484 ARTS AND GRAFTS OF GUIANA INDIANS [eTH, ANN. 38 
of telling one another whole stories in meter (versmass) and even 
in troches, is probably the customary form of salutation—more or 
less autobiographical—which is rattled off by rote (sec.813). Thus, 
this observer continues: Toward evening men are often seen sit- 
ting together, one telling a story and another, as a sign of com- 
prehension, repeatedly interpolating his “na!” or “nailé!” After 
a time the roles are changed. I have often tried to find out what 
they said, but with poor results. Sometimes it is just everyday 
talk; e. g., “Iam here now. I am soon off. You are staying here,” 
etc., or “ I want a knife, a hatchet, a piece of cloth.” One sees them, 
however, so often occupied in this fashion that I conclude that they 
are really telling tales. When we were in Apikollo’s village, we 
took with us a Trio carrier to ask for Apikollo’s assistance. He 
concluded his commission while he related some story which took 
up quite a quarter of an hour, which Apikollo thereupon replied to 
with a similarly long one. A few short words then followed, and 
Apikollo went away. The request had been made and the answer 
given (GO, 26). The following are typical of some of the yarns 
that help to while away the hours (sec. 598) before falling to sleep: 
599. The story of “ Tiger” and Turtle (Makusi).—After they had 
received their respective body marks at each other’s hands (WER, 
vi, sec. 160), Tiger told Turtle to go and hunt for Maipuri (i. e., 
. tapir, “bush cow”), of course never thinking that he would suc- 
ceed. However, Turtle went to Maipuri’s house and said “ How 
day?” and Maipuri put the customary pepper pot and cassava in 
front of him, but Turtle wouldn’t take any. So Maipuri offered him 
some deer meat, and this he refused. So he put some bush hog in 
front of him and he wouldn’t touch that either. Then Maipuri placed 
some cassava cake on the mat and he wouldn’t even look at it. He 
next asked Turtle whether he would like some hobo (plum) wine, 
and thus one after the other he asked whether he would like every 
imaginable kind of drink that he could think of, but Turtle still re- 
fused. This made Maipuri very angry, so at last he said, “ Oh, well! 
Vetis ergo meam urinam gustare?” “ Yes, that’s the very thing I 
should like,” said Turtle. So half in joke, Maipuri said, “All right. 
Open your mouth, and in os equidem tuum mingam,” and with that he 
started mingare into the Turtle’s beak. But Turtle knew what he 
was about and bit firmly into the fountain head and hung on. This 
made Maipuri jump and run, and as Turtle never let go his hold, thus 
they ran, tacked on together, far, far, until Maipuri at last fell down 
dead. Turtle now dragged the carcass to where Tiger was waiting 
and Tiger started eating. “Give me a bit of the liver,” said Turtle, 
but all he got for answer was, “ No! I shan’t.” He received a similar 
reply to everything he asked for, from the heart downward. Tiger, 
