Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/455

 Collectanea. 427

last fell to devising plans to rid themselves of him. Accordingly, when in course of time orders were given for the people to build a boat house, the full half of the work was allotted to the foster-parents of Muni. Deep \Vas their dismay at the magnitude of the task assigned them. They despaired of its accomplishment, and deemed their expulsion from the island inevitable. Muni meanwhile was sleeping — proneness to sleep was a fault of his — in entire oblivion of the tears and lamentations of his parents. But waking anon, and learning of their distress, he assured them, bidding them leave the labour to him. Accordingly, on the morrow he repaired to the bush, and tearing up a great cocoa-nut tree and other trees for the posts of the boat house, he bore all off to the site of the building, and in the twinkling of an eye had completed the assigned half.

So far was this prodigy of strength and skill from securing immunity to Muni and his foster-parents that the anger and resent- ment of the people but blazed the fiercer, and at length so great was the couple's fear at this growing disfavour that they them- selves determined to be rid of a charge so troublesome. In pursuance of a plan they had formed, they took Muni with them on a fishing expedition to the island of IVIeama. There, leaving Muni in charge of the boat, they went off, ostensibly to fish, but soon returning they found, as they fully expected, Muni fast asleep in the bottom of the boat. They quickly removed the steering- gear, bale, and all the outfit, set the boat adrift, and returned themselves to Lofanga. So Muni, still sleeping, was borne far out to sea, and would assuredly have perished had not a fragment of a bowl been left in the canoe. The boat was filling, but this fragment set afioat by the incoming water, and knocking against the side, awakened the sleeper, and discovered to him his peril. Luckily the high cone of Kao was not quite out of sight. With one mighty scoop Muni baled the water from the windward canoe. Then leaping to the leeward canoe he cleared it with the same speed. Wrenching a pole from the lashings between the two canoes, he set to work with this rude paddle to cover the long distance back to Lofanga. Night had fallen before the journey was accom])lished. Going ashore he went home, but did not at once enter the house. As he stood outside leaning against a plantain tree, he overheard