■4-94 Gunnar Lanutman. 



interpolated at this point. The one girl said, „No good you grovvl all time, you no give him no 

 fish, no sago." She had seen through the boy : „Eye belong boy he no belong sick man, that 

 good man, skin belong him proper underneath. I think he njake fool you me (of us).'' This 

 is why she had been giving him food, for she had become fond of him, thinking, „I like you — 

 one thing (only not) that skin on top. I like you proper inside man, I think you good 

 fellow inside." 



In the morning all got up as usual, some girls went to eut sago, and others to catch 

 crabs. The boy remained alone. He took off his bad skin, vvhich he rolled up and stovved away 

 close to his bed. He looked at his face in the water being really a fine boy, „skin, body belong 

 him good, hair he fine, good, hair he light."" He took the bird's skin frotn the place where it 

 was hidden and putting it on flew up into the air. He went to Aliiba läsa, the point where the 

 girls were catching crabs. The girl who had been giving him food was Walking along the pools 

 on the beach, and the bird foUowed her closely, watching her all the time. Flapping its wings 

 it caught a small fish and swallowed it. The girl ceased to catch crabs and watched the bird, 

 thinking, „That good pigeon, I no been see him before, I like him that pigeon." When the bird 

 came close to her, she concluded, „That man I been look out (look after) all time, I think that 

 him." She left her fish and crabs and ran after the bird from pool to pool, anxious to catch it. 

 The other girls said, „What name (why) you run along that pigeon, you think you can catch 

 him? You go look out crab." 



All the others went back, and the girl gave up chasing the bird. The heron flew up 

 and returned to the house, where the boy took off and hid the skin of the bird, resuming that 

 of the sick man and smearing himself with ashes. He cooked and ate the fish which had been 

 swallowed by the bird, and afterwards lay down pretending to be asleep. 



The girls came in and looking at their beds exclaimed, „I say, what name (why) you 

 all time play about along bed, make him dirty?" and the boy replied, „Every time you talk like 

 that, you fellow think I walk about, make dirt along you fellow bed, what's way I walk about, 

 I gof sore all över hand (arm), leg." 



The girl who looked after the boy had no crab or fish in her basket this time, since she 

 had been running after the bird all the time. The other girls grumbled, „What name you been 

 go run all time along that pigeon?" They gave her a small fish, and she came and gave half 

 of it to the boy, saying, „I been go walk about along härd place, no catch him no crab. 

 Altogether girl been go along good place, find him crab." The boy thought, „Oh, you gammon, 

 all time you been foUow me, nf) catch him crab." Those girls who had returned from the bush 

 did not give the boy any sago, but the girl gave him some of her share. 



The eldest of the girls said, „Plenty time me been make him sago, plenty time me been 

 catch him fish. Plenty sago along house, plenty fish he stop along basket. To-morrow you 

 me make him canoe, make him stone axe sharp first time." 



In the morning the girls went to the bush and found a laige tree which they intended 

 to make into a canoe. The eldest girl, taking off her grass skirt, rubbed the stone axe with 

 fluid from her vulva and eut the tree a couple of times with the axe, which she then dropped 

 on the ground. The others picked it up and continued the cutting, relieving each other when 

 tired, until the tree feil. The first girl („master belong make him canoe") onlj' looked on after 



Tom. XLVII. 



