258 JOHN FRASEE. 



Notes to No. XXVI. 



Par. 1. Pili is a famous personage in Samoan mythology; his name 

 means the native ' lizard/ but it would be applied also to the iguana, the 

 crocodile, and the alligator of foreign lands. 



Peng a and Penga; husband and wife here have the same name ; if the 

 sense were not clear, they would be distinguished by the added epithets 

 tama smdfafine. 



Three brothers; the Samoan word c brother ' is general enough in its 

 meaning to include ' sister/ 



Taken up into the heavens; the Samoans say that at first their lizards 

 were all white, but that one of them, in some way, offended the gods and 

 so they made this one black ; and, since then, all his progeny have been 

 black. The white ones are allowed to visit the heavens, but not the black ! 



Mat-flaps; see note 13 of No. XXIY. 



Don't; in several of the tales, girls .are represented as doing perversely 

 that which has been expressly forbidden. 



Spread a path, made a way; a mode of showing honour. 



You are come; Samoan words of welcome ; there is Sina sitting there; thus 

 he offers her to Pili. 



2. Three birds; here is the number three again ; see note 9, No. XXX. 



With luck; ' tapuaiga'; cf. the story of f Alo-'alo. 



4. Serve; i.e., tua, c stand at the back/ 



The day of the chiefs; that is a day (' aso ') for consultation, when the 

 chiefs assembled and food was provided for them by the people. 



Where is the food ? ' mala-mala/ a depreciatory word ; ' tongs,' ' fire- 

 rake '; they want to annoy him by these questions. 



5. Distribution; this is equivalent to a will among us ; cf. Jacob's death- 

 bed allotment of blessings to his sons, in Genesis xlix. 



Look and observe. The position of the little island of Manono gives it 

 the function and importance of a watch-tower. 

 With his wife; lit, * with his double/ 



XXVII.— <0 le Solo ia Pili (I)— A 'Solo.' 



1. Penga and Penga are her parents. 



2. The family of Penga covered up and hid the well of water ; 



3. Let times of distress come and we will go there — 



4. To the water of Muli-papanga in Fiti-uta — 



5. The spring that bursts forth ; Pili is there. 



6. Black was he that climbed up there, 



7. Because he had been disrespectful to the gods. 



