BOTH] THE MEDICINE-MAN 337 



came and made a very long stay purposely. They thus met, Komatari gave him 

 three leaves, and sent him away. Next day, another man paid him a visit, but Koma- 

 tari had already left, and only marabuntas were there — many marabuntas, all of 

 different kinds. The visitor went home, and, taking some fish with him, returned 

 to Komatari's place and asked the marabuntas to let him have some tobacco, at the 

 same time showing them his fi.sh and saying, ''Look! this is the payment." And so, 

 while the marabuntas all swarmed down ujion the fish, the man climbed up, got 

 what tobacco he wanted, and cleared out. \\'hen Komatari got home, he also got up 

 under the roof where the tobacco was stored, but found much of it missing, so he placed 

 what was left elsewhere, and drove away all the marabuntas except one particular 

 kind, a black variety, the oro [=yiesen of the ArawaksJ, which he made his watch- 

 men. Starting now on his field, he cut it day after day, and after burning it, at last 

 planted his tobacco. When he saw that it w;is beginning to thrive, he built a piai- 

 house, and going round his field, looked out for a calabash tree; he found one full of 

 gourds. lie took one, but on turning round, he saw a Ucbu. who, after asking whether 

 it belonged to him and getting "Yes" for an answer, said: "All right. So long as 

 the calabash is yours, you may have the whole tree. I have a name, but will not 

 tell it you. 1 want to see whether you learn the piai business well. If you do, you 

 will be able to find it out for yourself." On reaching home with the calabash, Koma- 

 tari started cleaning it out. When cleaned, another Hebu came along and asked 

 him what he intended doing with it, but Komatari would not tell him. You see 

 this i)articular Hebu was the one who comes to kill people and so was afraid of the 

 power of the vmraha [rattle], which is made from this ven,' calabash. After scooping 

 out and cleaning the calabash, Komatari went into the bush and, traveling along, 

 came ujion a creek with swiftlj-flowing water: it was here that he cut the timber 

 from out of which he next shaped the handle for the rattle and cut the sticks to make 

 his special fire with.' Returning home once more, he fastened the handle in the 

 gourd, but was not satisfied with the result: the rattle did not look as it should. So 

 he hung it up on the beam of his piai-house, and went once more into the bush, where 

 he again met the killing Hebu, who repeated his que.stion as to what Komatari intended 

 doing with the rattle, but, as before, the latter would not tell him. Passing along, 

 and hearing a noise as of many people talking, Komatari proceeded in the direction 

 whence the sound came, and found a number of Hebus fastening various parrot 

 feathers into cotton-twine. How pretty this ornament would look tied on his calaba.sh 

 left hanging up at home, was Komatari's first thought when he saw what they were 

 doing. On asking, the ornament was given him. The Hebu who gave it to him said: 

 "I have a name, but I will not tell it to you. You can find it out for yourself, if you 

 should ever become a good piai-man." Komatari next asked him for another kind 

 of cotton-plait, with feathers different from those on the one mentioned, to wear as 

 a hat, ^ but the Hebu said he had none, though he would get it at the next house. 

 So Komatari went to the next house, saw the Hebu house-master, asked for the cotton- 

 plait for the hat, and in the s;ime manner as before, this Hebu also said to him: "I 

 have a name, but I will not tell it to you. You must find it out for yourself when you 

 are a medicine-man." Komatari went home now, and arranged the feathered cotton 

 on top of the calabash, when who should put in an appearance again but the killing 

 Hebu. \\'hen he again asked Komatari what he intended doing with the calabash, 

 the latter refused to tell him, as before. But Komatari was not satisfied even now, 

 because when he shook the gourd it did not rattle. As yet it had no stones in it. So 

 Komatari went into the bush again, and followed creek after creek, and at last came to 

 a big river. There he met another Hebu. who got the proper stones that were wanted. 

 \\'hen he had given them to Komatari. he said, like the others: "I have a name, but 



' The timber always employed for these two purposes has a milky sap, and is found in places such as 

 described, that is in the forest, along the banks of swiftly flowing creeks. 

 2That is, the headdress with the cotton " pompons " worn by the medicine-man when initiated. 

 159(51 = — 30 ETH — 15 22 



