Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/179

Rh of the meat to carry back to Wakaid. He made a good supper off turtle and slept there.

At "small daylight" he marched off to windward with his turtle-meat, but once more he ate it all up, and then concluded his repast with a mixture of turtle-oil and the mangrove he had left over on the previous occasion. The old lie of the bad luck of the Ergan people was told on his return home.

Next morning he again started with biiu for Ergan. When he had satisfied his hunger at his usual halting-place he hid what remained over. The Ergan men once more inquired after the biiu which Goba should have brought in payment of the turtle they had previously given to him, but they were put off with the ordinary excuse. On this occasion they gave him a segment of bamboo filled with turtle-oil (2), but this was utilised by Goba on his way home as a relish to the biiu he had hidden in the bush. He arrived home empty-handed as usual.

The first thing next morning the men in the men's quarters (or kwod) said, "Which man want to go to Ergan?" Goba said, "Me, I go"; and the old story was repeated. In the meantime the Ergan men yarned, "We send some turtle, he no sell biiu, we think he eat it all." Turtle-meat was again given to Goba, and on the following morning two men were sent after him to play the spy. When Goba sat down in his accustomed halting-place the two men hid themselves in the bush and watched. When Goba left the two men examined the remains of the feast, and made their report on their return to Ergan. Goba returned to Wakaid and slept, all unknowing that his trick had been found out.

Once more Goba was commissioned to trade, but toll was again taken, and he went down empty-handed to Ergan. Although the men knew all about his goings-on they gave him some turtle-meat.

Next morning, "when wild fowl he sing out" (3), a