224 ANIMISM AND J-'OLK-LORE OF GUIANA INDIANS [eth. ANN. 30 



US have a' race, and prove it." They accordingly arranged to run to a certain spot, 

 along a certain path, and whichever got there first would be admitted to be the fa.ster. 

 Turtle stipulating only that he must be allowed a little time in which to get ready. 

 Tiger again agreed. Turtle spent the interim in visiting his many friends, telling 

 them what had happened, and arranging for them to place themselves at stated inter- 

 vals along the course of the pathway where the race was to be run. The two then 

 started, and Tiger, taking a spring ahead, was soon out of sight. Turtle utilized the 

 opportunity by slipping into the bush, taking a short cut, and reaching the spot agreed 

 on, where he awaited his opponent. Tiger, racing along, called out "Hullo!" on 

 seeing just in front of him a turtle, whom he believed to be his friend. He raced on, 

 finds another turtle ahead of him, thinks the same thing, and so meeting turtle after 

 turtle finally reaches the goal, where his original "friend " had certainly arrived first.' 

 Tiger therefore had to admit, "Yes, man, you have beaten me," Turtle adding: "So 

 you are not after all either the stronger or the faster. Come, let us see who is now the 

 cleverer. I will put marks on you and you put marks on me: that will beagood test." 

 The Tig^r again agreed. They then started painting each other. As to the Tiger's 

 handiwork, just l<jok at a Turtle's shell, and you will see how roughly and slovenly 

 the marking was done. Of course Tiger was planning to get the better of his opponent 

 if he could, but the latter well knew this and so had to be very smart in pleasing the 

 Tiger. Look at the beautiful spots and stripes that Turtle put on him — and of course 

 Tiger was delighted at seeing how handsome he looked, and had to admit that Turtle 

 was cleverer than he. Now all the time that they had been talking, racing, and 

 painting, they had had nothing to eat, and hence Tiger suggested their going into the 

 depths of the bush, and finding some game, but Turtle, who had good reasons for not 

 trusting his companion, refused. "No!" he said, "You can go and raise the deer 

 and I will catch and kill it for you." So Tiger went and raised a deer, and drove it 

 down the pathway. In the meantime Turtle climbed up a dead log that was lying 

 across the road, and waited: as the deer raced imderneath he dropped off the log 

 and, falling straight on the animal's neck, broke it. Turtle then sucked the dead 

 deer's blood and smeared it all over his mouth, so as to make Tiger, who just then 

 came up breathless, believe that he had caught and destroyed the animal. " I have 

 killed the deer and eaten my share; you can come and eat yours now." After liavhig 

 gorged himself. Tiger .said, "Let us have a nap now, " and cnrling himself up, soon 

 fell asleep. Turtle, who kept awake, saw what a pretty necklace his companion 

 was wearing (what we Indians call a "tiger-bead ") and became envious of it.^ Turtle 

 watched very carefully and, assured that he was in a deep slumber, quietly and softly 

 removed the necklace, wltich he handed to one of his friends in the neighborhood, 

 telling the latter to make off with it. WTien Tiger at length woke, he missed his necklace 

 and asked Turtle where it was, but the latter of course said he did not know. Tiger, 

 however, accused him of being the thief, and said that whether he had stolen it or 

 not he would eat him unless he replaced it. Turtle, however, protested that neck- 

 laces were of no use to the like of him: he had no neck to put one on: all he had was 

 a back! Tiger, however, insisted on killing liim if he didn't return it, but Turtle, 

 who was now on his mettle, let liiiii know that he could not kill Itim if he tried. Had 

 he not already proved to him that he was the stronger, the quicker, and the cleverer'? 

 On the other hand, there was much more reason for belie\'ing that he, the little Turtle, 

 could easily kill lihn, the big Tiger, if he only wanted to. And thus they continued 

 contending, and finally they arranged to fight it out to a finish, the Turtle only insisting 

 that each be allowed a little time to get ready for the fray. The conditions were that 

 they should go in opposite directions, and return \vithin a short interval to the same 

 spot, when the fight must be fought to a finish and no quarter shown. Tiger went his 



I This procedure savors of African origin. 



- This" tiger-bead necklace" is a rope-vine of .some land with more or less globular enlargements through- 

 out its length, like beads threaded on a string. 



