BOTH] THE MEDICINE-MAN 335 



day when its presence was missed by them. The child was nowhere to be found, so 

 they went over to a neighbor's and there they saw their little one playing with some 

 other children. They explained their errand to the house-people, how they had 

 come to seek their little one, and so, one thing leading on to another, they entered 

 into an animated conversation, and forgot all about their real business, with the 

 result that when they did finish talking, not only was their own child, Kurusiwari, 

 but also one of the house-children, Matura-wari, nowhere to be seen. So the four 

 parents started in search of the two little ones, and went to a neighbor's house, where 

 they saw them playing with a third child, Kawai-wari. But the same thing hap- 

 pened at this house as at the previous one — the parents all got into <-onversation, and 

 fbrgot their real business until finally they found all three children missing. It waa 

 a case now of six parents searching for three infants; but at the end of the first day 

 the third couple abandoned the search, and at the end of the second day the second 

 couple did likewise. In the meantime the three children had wandered on and on, 

 making friends with the marabuntas [wasp.s], which in those days talked but did 

 not sting. It was these children that told the black ones to sting people, and the red 

 ones to give them fever in addition. And it was wlien the children arrived at the 

 seashore that the first pair of parents met them. Uowever, by this time they were 

 children no more, but big boys. \\Tien the parents expressed their pleasure at having 

 found them at last and of course expected them to return home, the leader of 

 the three — Kurusiwari, the boy who had been lost from the first house — said: "I 

 can not go back. WTien my stepmother pushed me, I fell down and cried, while 

 you would not even look at me. I will not go back." But when both father and 

 mother implored him with tears to return, he relented, and promised them that if 

 they built a proper hebu-hanoku [lit. Spirit-house], and "called " him with tobacco, 

 they should see him. He and the two other l)oyH crossed the seas, and the parents 

 returned home. No .sooner had the latter arrived there than the father started building 

 the Spirit-house, and when com[)leted he burnt pappaia leaves, and cotton leaves, 

 and coffee leaves, but all were of no use — there was no "strength"' in any of them, 

 and this strength could be supplied only by tobacco. But in those days we had 

 none of this plant here: it grew far away out in an island over the sea. I do not know 

 whether this island was Trinidad, or not, but we Warraus call it Nibo-yimi [lit. Slan- 

 without] because it was peopled entirely by women [cf. Sect. 3S3], according to 

 what the old peojile tell us. Well, the sorrowing father sent a gaulding bird [I'ilero- 

 dius] over to fetch some of the tobacco seed: but as it never returned, he despatched 

 various kinds of sea-birds one after another, and they all met with the same fate. 

 They were killed by the watch-woman as soon as they alighted on the tobacco-field. 

 Giving up all hope of ever seeing any of his messengers again, he went to consult 

 a brother, who brought him a crane. This bird went to roost down near the seashore 

 so as to have a good start on the following morning. While resting there, his little 

 friend the hummingbird came along and asked him what he was doing. "Getting 

 ready for the morning, " he replied ; " I have to fly over to Nibo-yuni and fetch tobacco 

 seed." The hummingbird suggested his going instead, but the other regarded the 

 proposal as absurd, and reminded him that his boat was too small, and that it 

 would sink. Nothing daunted, however, the little chap ro.se before daylight, as is 

 his custom, and saying, "I'm off!" took to flight. At daybreak the crane spread his 

 wings, and, sailing majestically along, got about halfway across, when he met the 

 hummingbird struggling in the water. The latter had made a gallant attempt, but 

 could not of course make headway against the wind. The crane picked him up and 

 placed him on the back of his own thighs, which stuck out behind. Now, this posi- 

 tion wa.s all very well for the little hummingbird so long as no accident occurred, but 

 when the crane commenced to relieve himself, the hummingbird's face got dirtied, 

 and he thas found himself forced to take to the wing again, with the result that, reach- 

 ing Nibo-yuni first, he waited for his big friend, who arrived shortly. He now told the 



