in vain, and Gabímas' father started to wail. At last the people returned home, but Gabíma's harpoon-handle and other things were left behind, for in accordance with custom nobody wanted to take the belongings of a man who had perished. A dugong speared by him was also left on the reef. There was a great wailing when the villagers learnt af Gabimas's death. His mother threw off her grass petticoat and, sat by herself on the beach and wept, rocking her body to and fro. It is an old custom that a woman whose child has died takes off her dress, wishing to show thereby that the child has originated from her hody.

Once more some of the people went to the reef for a final search for Gabíma, and at low water a woman named Gáta found the large kurúpi fish lying dead there. Its belly was very large, and as the people ripped it open they found the decaying body of the man which they wrapped up in a mat and brought home with the fish. There he was buried, and the fish was burnt in the fire. Shortly afterwards the taera ceremony (cf. Introduction to no. 287) was held over the man as well as the others recently dead. (Sáibu, Mawáta).

330. Three Mawáta men, Amúra, Isúa, and Mámusa, once went to spear dugong and turtle and were accompanied by Amúra's son Bíza, and Isúa's son Sagéva. During the night Amúra speared a dugong, and in the morning the men started to sail about looking for turtle. After a while Mámusa speared a turtle, and Amúra and Isúa hauled in the harpoon-line. When they were near, they too plunged into the water and caught hold of the animal. But the two boys who were left to take care of the canoe were not strong enough to paddle it against the wind and drifted further and further away. The harpoon-head had come off the turtle. Oh, that turtle he go kill me," Amúra thought, "I no go back along my wife, I sorry wife and boy." He could not speak but signalled to the others,,,You stop, I swim along canoe." Mámusa too wanted to swim, but Isúa said, ,,Suppose you two leave him turtle, you get down." The men held on to the flippers of the turtle preventing the animal from diving, and floated on it. Bíza, Amúra's son, hauled the harpoon-line back to the canoe and called out, "I strong little bit, I take end belong rope, come swim, give you fellow." He succeeded in swimming along, and the three men caught hold of the rope and held on to the turtle as well. Bíza swam back to the canoe and shouted, "Father, you three man catch hold him strong that rope; suppose some man let go, he lose." And Bíza started to haul in the rope alone, for Sagéva was too small to help him. When the men were near they tethered the turtle with a rope round one of the flippers, and the other end was tied to the mast. On reaching the canoe, the three men were obliged to rest on the outrigger for a good while before they had strength to climb aboard. There they lay down again to rest. Finally the turtle was hauled on board, and Isúa said, "Me no want go look turtle no more, by-and-by lose altogether, that boy he no strong enough. You me (we) go home." And they sailed home and told the people there of their adventure, Close up me fellow lose." (Amúra, Mawáta).

331. Some Páráma men were once spearing dugong and turtle when they saw an enormous sting-ray in the water, the body of which was as wide as the floor of a house and the tail as thick as a post. The men thought that it was a turle, and one of them tried to harpoon it in the usual way, throwing himself into the water at the same time. But the sting-ray lifted

up its terrible tail and ran the man through with its spear ripping up his belly. As the man did not return to the surface his friends started to haul in the harpoon-line, and after a while they got hold of the man's intestines as well, which were floating in the water. The man was brought on board dead, and the people sailed home and buried him.

Before leaving the place where the accident had happened the men marked it out and said to the sting-ray, "You no go other place, you stop one place. By and-by I come, I sorry first that man." When the burial was over, the people returned to the reef in order to kill the fish. They found the spot and formed a ring round the sting-ray in their canoes. Everybody was warned to beware of the formidable tail. They speared the fish from their canoes, and finally an old man ventured into the water and tied a rope to the head of the fish, and it was hauled to the surface. The tail was secured to an outrigger, and its spear was removed with an axe. After the fish had been lifted up on the platform the people sailed home, and there they cut it up. (Bíri, Ipisía).

XIII. WAR AND FIGHTING (no. 332-364; cf. Index).

FEUDS BETWEEN DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN A VILLAGE; OTHER TRIBES ARE EMPLOYED FOR TAKING REVENGE

(no. 332-336; cf. Index, War).

332. Long ago there was at Mawáta a great man, Auo Óta by name which means "Big Tree", for in olden times the people were very tall like trees and not short of stature as the people of the present age are. One day Áuo Óta and three other men named Sávokari, Sáubíri, and Góboi went to Búai not far from Mábudaváne to hunt pigs. They first killed a large pig, and then Áuo Óta caught a little pig alive which the dogs had chased. Góboi, his brother-in-law, said to him, "Come on, you me (we) keep him, sister belong you he look out (after) that pig, make him grow before me kill him." So Áuo Óta gave him the pig, and Góboi carried it to Mábudaváne in his basket. There they cut up the large pig and baked the meat.

The next day they went on their way back to Mawáta, and when they came to the coconut grove not far from the village they met a man named Músu and his wife Kínou. Músu said to Góboi, "You give me that pig, I look out (after)," and Góboi gave it him saying, "You keep him, make him grow." He omitted to say that the pig belonged to Auo Óta, and the latter thought,,,No matter he give him Músu, he belong me all same."

So Músu and Kínou kept the pig, and when it was full grown the men said, "Pig he come old now, too much fat. By-and-by he dead self, you me (we) more better kill him." Whereupon they decided to kill the pig and hold a feast. One evening Góboi invited a certain great man named Mípi to come and drink gamoda with him, and after Mípi another great man named Máiri also came there. One of the young men prepared the gamoda, and after Máiri had drunk some, Kémésu drank, and then Tatía, Hamána, and Kéri, and lastly Góboi, all using the same bowl. They all belonged to the cassowary totem group.

The men thought that Góboi had caught the pig, and that is why they invited him and his kin to come and drink gámoda, while Auo Óta, Sávokari, and Sáubíri, who belonged to the dog totem group, were left aside. Áuo Óta wondered why the men drank gámoda without inviting him.

The next morning Góboi and his friends killed the pig, cut it up and distributed the meat among the people who had been drinking gamoda with them on the previous evening, and the women wrapped up the meat in banana leaves and baked it in the earth oven.

The angry Auo Óta felt a lump in his throat („throat belong him he go other way now"), but he did not say a word, he simply kept a strict watch. The cassowary totem people feasted upon the pig. When Áuo Óta came out from the dárimo (men's house), he found one of the banana leaves which had been used in baking the pig, and picking it up between his great toe and the next one he put it in his basket which he hung on the shelf over his fireplace. The next day he called Sáubiri, Sávokari, and the rest of his people and said, "You take out (launch) my canoe, I go along Kátatai, see my people."

The party sailed away, passed by Dáru and Kátatai and proceeded to Súmai without stopping on their way. On landing at Súmai, Auo Óta took the banana leaf, put his beheading knife on it and handed it to a great Súmai man named Segéra who was his friend. This is a manner of summoning the people to fight, and the banana leaf denoted the cause of the trouble. Áuo Úta said, "You go along that high hill there, break him," he meant them to go and attack the people of Daváne which is a high and rocky island. He did not speak straight out, for „oldtime-fashion he too crooked altogether," as the narrator said. Segéra who was a very cunning man understood his meaning and said to his people, „You me (we) go one place kill him," and his men shouted out in their delight. Auo Óta's people who did not know what their leader was designing, asked him, "What name (why) Súmai man he sing out?" and he only answered, "Oh, I think something good thing belong them fellow, I think that nothing." The reason why Áuo Úta wanted to kill the Daváne people was that they were the friends of Mípi and his kin, having the same totem as they.

On leaving Súmai, Áuo Óta said, "I go catch Daváre, sleep there. To-morrow you start. I catch him Kátatai, you catch him Daváre. I catch him Mawáta, you catch him Kátatai. I sleep along Mawáta, another night I watch you." He and his people sailed away and were followed the next day by the Súmai men. On his arrival at Mawáta, Áuo Óta was asked by the people where he came from, and he lied saying, "Me come along Kátaitai." His companions heard what their leader said and repeated the same thing.

On the day after his return home Áuo Óta saw the Súmai party coming. He went towards them in a „half canoe" (cf. p. 9) and called out, „Where Segéra?" "Me here." "You no go close to shore," said Áuo Óta, „you go long way outside. Along Wódahío you catch him shore before you go along Daváne." And the Súmai men did as they had been directed, and thus the Mawáta people were kept in ignorance of their journey.

The Súmai canoes landed at Mábudaváne, and the men decked themselves with their war accoutrements. A little before sundown they steered over to Daváne. They had stopped the wind and used the paddles for propelling their canoes. They landed on the far side of Daváne, and the canoes were hidden hehind a cape. Segéra went to reconnoitre and returned saying, „All he stop, close up daylight you me (we) go." When the morning star arose the Súmai men advanced in two lines, one along the beach and the other through the bush, surrounding the village. Segéra attacked the enemy first, and his people followed him shouting out, "Bóromo túbu rúbi dipo! People belong pig (the symbol of battle?) he come fight." Men, women, and children were killed, and only a few of the Daváne people escaped. The Súmai men put the captured heads in their canoes and sailed back. When they came to the passage between Sáibai and the mainland they raised their cry of victory, U-u-uuu!" sounded their trumpet shells and

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beat the sides of their canoes with the paddles, thus producing a great noise. „Oh, what place he been kill him?" thought the Sáibai people, "I think Súmai man been kill him Daváne man."

Áuo Úta was waiting on the beach for the return of the Súmai party, and when they came they gave him back the banana leaf and beheading knife now dripping with blood. „Me fellow been kill Daváne man," they said. They gave him a great quantity of sago in payment for the heads they had taken. Áuo Óta hung the knife and banana leaf on a stick, and the sago was put on the ground close by. He did not want to be found with the Súmai people and went home. By agreement he signalled to them with a lighted torch as soon as he had reached the village, and then they let their noise of victory be heard as they passed Mawáta in their canoes. The Mawáta people started out of their sleep, and Áuo Óta pretended to be as terrified as the rest. They thought that someone was killing the Túritúri people, and two or three men went to investigate the case. They found the Túritúri men wide awake thinking that the Mawáta people had been attacked while sleeping. Noise he been come from you fellow side," said the Máwata men, he been go Dáru side. I think Kíwai man been kill bushman." When daylight came they saw the Súmai canoes sailing eastward.

In the morning the stick with the beheading knife and banana leaf was found on the beach, and the Mawáta people wondered what that meant. When Auo Óta threw away the leaf and kept the beheading knife, the people guessed the whole story (abbrev.).

said Áuo Óta, „I been sing out Segera and people belong him.
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The Mawáta people did not say anything but thought,
belong Mípi been kaikai pig belong that man."

Mípi's people kept their anger within themselves. No fault belong me fellow," they thought. "What for Auo Óta no been speak? Me fellow no savy, that's why me fellow been kaikai pig. Me been think that pig belong Góboi, that's why me no been sing out Áuo Úta."

Mípi and his people went away in a canoe taking a beheading knife with them. They lied that they were going to Tabío but sailed instead to Súmai. There Mípi gave the beheading knife and head-carrier to his friends Maríba and Géra and asked them to go and kill the Dáburu people who were friends of Áuo Óta and his kin. Then he returned home, and Maríba, Géra, and their men went and attacked the Dáburu people. On arriving near Dáburu the leaders went to reconnoitre and as proof of having been in the hostile village they brought back a little of the thatching of a house and some cinders from an outdoor fire. The scouts said, ,,Pig he stop there clear place, to-morrow we cook him," and by "pig" they meant the Dáburu people. Just before daylight (which is called dipo-báni, dipo meaning "fight" and bani dawn") the attack was made, and the leaders directed the different groups of warriors to the different houses saying, "Belong you fellow, belong you fellow." The great warriors started the fight, and men, women, and children. were slain alike. When the battle was over, the young Súmai warriors were given ,,medicine" for similar coming occasions. Some of Mípi's Mawáta men had taken part in the attack and gave the heads captured by them to the Súmais, and in return they received a great quantity of sago. When the Súmai people parted from their friends, they invited them to come to Súmai and receive additional reward for the victorious fight. A great war dance was held at Mawáta.