit along tree. Sometime man no give you kaikai : you go steal kaikai, that fashion 

 belong you." 



Since that time the dögs eat excréments and pick up and eat any food which the people 

 throw away. The dögs tried in vain to renew their friendship with the opossum, and when they 

 failed they said to the iare (a kind of rat), „You come along me." ,.No, you no go along him, 

 you come along me," intercepted the opossum, which the iai-e did. The opossum, rat, and pig 

 kept together, and the dog was left alone and said, „All right, you fellow one side now, no man 

 he come friend along me, I kill you all lot." „I no pay you back," said the opossum, „sometime 

 pig go pay you back, alligator, snake go pay you back, that thing kill you fellow." To make 

 up for being left alone the dog has a numerous offspring. He said to his master, ,.\'o\i keep me. 

 I man for kill him all thing belong you." This is why the dog kills whatever animais he finds, 

 having no friends. (Såibu, Mawäta). 



A. Long ago the opossum and dögs used to be friends. Once the dögs rolled up their ears, 

 smeared a llttle blood on the edge of a bamboo knife and induced the opossum to eut off its ears, 

 thus making a fool of it. The opossum went away and said, „I leave you now, I go along tree. I 

 send fly come kaikai you all time. You no can sleep, he wake you all time, all time you shake him 

 head. I send you alligator, all time he kaikai you, snake he kaikai you. Man he no give you proper 

 meat, give you bone; that's kaikai belong you, rubbish." 



Ever since that time the dögs are compelled to shake their ears continually because of the 

 flies. They can only sleep a little at a time and are incessantly disturbed. If the dögs had not 

 humbugged the opossum, the latter too would have Hved with the people. (Nämai, Mawäta). 



B. The dog and opossum were born by the same mother, a woman in Manavete. The dog 

 ate quickly but the opossum was a slow eater. Once when the former had finished his meal the 

 opossum still had a heap of kaikai in front of him, which the dog then tried to seize, and they fought 

 tili they were separated by their mother. In the night the opossum who had had the worst of the hght 

 ran away, and the dog was sent in the morning to bring him back, but the opossum did not come. 

 Another time the dog hoaxed the opossum to eut off his ears as in the previous versions, and in 

 revenge the latter sent the sandflies to torment the dog. Since then the dog and opossum are enemies. 

 Kåku, Ipisi'a). 



Tom. .\l,\'ll. 



