BOTH] 



INTRUSIVE BELIEFS AND TALES 377 



taking up a position on the path leadinj; t<i this individual's cassava field, waited for 

 tlie fiwner t/i rome along. As soon as ho hoard footsteps approaching, he loosed his 

 bowels, and tearing a ''cap" from off the shoot of a ''troolie" palm, carefully placed 

 it point upwards on the ground, over the dung, at the same time pressing his palma 

 around the edge just as if there was some live animal underneath.' V\Tien a few 

 feet distant, the owner saw Konehu in this extraordinary attitude, he asked him what 

 he was doing. "I have just caught a bird here," says Konehu, "and am afraid of it 

 getting away. Do you happen to have a quake with you?" Not suspecting any 

 trickery, the man told him that if he liked to goroimd to his house, he could have the 

 quake wliich he would find hanging up on one of the posts. So he puts down his bow, 

 arrows, and pegall, and Konehu sliows him liow to hold the troolie cap tightly down 

 and prevent the wonderful bird escaping. Konehu takes up the bow and arrows, 

 marches off to the logic, and makes himself q\iite at home with both the eatables and 

 the women: indeed, he spends a gloriously happy time there. But as for the man 

 watching over the wonderful bird, hour after hour passed and he finally felt so weary 

 that he tipped up one edge of the troolie cap, and saw that he had indeed been out- 

 witted by the very man he had boasted to despise. 



362. The time at last arrived when mere mention of Konehu's name made everyone 

 spit. All had been fooled by him at some time or another, and now left Mm strictly 

 to himself. His wife went off with another man. Poor Konehu did not know how 

 to clean the house, wliich became more and more dilapidated; he knew nothing about 

 cooking, he hail no cassava, and when he did manage to go out hunting with bow and 

 arrow, he invariably met with poor success. One day. however, he managed to shoot 

 a fine big deer. lie ate all of it except one leg, which he barbecued and slung up to 

 one of the beams of his house. Next day, he again managed to secure some game, 

 and so things went on, his luck, day after day, not only continuing but increa.sing. 

 More than this, every time he reached home in the afternoon, there he found the fire 

 lighted, the pepper-pot already boiled, everything tidied up and cleaned, and yet 

 not a soul was to be seen. He became curious. So instead of going hunting out back 

 one morning, he hid himself behind a liig tree whence he could observe everything 

 taking place in the house without himself being seen. He waited and waited. By 

 and by he saw the deer leg (Sect. 98) change into a beautiful woman, and he then 

 knew who it was that had been minding him so carefully. He rushed forward 

 and held her fast. He wanted her to be his wife, but she resolutely declined, though 

 .she promised to remain and continue as his benefactress. He therefore built another 

 house, adjoining Ids, just for her especial use. After a time, she changed her mind 

 about becoming his wife. She had only refused his offer before, because she was 

 afraid he might tell his friends and relatives who she was — tlie offspring of a deer's 

 foot — the shame and disgrace of which she felt she could never face. The bargain 

 was accordingly struck that so long as he held his tcmgue about her antecedents, she 

 would remain with him as his spouse: if ho betrayed her, she would punish him. 

 They were happy together for a long time, and everything prospered. Konehu's luck 

 in himtmg and fishing, as well as his abimdance of provisions, became now almost 

 proverbial, but whenever questioned as to how ho managed to secure such luck, and 

 what binas (Sect. 2.33) he employed, he always remained silent. The neighbors' envy 

 and curi<isity were not to be baffled by his silence. They said, "Let us ask Konehu 

 to a paiwarri. and make him drimk. Then he will tell us! " So they held a big 

 fea.st, and they had many jars of drink, and Konehu, getting beastly intoxicated, told 

 tlie whole story. \\'hen he woke next morning out of his debauchery, he turned his 

 steps homeward. His astonishment was indeed great to find his old house, ^vithout 

 any additions, just as dirty and untidy as in his grass-widower days — and, yes, there 

 was the deer-leg still hanging on the cord. In his anger he determined on eating 



1 The spathe of this palm ( Maniearia sp.) was used as a hat by the Warrau and Arawak males. 



