xiL] LEGEND OF MANGUNDI. 283 



by the head, so that he struggled in vain to escape. Now the land 

 in the neighbourhood ran out into a promontory, which was very 

 narrow, and in the \'ig;orous lashincj of his tail to ci'et free Nori 

 cut it through, " And the truth of this everybody knows," con- 

 cluded our informant, "for Ambepon remains an island to this 

 very day." 



This story led to another, which I afterwards learnt to be a 

 favourite legend of the Nufoor people. The native, perching him- 

 self upon Gobini's statue, related it at full length to Mr. Bink, 

 who translated it for us, sentence by sentence, into Dutch. It ran 

 somewhat as follows : — 



Years ago, "years and years before any one can remember," 

 there lived upon the island of Anki ^ an old man caUed Mansaakri. 

 He was old and ugly, and so covered with cascado as to gain for 

 hull his pseudonym — "the itching old man." All day long he 

 clmibed the sagueir trees and made palm-wine, and, dirtied from 

 head to foot with the sap, returned at night to his sohtary hut, for 

 his presence was shunned by the rest of his tribe. By these pre- 

 carious means he contrived to support himself, until he began to 

 notice a gradual diminution in the peld of juice. His suspicions 

 were aroused, but for a long time he was unable to discover the 

 thief. At last, having watched all one night, he sees Samfari, the 

 morning star, descend and drink his fill. He immediately seizes 

 him and demands recompense, with the result that Samfari endows 

 him with supernatural powers, although to outward appearance he 

 remains unchanged. At the same time he presents him with a 

 magic fruit, which, on being thrown at a ^'irgin, will cause her to 

 become pregnant. Mansaakri releases the delinquent, and shortly 

 afterwards, captivated with the charms of a maiden of the village, 

 makes use of his present. In due time a cliild is born, who is 

 endowed with the power of speech from the moment of his birth, 

 and declaring Mansaakri to be his father, receives the name of 



^ Anki is one of the Isles des Traitres — a group Ij'ing to the north of Jobi Island 

 in Geelviuk Bay. 



