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A similar adventure happened to a Ágiadai man who was catching the nests of the suéremére bird with a bio. None of the passers-by came to the rescue, for they did not like the man. He remained hanging all night, and in the morning was helped down by his friends. He had great difficulty in bringing his arms down to their natural position after hanging so long. (Mamatúa, Súmai).

318. A certain man once wanted feathers for a dance and asked his friends for some, but they did not give him any. Then he went to shoot some birds on his own account. He came to a large tree in which there were many birds, and tying his bow and arrows on to his shoulder he climbed the tree. When he came to a suitable branch he started to shoot at the birds, and flapping their wings they fell to the ground. There was one large bird which remained hanging by its claws although wounded. As the man climbed after the bird the branch broke, and man and bird fell down, and the former was crushed to death.

After the people had waited in vain for his return they thought that he had gone in a canoe to another village. His wife wailed over him. In course of time the dead body decayed, so that only the bones remained. One night the woman dreamt that her husband came to her and said, "You no sorry me?" "I sorry you," she replied, "I no kaikai, no can drink water, I sorry you. Where you stop?" "Oh, I go shoot pigeon (birds), I fall down, me finish. You go look me, you no find, bone he stop." The woman woke up in the night and wailed. She called out to her mother, „Mother, mother, you sleep?" but the mother was sound asleep and did not hear anything. Then the woman touched her with her hand and awoke her. Wake him up father too," she said. They lighted a large fire. „Man belong me he no been go along canoe,“ the woman related, he come along dream: he go bush, he fall down tree, bone he stop." And the woman and her parents wailed together.

Before daylight the mother cooked a little food and gave it to her daughter, but the latter said, "You no give much kaikai, I sorry man belong me." In the morning the people all went to look for the dead man. They wanted to follow up every fork in the path so as to be sure to find him, but the woman said, "Yoy no go other way, you go along me; I been dream that place." And they sought for the large tree. The woman went first, and at length she found the tree, and there were the bones. The people all wailed. Then the woman put the bones in a basket to carry them home. One of the leading men said, "You no take bone inside house, by-and-by you fellow get big sick." So they dug a hole in the ground and buried the bones there.

Since then it is a rule among the people never to refuse to give feathers to anyone who asks for some with which to decorate himself for a dance. (Nátai, Ipisía).

319. A certain Iása man had promised to give his friend some feathers the next time the people held a dance. But he forgot his word and gave the the feathers to somebody else. His friend felt hurt and went by himself to find some birds. On seeing a white cockatoo in a large tree he cautiously climbed up and caught hold of its legs. While he was sliding down the tree

the bird pecked at his wrist with its powerful beak till his hand was cut off. The man fell down dead, and the bird flew away. After a time the people went to look for him in different directions, and not until the next day did they find his bow, and shortly afterwards the man himself. They

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guessed how the accident had happened. His friend who had promised him feathers was accused of having caused his death, and there was a fight after which he gave payment to the relatives of the dead man. After that incident the people made it a rule not to promise anybody a present a long time beforehand but to give it at once. (Káku; Ipisía).

320. At Daváre in Dúdi a man named Sai was once caught in a pig-trap which had been set by another man namet Soréa. The latter thought that he had caught a large pig in the trap but found that it was a man. He was blamed for Sái's death, and after a fight had to give payment for him. (Japía, Ipisía).

A. A certain Daváre man once got into a pig-trap and when struggling to get free he and the trap fell into a creek and were carried away by the current. The owner thought that somebody had stolen the trap and was very angry.. (Mánu, Ipisía).

321. Gúbu, a Sagéru man, and his wife had a son named Mánu. When the boy grew up his father made him a small bow and arrows, and he went out and shot some fish which he brought to his father asking him whether they were edible or not, and Gúbu instructed him in this respect.9 After a time Gúbu made him a large bow and arrows, and Mánu started to shoot pigs and other game in the bush, and each time he asked his father whether the animals could be eaten or not. Later on he began to kill people who belonged to different tribes, and brought home their heads. At first he killed one man but gradually as many as four at a time. In the end the enemy came to retaliate, and Mánu was killed.

There is a similar tale by the same narrator referring to a Díbiri man named Kagáro, his wife Ebía and their son. The boy used to shoot fish and later on different animals and birds in the bush, bringing them home to his father to ask him whether they were edible. He also started to kill people and cut off their heads and genital organs. Many people came to fight him but could not conquer him: One day he found a man who had two daughters and he remained with them, married the girls, and also brought his parents to live there. He taught the people to plant gardens and make canoes. Once when they were sailing about the canoe was wrecked, and the people all perished excepting him. Thenceforth he spent his tirne wailing over his wives and friends who were drowned. (Duába, Oromosapúa).

C. ADVENTURES WITH CROCODILES (no. 322-326 cf. Index, Crocodiles).

322. Some Iása people were once sitting on the bridge over the Óromotúri creek. They did not know that there was a crocodile down in the water. They were warned by some people on the shore but thought that the water was too shallow to harbour a crocodile. Gradually the tide rose bringing the crocodile higher and higher towards the men. All of a sudden the beast raised its head out of the creek and caught three of the men dragging them under water. There they disappeared, and the people on shore cried out, "Oh, I been tell you finish, you big fool stop along ladder (bridge)!" The wives of the three men wailed. The next day the people resumed the

search, and the mutilated body of one of the men was found and carried home. Another body was discovered the following day, but the third man was never seen again. After the mourning feast had been held two of the widows were married to the two men who had found the bodies of their dead husbands. Many men wanted the third woman, but she said, "No, I no want, I no been find man belong me." She worked by herself in her garden, and many people pitied her saying, "I very sorry you, no good you make work one man (alone). You no man, you woman, more better you marry." She did not want to marry, as the body of her previous husband had not been found. There was even a quarrel among the people who wanted to compel her to marry: „What's the matter you no marry? More better you marry, you good (good-looking) girl, no good you stop single woman." As a matter of fact she was fond of a certain man, and under the pressure of the people she once asked him to stay with her and help her to work. The man said, "Yes? true you want me?" They were married, and the people all rejoiced. The parents of the woman said, "More better you pay me," and the man gave payment for her. (Bíri, Ipisía).

323. The Dorópo people were fishing with a kind of trap called karo which is a small conical basket provided with thorns on the inside to prevent the fish from escaping. There was one man who was very shy and did not care to mix with the people and was left without a share in the fish. Finding himself neglected he thought, "I got hand, I got leg, I man, go by-and-by self, catch him fish." He provided himself with a few karo traps and asked his wife to get him some bait to put into them. Then he hung them up on sticks in the water and caught plenty of fish. But one of the sticks broke, so the man could not find the káró. He did not know that there was a crocodile in the water, and when he waded out to find his káro he was taken by the beast. His wives waited in vain for him and concluded that he had fallen victim to a crocodile. The people all went to look for him in their canoes but could not find him, and they wailed. But the two women said to the brothers of their dead husband, „You fellow no cry. You no been give him no fish, that's why he go look round fish hin self, alligator catch him." (Bíri, Ipisía).

324. The Wápi people once held a feast, and during the night one of the women went to the creek to fetch water. There was a large crocodile, and on seeing the woman it thought, That woman come close to, I catch him."

While the woman was filling her water-carrier the beast came and dragged her under water. The people armed themselves and looked round for her without knowing where she had gone, but she could be found nowhere. After a time her husband held a morning feast. „I sorry my woman," he said, "this time I no want take new woman quick, I stop six moon. Six moon he finish, I find him another woman." (Nátai, Ipisía).

325. Two Mawáta women named İsai and Wóipa were one day digging for crabs at the mouth of the Bínatúri river. Suddenly Ísai was caught by a crocodile, and Wóipa ran on to a fallen tree from where she saw how her friend was hauled under water. The people were informed of the accident and began to wail. In the morning the crocodile was found. It had devoured the greater part of the woman's body and held the rest between its jaws, but as she

was very large and fat it could not dive but remained floating on the surface, and there it was speared. The crocodile's body was opened and burnt in the fire, and the remains of the woman. were buried. (Dagúri, Mawáta).

326. Once an Ipisía woman Náva while occupied with catching crabs was taken a by crocodile and dragged under water. Her husband, Káige, happened to come at the same time and attacked the crocodile from his canoe until the beast gave up its prey. Káige put his wife in his canoe and managed to kill the crocodile. The people carried the woman and crocodile home and there the latter was cut up and cooked, and the people ate the flesh. The unconscious woman was bled and returned to life for a short time, and her husband held her in his arms. The next morning at dawn she died. The people wailed, dressed her in a new petticoat, and buried her. A mourning feast was held, and two days afterwards the widower took another wife. (Gabiro, Ipisía).

D. HARPOONING ADVENTURES ON THE REEFS (no. 327-331; cf. Index, Hunting).

327. Five Mawáta canoes once sailed out to a reef and built there three platforms for spearing dugong. At sundown the platforms were mounted by three of the men, Adági, Ábai, and Saima, and only two, Kópa and Bági, remained in the canoe. No much crew along canoe," Adági remarked, that's all two man;" but Kópa said, Two man he enough." Standing on the platform Adági soon heard the puffing and snorting of a dugong, Tah! äh!" and when the animal was sufficiently near he speared it throwing himself into the water. The dugong rushed off with the harpoon-line, and Adági's leg nearly got caught in it, but he managed to free himself. At that time it was not the custom among the people to tie up the end of the harpoonline to the platform, and Adági was towed away on to the deep sea. Kópa and Bági could not come quickly enough to the rescue. Then Abai and Sáima swam from their platforms to the canoe and helped the two to paddle. Adági called out from a distance, „Me lose altogether now, you fellow no can find me no more. You look out (after) my boy. You tell my people suppose you go back home." Kópa began to cry, but Ábai said, "You no cry! Suppose you me (we) no find him, that's all right, time enough for cry." It was quite dark. all their strength and called out to Adági all the while to encourage him. At length they got tired and said, "More better you me put him sail," and they hoisted a sail and followed the course of the tide. Adágis's strength failed more and more. The canoe had taken a wrong direction. Adági heard the voices from far away but thought that they were the cry of some birds. Again the men called out, and then he answered, "Oh, good man, good man, save my life!" "You listen!" cried Ábai to the others, him he there sing out." No, that pigeon (bird)," said Kópa. Adagi shouted again, and then they heard him: Him he there!" and they turned the canoe in that direction. "Good, good!" they shouted paddling as fast as they could. After a hard struggle they came near and caught hold of the end of the harpoon-line, and Adági was helped on board. The waves had washed over him all the time, and belly he close up burst, full salt water." He lay down on his face exhausted, and the water ran out from his mouth.

After a rest the men hauled in the harpoon-line and secured the dugong. Then they discussed whether they should return to the platform and fetch the harpoon handle or go straight home, and decided for the latter. They arrived home in the middle of the night, and the dugong was cut up in the morning. (Adági, Mawáta).

328. A harpooner standing on the platform in the sea often sees all sorts of extraordinary things and apparitions during the night. Sometimes a snake comes swimming along shining in the water like fire, and sometimes he sees one of the óboúbi (mythical beings in the sea, cf. no. 132) which swim like a frog with their short limbs and stout body. On recognizing one of these beings a harpooner will instantly warn his friends on the other platforms, and they all put down their weapons as long as one of the spirits is about. The oboúbi are generally followed by a great shoal of dugong.

The men all wailed for their lost friend, and they started to seek for him again sailing all When the sun had risen high all hope was of the canoe at that time the canoes had

Once a Mawáta man named Arúsa and his companions built a platform on the so-called Mangrove reef. Arúsa mounted the platform and asked the others to keep a sharp look-out. At first he speared one dugong and shortly afterwards another, and they were caught in the usual way. Next came an enormous female dugong which was pregnant, and as Arúsa speared it he got caught in the line which twisted itself round his waist. The people in the canoe waited anxiously to hear him call out, but Arúsa was dragged under water, and not a sound was heard. The crew paddled round to look for the line, but did not find it anywhere. They kept on paddling this way and that until they came out on deep water but saw no trace of Arúsa. The tide began to ebb, and the reefs appeared above the surface. everybody was dead tired. When daylight came, round the reefs, but there was no trace of him. over. The two dugong were secured to the side only one outrigger- and the crew made for home. The people in the village heard their wailing and understood that someone was dead. They seized their weapons, and when the canoe landed, they heard of Arúsa's fate. Everybody started to wail, for Arúsa had been a great man. His four wives went and set fire to the men's house saying, „All time you fellow stop along house, you no follow Arúsa along reef. Arúsa he every time he go one man (alone) spear him dugong for altogether people, that's why he foul along rope." And the house burnt down. Arúsa's brothers cut down his coconut trees saying, „Him (Arúsa) he no go stop here kaikai that coconut; more better cut him down." They also burnt his garden and killed his dogs and pigs. It was customary before to destroy part of the property belonging to a deceased person. The two dugong were cut up, and the people held a mourning feast. (Arúsa's death is also mentioned in no. 334; Gaméa, Mawáta).

329. Once when the Sáibai people were out spearing dugong at a place called Áubióni a man named Gabima saw an enormous kurúpí („rock-fish“) swimming towards him in the water. He thought that it was a dugong and tried to spear it but failed, and the kurúpi swallowed him up in one go. There were rings of water on that spot but nothing was heard from the man. The people in the canoes came to look for him along the whole length of the reef, but he was nowhere to be seen. In the morning when the reefs were dry the search was resumed but