Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/56

50 “what kind of woman is that? Bukari was not like that before.” Gidzö lived with Maiwasa as his wife for some time, but though like Bukari in features, she differed from her in many details, and the sudden change in his wife greatly perplexed Maiwasa, who at length concluded that she was a Dorgai.

The warup containing Bukari drifted away towards Boigu, and was cast up on the sand beach of Baiibai, a small island close to Boigu; on stranding, Bukari came out of the drum, and looking round, saw Dauan to windward, and exclaimed, “I am a long way off from my man.” On this islet there was neither food nor water, and feeling hungry, she pulled two seeds from one of her ear-pendants and ate them.

She continued to eat two seeds every morning and evening till she had finished one ear-pendant, and she wondered what she could do next, for there was no water to drink. When commencing on the second ear she discovered she was pregnant, and by the time she had eaten nearly all the seeds she laid an egg like that of the sea eagle (Nagalăg). Instead of throwing it away she sat on it, and after a short time a bird was hatched, whom his mother named “Kusa Kap”, or “fruit of the seeds”, “as no man made him”. Kusa Kap immediately but unsuccessfully attempted to fly.

When all the seeds were finished Bukari had nothing to eat and “was all bone”, but soon the bird-son learnt to fly, and the first thing he did was to catch a small fish and give it to his mother, who exclaimed, “Hulloa! I have a fish now”; the bird sang out, “Go on, you eat that”; but Bukari, saying, “He no cooked”, gave it back to the bird, who ate it up and then slept, as it was evening.

Early next morning Kusa Kap hulloa’ed and flew away, caught a fish, and brought it to his mother, who exclaimed, “Hulloa! got another fish now,” but again refused to eat it, as it was not cooked. The bird looked at his mother, and observed that though she was “all bone” she would