Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/128

 96 Collectanea.

companion, and Iiow that he himself had been almost taken, and he showed his back scarred with many a wound. Then Jinilau, angered, gathered together the gods of Samoa, bidding them make a basket and go and collect the excrement of the districts that had eaten Tununga, and above all let them not omit to bring back Kae. And so was it done, for seizing the man asleep they brought and left him in Jinilau's canoe-house.

And when the cock crew Kae awaked^, saying at once that voice is just like the voice of Jinilau's cock in Samoa that he had erst been wont lo hear. Then arose within him the longing to go again and see Samoa — but all unknowingly he was already there, and not as he thought still in Tongatabu. But as the day broke Kae started in surprise, for there was Jinilau sitting at the door of the canoe-house.

Then Jinilau, filled with anger and grief, upbraided Kae for his unkind behaviour, and told him that his grave was dug, for he must die. Forthwith they took him to the burial ground, the people vying with each other in their execration of him. Then they slew and buried him. So ended the graceless Kae. But not so ended the poor whale whom he had deceived, for the people brought a great bowl, and when they had placed therein the portions they had obtained, straightway Tununga uprose alive. His only loss was a tusk left behind in Mua, which Kae had given to the Tui Tonga, but Jinilau said it made no difference, for if he did not open his mouth wide no one would be the wiser.

Longnhoa ami the Talking Btiko T/re.

We have already followed the adventures and fate of Kae. His companion, Longoboa, when he swam off from the edge of the world came ashore at the island of the Talking Buko Tree. The whereabouts of this island no mortal knows, but that after all is immaterial. As Longoboa standing upon the beach looked around to discover the nature of the place, he saw that it was almost tree- less, there being but one buko tree with some small fan-palms clustered about its feet— the remainder of the island a waste of sand and gravel.

In spite of Longoboa's joy that he had reached dry land, yet