ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER 251 



hear all this, and returned to his own home by the way that he had come. By and by 

 he arranged with his friends and relatives to go to sea, never thinking of the warning 

 which the Water People had given him. They started in two big canoes and got out 

 into deep water; so deep that to the Ho-ar4nnis at the bottom the corials looked 

 like two parrots flying in the skies. Nevertheless, these Water People shot at them 

 with their roiind-kuoljbed arrows, hit them, and both boats sank. When they got to 

 the bottom, the Water People put one of the canoes on each side of the old man's 

 house, and unchained their sharks — for these people keep sharks as wo keep dogs — 

 which tore to pieces the bodies of the already dead occupants of the two canoes. 

 Before that time Warraus never had accidents or death ; they had only moon-sickness. 

 It was in this manner that the AVater People punished the Warratis. 



191. Not only are many of the troubles afflicting mankind, a.s just 

 recorded in the legend, ascribable to the machinations of Oriyu, but 

 he (or she) is held responsible for more than one natural phenomenon. 

 The tidal wave, or bt)re, known as appapuru [an Arawak term] on the 

 Berbice and other streams, in certain of this colony's rivers is a case 

 in point. i\jnong the natives the popular explanation is that when 

 this River becomes inconveniently low for the had things of the deep, 

 they show their uneasiness by moving -furiously about, and thus 

 agitate the river (Da, 21). The several tribes on the coast, we learn 

 from Doctor Hancock, usually give it some name, signifying " head 

 of waters" or "mother of waters," and in comiection with this have 

 many strange stories to tell of the Loku-kuyuha (people's spirit) mer- 

 maid, or "watery mamma" as they translate it (ScC, 288). Again, 

 Wailak-paru, a creek on the right bank of the Potaro, is so called 

 from a part of the human body, and is believed to be the home of 

 Oriyu: the turbulence of the water as it runs into the Potaro is 

 caused by water issuing from the body of that Spirit. 



193. The Water Spirits must not be talked about, nor may their 

 names be mentioned. 



Amann.\ and her Talkative Husband (C) 



Healed with the fumes and liquor of a big paiwarri feast, an Indian succeeded in 

 making liis way to the pond where he intended bathing his skin and getting cool. 

 On an-i\al there, he was met by Amaiina. one of the Okoj^imo Nation, a very pleasant- 

 spoken woman, who asked him to join her in the water. Ho demurred at first, but 

 what with her repeated requests coupled with the attractiveness of her physical 

 charms, he ultimately consented. Even at the last moment, he said he felt sure that 

 he would be drowned; but she promised to look after him and see that no harm befeU. 

 When they got below the surface, he saw a number of houses, plenty of people, and 

 many young women: he felt quite content now, especially when the latter offered 

 him drink. But Amanna would have none of this, and took him straight away to her 

 old father, who gave him welcome and instnicted his daughter to look after him 

 properly. And this she did. In the meantime the man's mother had missed him 

 from the c«>nvi\-ial gathering, and following his tracks, traced them to the water's edge; 

 and there the tracks disappeared . ' ' My poor son must have been drowned . '*' she mur- 

 mured, and proceeded to look for his floating body; but of course it was nowhere to be 

 seen, and she mourned him a long time as dead. Thus, time slipped on, and the desire 

 came on him to see his mother; so he visited her. After she had asked him where he had 



