518 Gunnar Landtman. 



girls, but he was too little to hâve anything do with them. He was nevertheless considered thoir hus- 

 band, and the next day when they went to work in the gardens they had to carry him, for he could 

 not even walk properly. Not until he was full grown did he know how to sleep with the girls in the 

 right way. (Obüro, Idsa). 



CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN AFTER THEIR MOTHER'S DEATH. (no 469— 470) " 



469. Far away in tiie bush at Tugi'ba the people were once catching crabs and shell- 

 fish in the Tugiba-öromo. A certain man whose wife was pregnant brought her some shell-fish, 

 but as they were very small she went to find some by herself. Wading in the water she came 

 across an enormous shell-fish with two sharp corrugated shells, and as she bent down and put 

 her hand into it to pick it up, the shells closed, jamming up har hands. The woman could not 

 free herself, and when the water rose, she got drowned. In course of time the sharp edges of 

 the shell eut off her hands, and the body fioated away and was washed up on an Island in the 

 sea. There the decaying body opened, and the baby which was still alive came out. On the 

 Island there lived an old man and woman with their three sons, and one night one of the latter 

 dreamt th^t there was a little boy on the beach. They went to see, found the boy and brought 

 him home. There he grew up but his birth was kept a secret from him. ' One day on seeing 

 his reflection in a large shell filled with water he thought to himself, „I got another face, that 

 three boy he got another face. I don't know where I come from." One night his mother's spirit 

 came to him and said, „That s no proper mother, father belong you. I mother belong you. 

 Shell-fish been eut my hand, I dead, I float this place, you inside my belly. I come from 

 other side." 



In the morning the boy got up and thought, „Oh, I belong other place, mother been 

 speak me true." He obtained a canoe from the old man alieging to go and fish, but instead he 

 paddled away to get to his right home. His foster-parents waited in vain for him to return 

 and suspecfing that he had run away they asked their three sons whether they had told the boy 

 of his birth. But none of them had. 



At length the boy arrived home, for his mother's spirit showed him the right way. He 

 met his father and was kindly received by him. The old man filled a shell with water, compared 

 his refiection with the boy's face and thought, „That all same face belong me." The boy told 

 his story, the man found that he was his son, and they remained together. (Iku, Mawåta). 



470. Long ago a certain låsa man once went from Old Mawåta to get a stone axe. He 

 passed by Mibu Island which at that time was only a sandbank, and spent the night at Ùbi'ri, 

 and the following day he arrived at Mawåta. His wife slept with the Mawåta women, and the 

 man slept in the men's house. In the night the låsa woman was brought out of her house, and 

 the Mawåta and Tiiritiiri men all had connection with her. ""^ She told her husband in the morn- 

 ing vvhat they had done, and he asked her not to speak ol it to anybody. ^^ 



After returning to låsa the man went and made a number of bows which he took to the 

 three äirrimo (men's houses) which there were at låsa. The people understood that he wanted 



Tom. XLVll. 



