noTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 213 



Let me have a trial of them." The Turtle, who was very proud of them, said: "Cer- 

 tainly. Why noi?" and handed them over, receiving in exchange the Deer's nails. 

 When the Deer now put on the hoofs, he found that he could walk ever so much 

 quicker than before, and trotted off. The poor Turtle, however, found his progress 

 impeded, and stood still, waiting every minute for the Deer to return, but he never 

 did so.' 



144. Black Tiger, Wau-uta, and the Brokex Arrow (W) 



There wa.s onc(! a man who had two brothers-in-law. While he was one of the 

 unluckiest of mortals, they invariably returned home of an afternoon with plenty of 

 game. They said, "As ho has no luck, we will lo.se him away" [i. e. get rid of him]. 

 So one day they took liim into the bush: all three went in together, but soon they 

 told liim to go in one direction while they went in another, arranging to meet at a 

 certain place. The route which the two wicked brothers instructed him to follow 

 led to the lair of ToVje-horoanna.^ but the intended victim did not know this. He 

 went on and on and came to a big path, wliich caused him to e.xclaim, "Where am 

 I going now? " While thus talking to him.self , he heard a great rushing noise approach- 

 ing, and wondered what it was. He had not long to wonder, because he saw the 

 Tobc-horoanna coming. He ran as fast as he could toward an immense tree, with 

 Black Tiger after him. Running round and round the trunk, the one after the other, 

 the man just managed to reach the animal's hind-quarters and cut off both its heels. 

 Tiger then sat down, for it could not walk at all now. Next the man shot it through 

 the neck with liis arrow, and after finishing the job with a knife went back home. 

 Now his two brothers-in-law, knowing well how poor a hunter he was and whither 

 they had sent him, never for one moment doubled that they had seen the last of 

 him. Hence, on his arrival at the house, they were greatly surprbied, and made 

 excu.ses to hide their guilty intentions, saying: "We went to the place where we told 

 you, but you were not there. Wc shouted for you, but we received no answer. So 

 we thought you were dead, and came a,way. But we were just coming to look for 

 you again," and more of similar tenor. Of course all this was a lie. And when the 

 man told them that he had actually killed the Tobe-horoanna, the two brothers-in- 

 law, as well a-s their old father, could hardly believe him, but in.sisted upon his taking 

 them to the place. They all went together, and when at a distance they saw Black 

 Tiger on the ground all exco])! him who liad killed it were afraid to go near. He told 

 them again that it wa.s "all dead, dead," but they were still afraid, so, to show them 

 that he spoke true, he boldly went up and trampled on the carcass. It was only 

 now that the old man would approach; his two sons continued to be afraid, and then 

 the whole party returned home. Upon arrival there, the old father-in-law gave him 

 another daughter, so that he had two wives now, the brothers-in-law built him a 

 bigger house, and he was henceforth recognized as Ai-ja'mo [i. e. chief, head-man] 

 of the settlement. But our friend was very anxious to have a reputation for being 

 clever in hunting all other animals, in addition to the glory he had earned in ridding 

 the country of Tobe-horo-anna. AXTiom could he consult better than Wau-uta, the 

 Tree-frog? ' So he went along until he found the tree wherein she resided, and 

 stopping underneath, he commenced calling upon her to help him; and he continued 



'It is of interest to note that among the Gran Chaco Indians, the head ofa turtle should bean 'amulet' 

 tor hunting deer (Nor, 33).— W. E. U. 



3 Tobe-horo-anna. signifying literally in Warrau "Tiger-black-skin," is the name given to an immense 

 cruelly-savage beast believed to exist in the depths of the forest. From the information which I have 

 gathered it appears that this creature is a tiger only when it goes (or a walk in the bush; that at home it is 

 "like a man. people." 



3 There is some intimate cormection between toads, frogs, and kindred creatures, and success in the 

 chaso. Sec Sect. SSS. 



