134 ANIMISM AND FOLK-LOEE OF GUIANA INDIANS (etu. ann. 30 



tlie liduse-mistress took pity on her, aiul telliuK lier not to be afraid, hid her in the big 

 cassiri jar, and pupped on the cover. When Tiger got home that night, he sniffed 

 up and down, and said, "Mother, I can smell somebody! Whom have you here?" 

 And tliough she denied having anybody on the premises. Tiger was not satisfied, but 

 had a good look round on his own account, and peeping into the cassiri jar, discovered 

 the frightened creature. 



36. On killing the poor woman. Tiger found the two as-yet-unborn children, and 

 showed them to his mother, who .oaid that he must now mind and cherish them. So 

 he put them in a bundle of cotton to keep them warm, and noticed next morning that 

 they had already begun to creep. The next day, they had grown much bigger, and 

 with tliis daily increase in about a month's time they had reached man's size. Tiger's 

 mother told them that they were now fit to use the bow and arrow, with wliich they 

 must go and shoot the Powis (Crnx) because it was this bird which had killed their 

 own mother. Pia and Makunaima therefore went next day and shot Powis, and these 

 birds they continued shooting day after day. ^^^len they were about to let fly the 

 arrow at the last bird, the Powis told them that it was none of liis tribe who had killed 

 their mother, but Tiger himself, giving them l:>oth full particulars as to how he had 

 encompassed her death. The two boys were very angry on hearing this, spared the 

 bird, and coming home empty-handed, informed the old woman that the Powis had 

 taken their arrows away from them. Of course this was not true, but only an excuse; 

 they had themselves liidden their arrows in the bush, and wanted the chance of mak- 

 ing new and stronger weapons. These completed, they built a staging up against a 

 tree, and when Tiger passed below, they shot and killed him. And when they reached 

 home, they slaughtered his mother also. 



37. The two lads now proceeded on their way and arri^■ed at last at a clump of 

 cotton-trees in the center of which was a house occupied l)y a very old woman, really 

 a frog, and with her they took up their quarters. They went out hunting each day, and 

 on their return invariably found some cassava that their hostess had baked. "That's 

 very strange," remarked Pia to his brother, "there is no field anywhere about, and 

 yet look at the quantity of cassava which the old woman gives us. We must watch 

 her." So next moning, instead of going into the forest to hunt, they went only a little 

 distance away, and hid themselves beliind a tree whence they could see everything 

 that took place at the house. They noticed that the old frog had a white spot on her 

 shoulders: they .saw her bend down and pick at this spot, and observed the cassava- 

 starch fall. On their return home they refused to eat the usual cake, having now 

 discovered its source. Next moriung they picked a quantity (pf cotton from the 

 neighl:)oring trees, and teased it out on the floor. Wlien the old woman asked what 

 they were doing, they told her that they were making sometliing nice and soft for her 



■to lie upon. Much pleased at this, she promptly sat upon it, but no sooner had she 

 done so than the two lads set fire to it; thereupon her skin was scorched so dreadfully 

 as to give it the wrinkled and rough appearance which it now bears. 



38. Pia and Makunaima next continued their travels to meet their father, and 

 soon arrived at the house of a Maipuri (tapir), where they spent three days. On 

 the third evening Maipuri returned, looking very sleek and fat. Wanting to know 

 what she had been feeding on, the boys followed her tracks, wliich they traced to 

 a plum-tree; this they shook and shook so violently as to make all the fruit, both 

 ripe and unripe, fall to the ground, where it remained scattered. Wien Maipuri 

 next morning went to feed, she was disgusted to see all her food thus wasted, and 

 in a very angry mood quickly returned home, beat both boys, and cleared out into 

 the bush. The boys started in pursuit, tracked her for many a long day, and at 

 last caught up with her. Pia now told Makunaima to wheel round in front and 

 drive the creature back to him, and as she passed, let fly a harpoon-arrow into her; 

 the rope, however, got in the way of Makunaima as he was passing in front, and 



