Annie Ker

“ At this word the children feared greatly lest Uapanipani should do as he had been bidden. But he turned to them and asked of them whither they desired to go.
'Take us to our own land," they cried, "to the house under the white-fleshed coconut."
Now was the old man but a stone's cast from them, and would have laid hold on the girls, but Uapanipani opened his mouth and swallowed them, and flew far over the head of the man as he stood on the beach. Nor were his wings weary until he set the children side by side at the door of their father's house. ”

“ Rekota said to her brothers, "Whither go ye?" for she was much afraid when she saw the spears.
"We go to seek death, sister," answered Kakukaku, sadly.
"Then will I go also," quoth Rekota, and all went on together until they came to a large village. But though houses were many, men there were none. In the shade of a cycas palm sat an old woman, and round her played little children. Kakukaku asked them what had befallen the village that no men remained in it. ”

“ The children cried aloud to their father, "Come, for the Turtle is running away!"
When Binama heard this cry, he and the birds with him, threw the sheaves of taro aside and gave chase to the runaway. But the Turtle had already reached the sea, and he hasted to dive. The birds called, "Show thyself now. Lift up thine head." This did the Turtle, and the angry birds cast great stones into the sea, and the left armlet which the Turtle wore was shattered. So he dived, but they called again, "Show thyself. Lift up thine head," and a stone fell upon the right armlet and brake it into small pieces. ”

“ Kakukaku and Taureboga saw them coming, and Kakukaku said to the old woman sitting under the cycas palm, "When we are dead save the child, and let him not be killed, and we will reward thee." "How may that be?" asked the dame, 'seeing that ye carry no goods or other payment?"
"Ask for what is found inside our bodies," said Kakukaku quickly, for the men were close at hand. In a few moments all was over. The few spears the brothers had did not much harm, and death, which they had sought, came speedily to them and to their sister Rekota. ”

“ Therefore when he reached home he laid the flying fish before Kemiana saying, "This truly is a strange food which I have brought thee. Yet thou art old, and if it bring death to thee the sooner what matter? It is better for thee to taste them than for a young person to do so." ”

“ There, but a stone's cast away he saw children with little darts spearing a coconut which one of their number threw in such a manner that it rolled swiftly. The child stood behind the trunk of a big tree and peeped forth that he might watch the children in their play. Then his heart burned within him for longing to join in their sport. ”

“ If your father kills me my liver will travel until it reaches this house, and ye will hear it rustling in the leaf wall. Guard it carefully, for it will help you when you are in need."
The children wept bitterly at her words, but she bade them dry their tears ere their father should return, lest they should anger him. The next morning, she laid her face against the faces of her children, and bade them farewell, and set out with her husband to the gardens. And there it befell her as had befallen the other women. And also, her liver, even as she had said, went swiftly back to the house. ”

“ Then the waves grew bigger and the waters danced yet more, and on a sudden uprose the feet of all the people of Gavi who had been drowned in the lake, and the woman knew that her people were dead of a truth.
And she put her dog on the ground and hasted back to Gavi, and the dog ran in front, for he also was afraid.
Now it came to pass that when the woman drew near to the village the children came forth to meet her, and cried, "Where are our parents? How is it that thou alone art come?" ”

“ But on the morrow, he hungered once more for flesh meat, and called to his second wife that she should go with him to the gardens. She arose like unto the other, and the other women sent greetings by her to the first wife who, they thought, was yet alive. And at the gardens the man did even as he had done on the day before. He brought taro to the woman, and bade her roast it that they might eat. "Shall I roast some for thine other wife, lord?" asked the woman.
"She will have food of her own," said the man. ”

“ And when he had told her how it had befallen him to find the hole in the earth, and that he had followed his dog, she said, "Hold thy dog closely lest he go after the bones of men which lie upon the ground, and come thou with me while I hide thee, for it may be that the Dead will slay thee if they find thee here." ”

“ When night came Rekubole and Kauavira went secretly to their brothers, who lived in that village, and told them of the cruelty of Tauribolena, and begged them to put him for ever out of their way.
"Rest in peace, sisters," answered one of the men.
"We go on the morrow to the fields to mow the long grass, and Tauribolena shall not escape our scythes."
On the morrow, the brothers asked Tauribolena if he would go with them. He was willing, and soon the brothers were slashing with their wooden scythes, nigh to where Tauribolena stood. Swish! swish! ”

“ Then, for she knew what was in the child's mind, she took a canoe and paddled swiftly over the sea in search of her son. Long was the search, and at noon she found the canoe in which the lad had started. She wept much at the sight, and forbore to paddle. Then Lagina, the gentle sea breeze, pitying her, blew on her canoe and carried her to where her son's body lay upon the waters. The woman raised it and kissed the face of her dead son. ”

“ When they were far out to sea the elder man dropped his boar tusk overboard, as though by accident, and he cried to his brother, "Look, the boar tusk has fallen into the sea. Dive quickly for it, before it is gone." ”

“ Come, let us go and set thy mother free." So they went together to the fig tree where Garawada sat, and the man tried to pull asunder the boughs which hindered the woman from coming down, but he could not. He therefore went back to the village and brought many men with him, who with their stone axes cut down the tree. But as it reached the ground, Garawada slipped from under the leaves, and ran swiftly, so that no man might follow her, to the beach, and there was turned into a gwagadogo, the crab which lives in a hole in the sand. And no man set eyes on her more. ”

“ In the old days was a great flood, and the waters of the sea arose and covered the earth. The people of many lands were drowned, and still the sea rose, and rose, and rose, until the hills were covered. ”

“ Now, as he walked, he saw an old woman sitting near a coco palm making a cup of coconut shell. And she, hearing his footstep, looked up and cried, "Little brother, wilt thou climb and pluck me some coconuts, for there is here no man to climb for me." ”

“ But the widow gave them no heed, and danced on until the canoe came to the shore.
Then did Kototabe and Kelokelo land, and they showed the spoil to the men who thronged about them. And Manubada was roasted and divided into joints, so that every tribe might have a share. The mountain people were given the head, and, when an enemy attacks them now, they bow the head that they may not be hurt. But to the coast folk was given the side, and it is therefore always their custom to leap aside when spears are flying, and so they cannot be harmed by their enemies. ”

“ Then, sitting down, he ate of her flesh, and with it the taro she had scraped after roasting it. Thus were the words of the wagtail fulfilled which he sang on the bough of the tree.
Now the man, having eaten, would no longer work in the garden, and went home, saying to his wives that he was ill and for that cause he had returned while the sun was yet high in the heaven, but that the woman, who had set out with him, would sleep at the gardens that night. Then he bade them light a fire that he might warm himself and sleep. ”

“ Her rough skirt was turned into feathers, and her legs, to which she had fastened the weeding sticks, were now as strong and to be feared as are the legs of the cassowary, which with one kick to the rear can slay a man. And she remained ever in the bush, and for her sake no woman to this day must eat of the flesh of the cassowary, else will their children have faces on which no man will love to look. ”

“ Joy filled the hearts of the woman and her son at the fall of their enemy, and they beat upon the drum and danced for gladness. Then the lad cut up the flesh of the boar, and smoked great portions of it. Moreover, he made a raft, and placed thereon bristles which he had plucked from the dead boar's back. And he said to the bristles, "The waves and the wind will carry you to distant countries. Wheresoever ye see men who bear no marks of mourning ye must not land. ”

“ When the eating was finished, the snakes arose and took wooden swords and launched their canoe, for they were about to fight Arebo. And Wakeke, fearing lest he might be forbidden, coiled himself upon the outrigger. Then did they paddle, and paddle, and paddle, until they floated over the place where dwelt Arebo at the bottom of the sea. And that they might better see him they squeezed coconut milk upon the water and made it calm, and so looked upon Arebo sitting below eating betel nut. ”

“ Yet not knowing how good is the coconut, they were content that it should be so.
Now in those days there was a certain village, and the men who dwelt there were for ever fishing. They went forth in the morning, and came back in the evening with the fish they had caught in long strings. And when the taro was cooked they sat round the pots and ate until none was left for the morrow. But one man, when he went to fish, went always alone, and in the evening he ever returned with a basket full of fish, for they were too many to thread upon grass. ”

“ After a time the old woman knocked her fire stick again until sparks fell from it, and this time she knew that the waters were sinking, for the sparks fell on the leaves of Indian corn which grew below, and shone for a moment. ”

“ When the man reached the hole, he found that his dog had also gone down, and he feared lest it might lose its way and come not back to him. Therefore he rolled away the great stone which lay over the hole, and looked down. There far below he saw coconuts growing, so he said within himself, "This is a village."
Then he too went down the hole far into the earth. His dog was before him, and he caught him in his arms. Now so it is in Ioloa that all the day the bones of the Dead lie on the ground, but at even each takes his own bones, and lives thus till the dawn. ”

“ And so with each woman, until Nagari was left sitting alone as he had been at the beginning.
Now Webubu was still playing his duraio on the platform he had built in the tioba tree, when the women came in sight. He was alarmed for the safety of his frail platform, when he saw these many people advancing, and he cried, "Come not up into the tree. Remain below, I beseech you. O women!"
But the women were consumed with eagerness to be close to the music which had taken their hearts, and they climbed, all of them, until they were upon the platform of Webubu. ”

“ Then he took a long cord of pandanus and strung upon it the shell money which was not of the best. But the red and large and round he placed in a heap upon the ground, and commanded that it should be laid up. (For this reason is the shell money of earth poor and pale, but in heaven exceeding fair and beautiful.)
Now when the cord was fully threaded, the man made a loop at one end and sat thereon, and said to his son, "I am about to depart to my own country. Fasten this cord to a tree, and continue to let it down until night. ”

“ And though many would have forbidden any returning to the land they had left, this is what they did. They built a canoe, and five of their number started, that they might know what meant the bristles sent to them upon the raft. Nevertheless when they drew near to land they feared greatly lest the boar should still live, and tarried long at the landing place, being not willing to leave the canoe.
But the lad had watched for their coming, and painted his face and tied on his war headdress of feathers, and, carrying spears over his shoulder, he went down to the beach where the men waited. ”

“ Then she took him to her house and bade him lie still nor let the voice of the dog be heard, for it was now time for the Dead to arise. The man did as she bade him, and he watched as the Dead laid hold of each his own bones. ”