In her absence Dúe cleaned the house, prepared some food, and ate. Then he took his basket and bow and arrows and went to a large tree called mepa which was growing close to the house. He chewed some medicine", and spat it at the tree, and a large hole opened in the trunk. Dúe placed his weapons and other things in the hole and went in himself, and the tree closed behind him.

After a while Mugíma returned from the garden and called out, „Dúe, where you stop?“ She did not see him anywhere and wondered Where he go?" Dúe opened the hole in the tree and said to her, 40 More better you stop, I stop here. All time you talk. All time you talk. Jesánga been kill my girl." And he closed up the tree again.

Mugíma began to cry. She was sorry for Dúe and for the girl. After a while she thought, "What's way I do?" She thought and thought and at last made up a plan. She fetched food from the garden which she baked and ate. When she had finished, she pulled up a banana-shoot and carried it to the water-hole. She plunged into the water, where she remained, and planted the banana down at the bottom. One day she said to Dúe, "You stop along tree, I stop inside along water-hole."

And there they remain to this day. (Tániba, Djíbu).

THE OLD HAG WHO KILLED AND ATE OTHER WOMEN. 62

155. A certain bad old woman who lived at Láugíde once invited the people from many places to come and dance. She entertained them with plenty of food and drink. One of the women wanted to relieve herself, and the old hag showed her to a certain large tree where she had fixed up an arrow in such a position that the woman was speared to death on it. No one knew what had happened. The old Láugíde hag heard when the woman fell and ran to the place. "Oh, very fat woman!" she called out, "I kaikai by and by." The dance went on, and the people sang,

Dadia gira búrsu búrsu ámagire wise wuséna. You me (we) go dance now, all woman, make dance along stick (they hold long sticks in their hands)."

In the morning the guests all parted. When they had gone, the old woman cooked and ate her victim, and then she fell into a heavy sleep.

After some time she again wanted to eat someone and held a great dance to which she invited many people. Another woman was killed in the same way as the first one, and the hag ate her. She had the power to make the sun accelerate

its course whenever she wanted some event to take place quickly. After a number of women had disappeared, the people began to suspect that something was wrong. One night the truth was disclosed to some of them in a dream inspired by the spirits of the women who had been killed. The next morning when the hag was lying in her house, unable to move after eating so much flesh, the people set fire to her house. Before she perished in the flames, her heart burst open, and a voice said to the people from the opening, 40 „Good job you fellow find me along dream, close up I finish you fellow." The people destroyed her gardens saying, „You been spoil me fellow." The gardens shared the responsibility, for from them came the food with which the people had been enticed to come and visit the hag. (Gúi, Dírimo).

THE MURDER OF A WILD WOMAN" WHO USED TO STEAL FROM A GARDEN.

156. A man called Kárumo and his wife Kúe lived at fruúpi. An old woman, who lived a Búnúo, used to come and steal from their garden. She was very. fierce and used to eat people. One day Kárumo went in search of the old woman's abode, for he wanted to kill her. He walked for three days together and at last reached her place, where he met her in her garden. The woman said, "Oh, you come here, you come inside along my house, sit down, you me (we) yarn," but the treacherous creature meant to kill him.

Kárumo did not want to kill her at once but thought that he would like to speak to her first. The woman said, "You go wait me inside along house, you me (we) yarn by and by". She cut some taro-leaves in which to bake the man after killing him. In a little while she followed him into the house and stealthily picked up a large arrow, but the man watched her and thought to himself, „That woman want kill me, that's why he take tére (arrow)." The woman tried to spear him from behind, but he got up, caught hold of her hand, and with one blow smashed her temple with a piece of wood. He cut off her head, put it on his head-carrier, and burnt the house; he also shot one of her pigs so as to have food on the way. Carrying some meat and the head he set out on his way back. Gradually the head began to decay, and large blue flies bored a hole into it and swarmed over the man too. 44

Kárumo's wife was wailing at home, „Oh, what time my man he come? I think he dead, I got no man, no people here. Where I go stop?" At last Kárumo arrived, and his wife called out, „Oh, my man, he come now, he got one head." Kárumo threw down the head in front of his wife, and she asked him, „You been kill who?" That woman, he come steal all time, that's him. I been burn him house." (Vasárigi, Mawáta).

THE WOMAN IN CHILD-BED WHO BECAME A MALIGNANT BEING (cf. no. 215).

157. An Iása man named Sogío had two wives. His first wife, who had born him two children, lived with her parents, and his second wife, by whom he had four children, lived with him. The two women always used to quarrel and for this reason lived apart. Sogío did not look after his first wife and her children but left them to her family to be supported, while he remained with his second wife. Occasionally at night, however, he used to visit his first wife.

She did not like his coming in this way and said to him, "What name (why) you all time come all same steal? I woman belong you." Sogío was ashamed of not giving any food to the woman and her children and therefore only came to her at night.

Sogio's first wife became pregnant and after a time bore a child. Her people sent her to stay in Sogio's house. One day she bade her boy go and ask Sogío to bring her drinkingwater. The boy brought the message to Sogio, who went to the well and filled up the watercarrier, but instead of bringing it himself to the woman he let the boy take it. This was repeated the next day. The mother sent the boy to Sogío asking him to bring her water, and Sogío said to the boy, „All right, you go get him water." On hearing this the woman became furiously angry and said to the boy, „What's the matter father belong you no come bring me water self?“ She threw an empty water-vessel at the boy, who took it to his father, and Sogío forthwith went to draw the water.

In his absence the woman was transformed into a fierce monster akin to the oriogorúho (cf. no. 135). Two large tusks like those of a boar protruded from her mouth, and the hair bristled up on her head. She caught her new-born baby, tore off its head and devoured the body and head. The people, however, did not know of her transformation, for there was an

enclosure of mats round her bed.

66

Sogío returned from the well with the water-carrier filled. He called his boy saying, You take obota (water-carrier).' But the woman shouted angrily from behind the mats, „No, you take him he come. What's the matter you cannot come see me? What for you talk long way (from a distance)?" Her husband came and held out the vessel towards her saying, „Here." But she called out, You come inside!" Sogío came nearer, holding the water vessel at an arm's length to give it her. At the same moment she sprang up to catch him, but the man dodged, and fled with the wild creature in pursuit. He ran, and she was after him the whole time. He . tried every means to hide himself, ran into the water, climbed a tree, and lay down in a hole in the ground, but wherever he went she followed him by his scent.

At last he got a start and ran to Kubíra where he went into one of the houses, joining some friends of his there. Where you come from?" they asked him, but he only replied, „I walk about;" he did not tell the people that he was pursued by an óriogoruho. The wild woman followed his tracks and went underneath the same house. She listened to hear where her husband was. The people went to sleep, and a man said to Sogío, „You go sleep along my bed, I sleep along road (the central gangway).“

In the middle of the night the óriogoruho came into the house feeling her way about. ,Sogío he here," she thought, „Kubíra man there." She caught the man nearest to her, but it was the Kubíra man, not Sogío. Her finger-nails like spears cut through the neck of her victim, and when he was dead she dragged him outside and ate him there. When she had gorged herself she crawled underneath the house, lay down on her back, and fell asleep.

In the morning the people began to get up. They wondered at the sight of the blood: „Oh, what name (what is that) blood? Ei! somebody been kaikai that man!" They questioned the Iása man, "What's the matter you run away?" Sogío said, „First woman belong me I no been look out: He born pickaninny, he come all same oriogorúho. He after me, I try stow away cannot. I come right up here, sit alongside my friend, that óriogorúho he come after me."

What's the matter," the people said, "you no been make me know óriogorúho he come? "No," the man replied, "I fright, I no want he go kill me, that's why I no been tell you fellow."

The Kubíra men shot the óriogorúho with their arrows and killed her. They opened her stomach and took out the remains of their friend which they buried. The body of the óriogorúho was cut into small pieces and burnt in the fire. The people said to Sogío, You marry woman belong that man he dead, take pickaninny belong him. You stop altogether along Kubíra." He remained at Kubíra, and his wife at lása was taken by another man. (Menégi, Mawáta).

A. Very similar to the previous version. The wild woman pursued her husband from their home at Sépi to Auti, where she killed the wrong man. She had not cut her hair when she became pregnant, and this circumstance is connected with her transformation into an óriogorúro. (Káku, Ipisía).

B. A woman, just before giving birth to her child, ran away into the bush, where she became an origorúso. She caught and ate many children and at last was killed by the people. (Ibía, Ipisía).

C. A man and his son both used to have connection with the mother of the latter. She bore twins and shortly afterwards became a wild being like an origoriso. After eating her-babies she pursued her busband, but killed another man instead of him. In the end she was killed by the people. (Támetáme, Ipisía).

STORIES OF MYTHICAL WOMEN WHO ARE ATTRACTED BY MEN (no. 158-161; cf. Index, Mythical Beings).

158. The people of Purúma (Coconut island) once sailed over to Járub (Darnley) where a dance was to be held. A young man named Gaibíri was steering the canoe. He had put on all his fine ornaments, as young men like to do, and while standing erect at the stern of the canoe was seen by an óboúbi girl (cf. no. 132) who took a fancy to him. She said to herself, "You go, by and by you come back, you get me, I find you."

When the dance at Járub was over, the people returned to their homes. The Purúma canoe came, and Gaibíri was standing aft steering. On seeing him the óboúbi woman turned herself into a fish and swam after the canoe. In the evening the people reached Purúma. Gaibíri said, "I sleep along canoe, look out (after) canoe. Big, high water - by and by canoe go away." While Gaibíri was sleeping on the platform of the canoe, the woman climbed into the vessel and lay down at his side. The boy woke up sensible of a sweet, peculiar smell somewhere about him and thought to himself, ,,What kind smell? I never been find that kind smell. I think some boy been take some bushes he come, he smell nice." He felt about him with his hands, and perceiving that somebody was there thought, I don't know where he come that man (person), no man here before. He got nice smell." They were lying on the same bed. „Man or what?" Gaibíri thought as he groped round. Then he accidentally touched her breast and said, "Oh, that woman!" Passing his hands over the whole of her body he thought, „Oh, yes, that (is a) woman he come." The oboúbi girl said, Gaibíri, that time you go along Járub,

I see you. I like you that time. You come back, I come after you." Where you come from?" he asked her, "You come other island?" "No, I other kind woman, I stop down below along water. You no make plenty yarn, you come sleep along me." You me (we) go shore," Gaibíri said, "you me sleep along house. I got two woman, you make him three. You sleep along house, nobody savy, and daytime you stow away along bush.“

So they went on shore, and the óboúbi woman and Gaibíri's two wives slept on the same mat. At daybreak the óboúbi woman went to the bush, and after a while Gaibíri followed her thither. He spent all his time with her, strongly attracted by her, for she was a „devil (spirit) woman". After a time she became pregnant. Gaibíri's two other wives said to him,

"You got other woman, nice woman, more better you take that woman along house, and we stop three woman belong you," and the óboúbi woman was taken to the house, where she bore a boy.

When she had recovered, she was shown to the people, and some men said to Gaibíri, „That nice, good woman, Gaibíri, more better you let me have him that woman.“ The woman heard what the men said, for she was no ordinary being and could hear anything a long way off. She beckoned Gaibíri to her and said to him, "What name (what was it) you speak along people? I no come for sell me, I come for you. No good you sell me along people." „No, I no been talk all same," Gaibíri said. "No," she persisted, you no can stow away (conceal it), I devil-woman." She was ashamed and thought to herself, "I go my place now." She wept bitterly in the night, saying, „No good Gaibíri go sell me along other man." When everybody was asleep, the woman took her child and went into the water, returning to her own place.

If she had not been treated badly, she would have stayed on with Gaibíri; „,and you and I," the narrator said, "would have seen her and her boy here." This is not an old story," he went on, when I was a small boy, I saw Gaibíri." (Amúra, Mawáta).

159. A woman living at Bóigu bore a child after the death of her husband, and shortly afterwards she died herself. The boy grew up entirely by himself: One day he tried to husk a coconut with a shell, but could not do it, and although there was no one near he called out for fun, „Who come skin out my coconut?“ 55 He amused himself by calling out like that for a while, and then went to roast some sweet potatoes dug from a garden which his parents had left him.

In the morning he saw some dugong in the water, and although he was really afraid of them, he pretended not to be and called out to them, „My mother, father he dead long time (long ago). I no come catch you, I come catch small fish." And he went back.

Inside a large tree there lived some girls called buhere-buhére (cf. no. 133). The youngest of them heard the boy's voice one day when he was trying to husk coconut and called out, „Who man come skin out my coconut? My mother, father he dead long time." When the boy was away catching fish she came with all her sisters into his house where they hid themselves. After a while the boy returned, put down his basket, and began to roast sweet potatoes. He took a coconut and as he tried to husk it cried out, „Man he no stop along ground, man he no stop along tree (nobody is here anywhere). Who skin out my coconut?" The girls all came out of hiding and caught hold of the boy. The youngest of them said, „That man belong me,