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



he reiterated, " Yes, it must have been so. ' ' It being now already late in the evening, 

 they turned into their respective hammocks, and the husband soon fell into a deep 

 slumber. His spouse, however, could not sleep; she heard the Spirit's warning 

 approach — a low whistling noise — and got up to wake her man, but, tug and push as 

 much as she would, she could not rouse him — he slept too soundly. She drew to one 

 side just in time to see the Spirit enter. She saw him kill her husband and then eat 

 him, and when he had finished, she heard him say: "Thatwasgood. But the sweetest 

 morsel has gone — the woman with a baby." She ran away as quickly and as far as 

 her legs would carry her. 



119. The Contented and Happy Son-in-law (W) 



Once upon a time there was a good old man who, possessed of a young wife and a 

 field well planted, lived happily and contented. When off to his field one morning, 

 he met a young man coming in the direction of his house, and noticed that, during the 

 greeting which they gave each other, the stranger kept his eyes fixed hard on his 

 wife in the dim distance. On his return home in the afternoon, he met the stranger 

 again in just about the same place, whore his movements seemed very suspicious: he 

 rightly concluded that he was dealing with a Hebu and went on home. Arrived there, 

 he told his wife he was going to hunt a little, and took his bow and arrow with him; 

 but what he really did was to hide in the immediate vicinity. And from his hiding 

 place he saw the Hebu steal into the house and wrestle with his wife, who was just 

 about grating the cassava: he heard her say " No! No! Oh, if only my man were not 

 so far away! " So taking aim, and waiting for a chance not to hurt his wife, he let fly 

 and shot the Spirit. Both Spirit and wife simultaneously disappeared.' It would seem 

 that the Hebu had dragged his victim to the water's edge and thence thrown her in; 

 fortunately she had caught hold of the bushes alongside the river bank, and came up 

 to the surface. On meeting her husband, she told him she thought she had been dead 

 and never expected to see him more; she told him also how the Hebu had threatened 

 to visit their place again. They therefore went over to her mother's home, and stayed 

 there a long while. At last the old man thought it was time to look over his cassava 

 and plantains, and with his wife and brother-in-law returned to the scene of the 

 outrage. The brother, who was a powerful medicine-man, led the way. As he went 

 along he was accosted by a beautiful girl, who, staring into his eyes, rushed up ready 

 to put her arms around his neck, and then drew back. Now, except at a drinkingfeast 

 and when she is drunk, no Indian woman would behave in this bold manner, and it 

 was thus that they recognized her to be the Hebu, The medicine-man just looked 

 at her in silence, and she fell dead. The wife also met her death shortly after, and 

 they then remembered having noticed the token; she had omitted to bathe after a 

 meal some days before. But the parents of the deceased girl were very fond of their 

 good old son-in-law, and gave him the younger of their two remaining daughters as a 

 helpmate.^ But the elder one becoming jealous, went over to the husband's place 

 and picked a quarrel with her younger sister; this made the latter go and tell the 

 old man that she was afraid to remain with him any longer. But he said: " No! I 

 don't want your sister. She is much too passionate for an old man like me, whereas 

 you and I get along very well together." The parents then gave a drinking party, 

 at which the old man got so drunk that he fell into his hammock; whereupon the elder 

 sister got in also. He was not so drunk, however, as not to be able to turn her out, 

 which he did. She then said that they would have to kill her before she would let 



1 When a person suddenly disappears from any place without leaving a trace, under circumstances which 

 in plain English would be described as miuder and disposal of the body, the Indians ascribe it to the Evil 

 Spirit. 



2 Among many savage races, the husband has marital rights over his wife's sisters, and vice versa; 

 I have found several traces of this communal form of mLirriage in the Guianas. — W. E. R. 



