Tlic Folk-Taks of the Khvui Fapuans. 493 



avvay, them fellovv no see him. You go eut him bamboo, split him, half you take him come, 

 3'ou stow away good, put him alongside />«>-««." 



The next day, while the others vvere making sago, this giii eut pièces oi palm-tree and 

 bamboo and hiding them away brought them in the evening to the bov. She said, „I no been 

 cateh him fish, that's all I give you small pièce sago." The other girls did not give him 

 any fish. 



.^fter all the girls had gone in the morning, the boy began to make an anow-head of 

 the palm-tree and a bow of the bamboo, using a shell to eut it with, and as soon as he had finished 

 he hid everything. 



VVhen he went to svvim, he saw a hawîa (white heron-iike bird). After washing himself 

 he went back to his place. Some of the girls returned from the beach and the others from the 

 bush, but none gave him any food, except the one girl who threw him a small fish. The others 

 gave her sago of which she broke half and threw to the boy. He whispered to her, „To-morrow 

 (when) you go eut him sago, some young bamboo you eut him, bring him. Suppose some girl 

 he speak, 'What name (why) you bring him?' you speak, "I bring him for au (fire-tongs)." You 

 eut him dildu (reed) too, bring him." The boy and girl did not let the others know of 

 their talk. 



The girls got up in the morning, and some of them went to the beach, but the one girl 

 went to the bush. In the afterneon they returned and shared their fish and sago. The girl gave 

 the boy a little sago and fish and handed him the reeds for ariovv-shafts and young bamboo 

 for bow-strings. 



All slept, and in the morning they g(jt up. Some girls went to the bush anti others to 

 the beach. VVhen they had gone, the boy raised himself up and looked round: „Nobody here?" 

 He looked out on the beach: „Nobody stop!" and went to wash his sores. Afterwards he made 

 a string which he attached to the bow, and a gdtn, four-pointed arrow. Slowly dragging himself 

 to the place where he had seen the white heron before, he sat down on the beach and watched. 

 The bird came, and he drew his bow and broke its tv\'o legs. He ran and caught the bird and 

 pulled out the arrow, which he broke to pièces throwing them away, so that the tide should 

 carry them off, and he disposed of the bow and string in the same way. He brought the bird 

 into the house and pulled out the tail feathers which he attached to his back and fastened some 

 to each arm, making them into wings. He exchanged his own eyes for those of the bird and 

 assumed its beak. When he rubbed his body, feathers came out all över it, and he also appropriated 

 the bird's legs. He was no longer a man but a bird. Flapping the wings by way of trial he 

 thought, „Oh, proper white pigeon (bird)." He walked about in the house in the shape of the 

 bird („inside proper man he stop, outside skin belong pigeon"). After a while he stripped off 

 the skin of the bird and hid it, resuming his human form with his skin full of sores. He 

 strevved ashes over his face and body, and when the girls returned lay in his usual place 

 feigning sleep. 



The girls grumbled at him, „No good ail time you humbug bed belong me, strew him 

 ashes." The boy said, „VVhat"s way I walk about, me no good man, sore ail over; wind he 

 take him ashes go," and the boy wept so that the tears rolled down his cheeks. Every day the 

 girls grumbled and the boy wept — „I hâve forgotten to tell (that he wept)," my informant 



N:o 1. 



