The next day the two marriages took place. The one bridegroom said, „You (your) sister come along my house, I go take you sister." „All right," the other bridegroom replied, „I take you sister, you me change." When matters had been arranged thus, all the people went to their gardens to bring food for a great feast. Nováre's mother said to her boy, "You go behind them fellow, you no want people he see face belong you. He got point (bend) along road, they go one point, you go one point. The woman did not want the girls to see her boy.

"

Nováre's mother tied two of her son's plaited arm-bands on a string and hung them round her neck. Launching a small canoe she went away to find him a girl. She paddled down the Oriómu and arrived at Old Mawáta. A number of boys and girls were sitting on the beach making cat's-cradles, and in their midst was a very fine girl. The woman took the two arm-bands and tried them on all the girls in turn, and the one they shoulhd fit was to be Nováre's wife. At last the rings were tried on the arm of the one beautiful girl, but to no avail, and the woman said, "He no fit him good too slack." Taking off the rings she said to the people, "You fellow no kaikai good, you got bone, that's all, suppose you kaikai good, you got meat, fat."

Proceeding on her way the woman came to Gúrahi, where she found the boys and girls making cat's-cradles on the beach, while their parents were in the gardens. She thrust the paddle into the bottom, secured the canoe to it, and went on shore. „Oh," the Gúrahi people said, „bushman woman he come." The woman handed the arm-bands to the girls, who one after another tried them on, but the rings did not fit. There was a very fine girl among the others and the woman put the ring on her arm, but it was too large. Again she said, "Nigo orúho náriríhodúmu durúpi nóribóriría. You fellow no kaikai, suppose you kaikai, you got meat, fat;

you got bone, that's all."

She left Gúrahi and went on to Úbiri, where all the girls were making cat's-cradles. They called out, "Oh, one old woman he come!" She tied up the canoe to the paddle as before and went on shore. There was a very pretty girl in the midst of the others. The woman handed the girls the two arm-rings, and they all tried them on, but did not get them to fit. The beautiful girl, too, put the rings on, but they did not fit closely to her arm, so the woman took them back and hung them round her neck. She said to the people as before, You fellow no kaikai, no got no meat, no fat, all you got that's bone."

The woman pulled out the paddle from the bottom, and continued her journey to Míbu, but as there were no people there she went on to lása. All the grown up people there had gone to their gardens, and the boys and girls were playing at cat's-cradles in the village. The woman drove the paddle into the bottom, tied up her canoe, and went on shore. She gave the two armbands to a beautiful girl, who was there among the others, and they all tried them on. But the bands did not fit any of them, so the woman took them back and addressed the people as in the previous places.

At last she came to Díbiri, where she fastened the canoe to the paddle as before. She saw a very beautiful girl on the shore and thought to herself, "Oh, that girl he (she) woman belong Nováre, suppose I get that girl, he good luck." The girls were all playing at cat's-cradles, while the elder people had gone to the gardens. The woman gave the girls the arm-bands to try on, and at last she handed them to the beautiful girl in the midst of the others, and the bands fitted her perfectly. Word was sent to the people in the gardens, „One bushman woman

he been come, he look round woman belong boy belong him," and all the people came home. They asked the woman, „You come look round woman belong boy?" Yes, plenty place I go, I no been see girl all same I find him now." The two bands were still on the girl's arm. The people said, "You sleep now, to-morrow you go take that girl, nobody stop you."

In the morning the girl's mother and father loaded the canoe with garden produce, and among other things there were two large roots somewhat like taro, with large leaves; they are called άuhi. The Díbiri people summoned the wind to blow from the east. The canoe in which the woman had travelled was very small, so they provided her with a larger one. When she and the girl were about to sail, the parents of the latter warned them, saying, „You no sleep along road, you go right away, catch you (your) place, you go night and day.“ 51

The two companions set off and came to Kíwai, where the people asked the elder woman, You get him woman belong you (your) boy?, "Yes, I finish get him." Next they reached Míbu and then Úbiri. At both places the people asked the woman, „You get him woman belong boy?" and she replied, "Yes, I get him." The same question and answer were repeated at the other places which they passed, Kátatai and Old Mawáta (abbrev.).

༤

When they were about to sail up the Óriómu river, the girl said to the old woman, „You me sleep here too tired, you me (we) been come night and day." „All right," the old woman answered, „you me sleep." They went on shore and lighted a fire, and the old woman spread out a mat, saying to the girl, „You me sleep along shore.“ „No," the girl replied, you sleep along shore, I sleep along canoe." So they slept as the girl had directed.

In the night a hiwai-abére came to the place. With a shell she cut off the top of one of the auhi and hollowed out the inside of the root. The girl was dressed in all kinds of beautiful finery, given her by her parents, and the hiwai-abere stripped them all off and put them on herself, Novare's two arm-bands among the other things. Lastly she put the girl into the empty áuhi, and after replacing the top part threw the root into the water. When this was done, she lay down on the girl's mat and even assumed her face.

now."

In the morning the old woman got up and called the girl, „Come on, you me (we) start The hiwai-abére, lying in the canoe, replied in a moaning voice, „Oh, old woman, I got fever, I too cold, no can get up." She broke wind all the time, as is the habit of the hiwaiabére, 42 The old woman said, "Oh, good woman I been bring what kind woman you, make people shame." She bade the htwai-abere, "You lie down, I pull." She did not know that the right girl had been thrown into the water, but the girl was still alive inside the auhi.

The two fellow-travellers went up the Oriómu river and arrived at Péva. The old woman called out to her son, You come, I been get you woman now." She said to the hiwai-abere, You open him mat, let people look face belong you. Man belong you here, Nováre, he want look body." "Oh," the false-hearted woman replied, "I no can open him mat, I too cold, I got fever." Nováre wanted to open the mat but she kept it tightly closed. All three went on shore, and the hiwai-abere prepared food for Nováre, but she did not cook it properly, leaving it half raw, and the old woman had to help her.

In the night a strong tide was running up the Óriómu, and the full moon was shining. Nováre was sleeping in the men's house. The duhi in which the young woman was enclosed floated up the river, and she wept inside the root, singing,

„Nováre, Nováre, mo róro bámege nibo nóbodo róro Nováre moro úramo.

váre, I been follow smell belong you (your) track, you my husband."

Nováre, No

The old woman heard the wailing in the night and thought to herself, „Oh, I think that proper woman he cry along water now. I think devil-woman I been take him now." She sat up and felt very sorry.

In the morning the ebbing tide carried the áuhi back to the mouth of the river. The people all got up, and the old woman called out to Nováre to come to her. The hiwai-abére said to her, „What name (why) you sing out Nováre he come, he no husband belong you, I want him come alongside me." Nováre did not listen to what the bad woman said and did not want to sit beside her. He tried to open the mat in which she had wrapped herself up, but she resisted him. His mother said to him, "Nováre, that devil-woman I been take him come. That proper woman belong you he been cry last night along water. I think devil-woman been throw him away." And she bade him. You go cut him bamboo, make hook along one end, bring him." Nováre went and made a hook as he was asked, and thinking to himself, „Suppose that girl he come, I catch him along hook," he put it down close to the water.

When night came the people went to sleep. But Nováre did not sleep, he was waiting all the time for the girl to come. The tide was running in, and the moon was shining. The water carried the auhi along the opposite bank, but when the tide turned, the root floated over to Nováre's side. He hooked in the áuhi, and the girl within the root, feeling the touch of the bamboo pole, called out, "That you, Nováre?" The man did not say anything, he laugh inside“, thinking to himself, „Oh, girl he call my name!" He pulled the root close to him, broke it open, and the girl came out. The juice of the root had stuck to her body, making it look ugly, but Nováre washed her clean and rubbed her with coconut-oil and sweet-scented herbs. Then she put on a new grass skirt and all kinds of ornaments. Nováre placed his bow and arrows close to the house in readiness for the hawai-abere, and the girl seized her digging stick.

Dawn came, and they lay in wait for the hiwai-abére. The girl said to Nováre, „You no make him (her) dead straightway, you shoot him along arrow, I want kill him finish." When the htwai-abére came out, Nováre shot her, and the girl rushed forward and broke her head with her digging stick, killing her. Nováre cut off her head and threw away the body. The young woman became his wife, and they lived together at Péva. (Amúra, Mawáta).

THE BROTHER AND SISTER AND THE DECEITFUL HIWAI-ABERE.

151. A man named Jawána and his little sister Janúdo lived together at Hawío. One day Jawána said to the girl, „Sister, you stop along house, to-morrow daylight I go shoot him pigeon (birds in general)."

At daybreak Jawána went to the bush and shot some birds, which he brought home to his sister, and she cooked them. Afterwards they worked in their garden, and when night came, they went to sleep (abbrev.).

Next morning Jawána again went out after birds. He shot some which he made into a bundle and hung up in a tree, and then went further into the bush. A hiwai-abére came out

Ja

from a large tree and said to him, „Jawána, you give me pigeon, I carry him.“ „Héi!" Jawána exclaimed, „what name (why) you come?“ „I come, I woman belong you." Jawána did not know that she was a hiwai-abére and took her home with him, and she carried his birds. núdo at sight of them said, „Héi, Jawána, what name you take that woman along here?“ „Eh, I no want you," the hiwai-abére interrupted, „I come along my man, I leave him plenty people," this was not the truth, for she had no kinsmen and had been living alone in the tree. Jawána said to Janúdo, „Come on, you me (we) go along garden." So they went, and the hiwai-abére joined them. They did not do any work there but only brought home bananas and taro. Janúdo baked the taro, and the hiwai-abére did the same with the birds which Jawána had killed before. The food prepared by Janúdo was well cooked, but that of the hiwai abere was raw. The bad woman used to break wind all the time, 42 and Janúdo said to her brother, ,,What kind woman you take, that's devil-woman." In the night they slept.

When they got up in the morning the hiwai-abére said to Jawána, „You take sister belong you, go give my people, I got plenty people." According to custom anyone who wants to marry gives his sister in exchange for his bride. All three of them again went to the garden and brought home a quantity of food. Jawána smeared his face with mud in token of his sorrow, for he was going to give his sister in exchange for the hiwai-abére. He said to Janúdo, „Sister, what place I been take that woman he come, you go that place." The hiwai-abére took three baskets of taro and Janúdo two, and the latter said to her brother, „,Jawána, I leave you now. I been think that no proper woman. I think he no got people, that's all one (she is alone)." The two women set off, and Jawána picking up his bow and arrows wanted to go with his sister, but the hiwai-abére stopped him, saying, „Jawána, you no come, I got plenty people, by and by he fight you, kill you." When the two women reached the large tree, the hiwai abére spoke to the tree, You open door." The tree opened, and the girl went in. There were no people inside and she began to weep bitterly, thinking of her brother, „Jawána, he got no people that wood, that devil-woman he been gammon, say he got plenty people." Then at the word of the hiwaiabére the tree closed.

The hiwai-abére, who remained outside, ate all the taro which she and the girl had brought with them, and when she had finished, she climbed up the tree. At the top was a hole through which she defecated on the girl. After that she went back towards the house, and when she came near, she began to run calling out, Jawána, you take bow and arrow, you come, my people he run behind me, he want kill me," but no one was there. Jawána seized his weapons, and when he came up, the deceitful woman said, "You look, that's last brother belong me he go back now, close up he been catch me." Jawána wanted to run after the enemy, but the woman said, "No, you no go, you stop here." When it was dark they slept, and Janúdo slept alone in

the tree.

Jawána felt very sorry at the thought of his sister and could not eat. One day he said to the hiwai-abére, „You go along garden I go shoot pigeon, by and by I come behind (after you)," but he wanted to go and look for his sister. Janúdo was wailing inside the tree, "Jawána, mo náti íbodóro námu árbipúai búru diriomóro óta úru wátonómi. — you follow my track, brother. I stop along empty country, no people here, I stop along big tree."

Jawána,

Jawána approached the large tree, and the girl heard his footfall outside. She called out, „Jawána, that's you?" "Yes, that's me. Sister, where you stop?" "I stop inside along tree, that devilwoman been put me. He no got no people. He kaikai altogether taro, that woman, ne (defecate) on top me." And she called to her brother, „Jawána, you leave bow and arrow, you go run, take stone axe, come." Jawána ran to fetch a stone axe; the hiwai-abere was still away in the garden. He returned with his axe, and the girl said, "I been scratch him this side, make him small (thin), you cut him same side." Jawána cut a hole for his sister through which she came out. She said to him, "That devil-woman gammon you, he make a fool you proper." And he washed her in clean water and rubbed her with sweet herbs. Then they returned home, and Janúdo said to her brother, "You go sing out that devil-woman he come." Jawána went and called the hiwai-abére, „I been shoot plenty pigeon, leave him along house, you come." Janúdo was waiting for her inside the door with her digging stick in readiness. When the hiwai-abére was about to enter the house Jawána shot her through the body from both sides. 41 But Janúdo said, „Brother, you no more shoot that woman, I want fight him," and she hit her on the head with her digging stick. And the hiwai-abére called out as she was dying, "I been make fool along you two fellow." 40 When she was dead, Jawána cut off her head with his beheading knife and kept the skull, but they threw away the body without burying it. (Amúra, Mawáta).

FIVE HIWAI-ABERE CARRY AWAY A MAN.

152. In Daváne there once lived a man named Koidábo. A large stone on the same island was the residence of five hiwai-abére, and when they wanted to go in or out they opened or closed the stone at will by blowing on it. Koidábo was working in his garden one day, planting bananas, taro, sugar-cane, yams, and other kinds of vegetables. In the meantime the other people were playing kokádi (a game rather like hockey) on the beach. The five hiwai-abére watching Koidábo thought to themselves, „Oh, he good man, he no got no wife, more better we steal that man." When Koidábo had finished his work he returned home and prepared his evening meal. He told the people, „You play kokádi, I 'kopamauri' (bake, cf. p. 229, foot-note) taro, I come behind (after a while)." The five hiwai-abére came out from the stone and went to the beach where the people were playing. Close by was a tree called neère which has edible fruit, and the five beings abandoned their human forins and passed into the fruit, causing it to become very nice and ripe. They thought to themselves, „By and by Koidábo come take me fellow."

Koidábo after a while went to play with the other people. A boy who came running up, noticed the beautiful fruit on the neére tree and called out, „Oh, good fruit, neére! Koidábo, more better you take stick, knock him down." Another man came to knock the fruit down, but the boy stopped him saying, „No, I no want you, I want Koidábo he come," for the hiwai-abére had caused the boy to become "cranky" and therefore he insisted that Koidábo should come. Koidábo took a stick and went to the tree, and the people continued to play without looking at him, for they, too, had become cranky". The man hit the fruit with his stick, and the hiwaiabére fell down, at the same moment resuming their real shape. Four of them caught Koidábo by the limbs and the fifth passed her arm round his body, and thus they carried him off into