818 A NATURALIST IN CELEBES ch. xii 



dung, seeing her son, fell in joy upon his neck, took him to her 

 chamber, and shut Mamanua out. 



Being thus left alone and knowing not what to do, he saw 

 fortunately a rat, to whom he said, ' Help me and open the door 

 for me, and I will give you a quantity of linen and rice.' ' I do not 

 want these gifts ; give me only a name,' said the rat. ' Gnawing 

 rat shall be your name, for you shall gnaw through every- 

 thing.' ' Take care,' answered the rat, ' and as soon as you 

 hear me gnaw at the door for the third time, push against 

 it and it shall fly open.' Mamanua did so, the door flew 

 open, and he discovered Lumalundung embracing her son 

 Walasendou. 



Lumalundung now prepared a meal, but she used only the 

 vapour of the rice. Mamanua ate as usual. This food is, how- 

 ever, for those who dwell in Kasendukan a deadly poison, so 

 that he died. Afterwards she prayed to the Empung Tumon- 

 tulus of the Klabat to restore him to life ; and when he was 

 alive again, he ate nothing but the rice vapour even as his wife 

 did, and lived with her happily ever after in Kasendukan. 



Their son, however, did not thrive there, and notwithstanding 

 that he was constantly nursed by his mother he grew thin and 

 weak. Mamanua and his wife determined therefore to send him 

 back to earth, but Walasendou, hearing of this plan, asked his 

 parents whom he should marry at Mondolung. ' You will find,' 

 answered his father, ' a large egg of a wood-pigeon in a chmbing 

 plant on the buwis tree. Break this egg, and a woman shall 

 come out called Matinempun. She shall be your wife.' Wala- 

 sendou then went down to earth, and it happened just as his 

 father had said. Walasendou and Matinempun became man 

 and wife and begat three sons and one daughter, who dwelt at 

 Mondolung, in the Tateli district. 



A very common and favourite pastime with the natives 

 of North Celebes is the invention and solution of conun- 

 drums. 



The following story told in Bolang Mongondu (90) will 

 give an idea of the nature of the Celebean conundrum: — 



Once upon a time there dwelt in a mountainous district a rich 

 and beautiful princess who had a wonderful talent for asking and 



