BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 227 



hence found greater favor with tlie old woman who, more than satisfied with his 

 perseverance and industry, would supply him each morning with beltiri. She did 

 not trouble herself about Aruresso. The old motlier at last talked to both of tiiem, 

 telling them that she proposed taking a walk the following morning to their respective 

 fields to see what progress they were making. Following Turtle, she watched him 

 rolling here and there, thus pressing down and smoothing the undergrowth ou a large 

 area where the trees, old and decayed, had fallen helter-skelter for ages past: as a 

 matter of fact he had never felled a single tree. It was by starting away so long 

 before daybreak each morning that he fooled the old woman into tlunking that he 

 must necessarily be working hard. She therefore went after the Bird to see what 

 he was about, and found him in a nicely-cleared space [i. e. liis " playing-ground "]. 

 "Well," said she; "you shall be my son-in-law. and I won't bother about Turtle 

 any more." Turiung to the latter, she added: "Yes. You shall always remain 

 like that, rooting about decayed leaves and dea«i logs, and it is in such places that 

 Indians will come and hunt for you." "On the other hand," addressing herself to 

 tlie Bird, "your nation will always be cutting fields, ever obtaining cassava, and 

 making drink and singing songs." 



163D. Sisters Bush-cow (Tapir) and Water-cow (Manati) (W) ' 



There was once a lovely big plum tree, and two sL«ters would come regularly and 

 pick the fruit. One day while thus busily engaged, a Busli-cow [tapir] came along, 

 so they squeezed some of the fruit into a manicole-palm spathe and offered it to liim 

 to drink. He drank it. Next day the same tiling happened, and so on day by day, 

 until in a very sliort time he became so tame tliat all the girls had to do when they 

 reached the tree was just to give a little whistle, when he would put in an appearance 

 immediately. Their two brothers, however, became suspicious of the young women's 

 frequent absences from home, and setting a watch, saw tliem whistle for and then feed 

 the creature with squeezed plums. "What does tliis mean? Why tame a wild- 

 cow? " Realizing .something to be wrong, they made up their minds to kill the beast. 

 The opportunity was not long in coming, and, leaving their .sisters in the house one 

 morning, they made straight for the tree, squeezed some of the fruit, and, imitating 

 tlieir sisters' whistle, called the Tapir. So soon as he came near, they shot him, cut 

 up the meat, and brought it home. The sisters were glad to see their brothers return 

 with so much meat, and all had their share in eating it. By and by. the girls repaired 

 as usual to the plum tree, squeezed .some of the fruit into a spathe. and gave the cus- 

 tomary whistle -but no Bush-cow came. They then went home and began to cry, 

 but they wouldn't say what they were crying for. At last the brothers said: "Come, 

 dry up your tears and eat. There's plenty of meat in the house." But they refused 

 to be comforted and declined to eat, ha\dng now realized what had happened. "That 

 is our pet whom you have killed," they said. With this, they left the house, crying 

 and continuing to cry all the way until they reached a river bank, over which the 

 younger sister attempted to jump into the water. But the elder seized her by the 

 waist and begged her not to leave, because she would then have to grieve alone. 

 The younger managed, however, to slip into the water, and coming to the surface, 

 exclaimed. "People will henceforth call me water-cow." Then, diving three times, 

 she came up finally entirely in the shape of that creature.- The elder sister there- 

 upon rushed int<i the bush, and changed herself into a Bush-cow. Bush-cow and 

 water-cow often meet nowadays at the waterside and have a chat. Of course they 

 understand each other; haven't tliey both the same talk [i. e. grunt]? 



' In connection with this story see Sect. 185. 



2 Suicide is not unl^nown among these Indians. I have received particulars of three cases of Arawak 

 women mailing away with themselves by means of bitter-cassava water owing to "unrequited love." — 

 W. E.R. 



