Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/72

66 short space by the woman, when the former heard Upi cry. “What name (1) that make a noise?” he exclaimed. Twice he heard the cry, but his wife heard nothing. On looking about he found Upi, and called out, “Hulloa! boy there in grass,” and close by he found the basket, and putting Upi inside, the latter said to his wife, “You come along; I find boy belong you and me” (2). Thus, having no son of their own, they adopted this one—‘they sorry for boy.’

The man and his wife returned home with Upi, but before they entered their house they left the baby in the bush. The man said, “By-and-bye night he come, we go and take that boy.”

The next morning they told the men of their village that they had found a boy, and the man carried Upi about to show him to them. Two noted warriors, Manalboa and Sasalkadzi, said, “All right, you take him, we look.” Later on they said, “We go play.” Then they stuck two posts into the ground a foot or so apart When this was done they said to the father by adoption, “Give we boy first, we spear him.” “No, I won’t give you fellow, I take him back to the house.” To which the two men replied, “S’pose you no give to we, we fight you.” So the man was forced to give up the boy; but he and his wife enjoined them, “No good you spear eyes and belly, you spear arms and legs.” The men made fast an arm and leg of Upi to each pole, and after spearing him they went into the bush to get some food. In the afternoon they again practised javelin-throwing at the luckless Upi, who remained tied fast to the posts all day and during the night. He, however, thrived well in spite of the treatment he had received, and grew amazingly.

Next day the men went to the bush, and on their return in the afternoon took their javelins and throwing-stick and again amused themselves with Upi for a target. The foster-parents prayed the men, “No take large spear, take small one.” The boy cried. That night the man and his wife took Upi away and washed and fed him, but tied him up again.