188 ANIMISM AND FOLK-LORE OF GUIANA INDIANS [eth. ann. 30 



The Killing of the Bush Spirit and his Wife (A) 



This is another story al)out a man who went out hunting one day and took his wife 

 with huu. But when lie left her as usual one morning at the banab, he did not know 

 anything about a Bush Spirit in the neighborhood and hence could give her no warning 

 as to how she should behave herself. At any rate, it was not long after her husband 

 had taken his departure that a Kokono-kuyuha came to the house and asked her 

 how she fared and where her man had gone. She told him that he had gone out 

 hunting and that she did not expect him until late in the afternoon. The Spirit 

 went away but not before mentioning that she might see him again in the course of 

 the evening: you see, he was greedy and thought it would be less trouble to kill and 

 eat them both at one and the same time. Now, when the husband did return, she told 

 him that a Something had been to see her, and that It intended coming ;igain that 

 very night. "You are not speaking the truth," was all the thanks she got for the 

 warning which she gave him, and after eating his meal, he turned into his hammock 

 where he soon fell asleep and snored heavily. By and by the Konoko-kuyuha came 

 along, giving warning of his approach in the usual way we Indians always signal 

 when we approach a dwelling, that is, by striking a few times on the buttresses of the 

 trees. The wife heard the noise, and recognizing what it was, tried to wake her hus- 

 band, but was unsuccessful: he slept too soundly. She quickly hid herself. Once 

 in the banab, the Bush Spirit approached the sleeping man's hammock, and tried 

 to wake him: failing in this, he broke his neck, drank his blood, and left him 

 dead. The Spirit then wandered all over the place looking for the wife, but could 

 not find her. She, however, could hear him saying, " If I had known that she intended 

 giving me the slip, I would have finished her off this morning." She saw him leave 

 the banab and go back into the bush, but she remained in her hiding-place until the 

 dawn, when, after burying the body, she ran back home and told her brother all that 

 had taken place, and that she was now a widow. The brother was exceedingly angry, 

 and determined upon killing the Spirit. Next day, he went with his sister to the same 

 banab where the late tragedy had taken place, and the following morning left her 

 by herself there, just as his poor brother-in-law had done, but instructed her to fool 

 the Konoko-kuyuha, should he come, by telling him that her husband was still alive 

 and that he would be glad to see him in the evening. The Spirit did appear again, 

 and was certainly surprised to see her there: he asked her as before, how she fared, 

 and where her man had gone. She told him that he had gone out hunting, that 

 she did not expect him until late in the afternoon, and, if he liked to pay them a visit 

 in the evening, that her husband would be very pleased indeed to see him. The Spirit 

 was only too glad to have the opportunity, and promised to come: in his mind, he 

 said that if he broke the man's neck-bone this time, he would make sure of killing 

 him, and then deal with the wife. As had been previously arranged, the brother 

 returned to the banab soon after midday, and made a special arrow while his sister 

 did the cooking. After partaking of the food, he instructed her how to tempt the 

 Spirit into having a dance with her, and at the same time showed her how to hold hia 

 hands, and not to embrace him too closely, bo that when he let fly this special arrow 

 it might not, by any chance, strike her. He then went and hid himself. By and by, 

 just as the darkness began to fall, the Konoko-kuyuha walked up, and asked her 

 where her husband was. After telling him that he had not yet returned, she obtruded 

 the glory of all her charms and asked him to dance with her. The Spirit, yielding 

 to her temptations, only too readily agreed. They began to caper, and holding him 

 as she had been warned, she circled him round and round, closer and closer to where 

 her brother lay ambushed. It was not long before the latter was able to take good aim, 

 and, letting fly the special arrow, sent it right through the wicked Spirit who fell 

 mortally wounded. Before dying, however, Konoko-kuyuha looked reproai/hfully 

 at the woman and said, "I did nothing to you, to make you wish to kill me," but 



