Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/130

 98 Collectanea.

the graceless wretcli plucked a great armful, making a big pile on the ground. Then lying down on the heap he scooped the leaves about him. Most wonderful the event. The leaves beneath him became mats, and those above changed to tappa, and that in such quantity that the poor fool beneath was oppressed by the excessive warmth, and again burst into tears. " What's the matter, friend ? " commiseratingly inquired the tree. " W\\ too hot." " Well, get up and take the tappa off."

Shortly afterwards Longoboa began to feel home-sick, and of course began to weep again. On the buko's asking the reason of this fresh outbreak, he replied that he wanted to go home to Tonga. The tree told him that the gods intended going shortly on a fishing excursion, and that he should go with them to bear the basket, and that thus should he find a way back to Tonga. The buko bade him not to go empty-handed, but to break off a branch to take with him. On arrival at Tonga he was immediately to plant this branch. If he so planted it, before even going to see his friends, a tree would grow like the wonderful buko who had succoured him, with the gift of speech and able to supply all the needs of life. But if when he came to Tonga the planting of the slip did not take precedence of every other claim a tree would grow not endowed with any of these marvellous qualities.

The tree, moreover, bade him prepare for the fishing expedition a basket with a hole in one end, so that it should not be quickly filled, and the search for fish might be prolonged till Tonga was reached and day had dawned.

When in course of time the gods arrived to set out on their trip they acceded to Longoboa's request that he accompany them and carry the basket. Accordingly they all went off together, and out to the open sea. The fates were propitious for the celestial fishers and they made an extraordinary haul, most of which, how- ever, dropped back into the sea through the hole in the basket. After a while the gods inquired, "How is our basket?" "Not full yet," replied Longoboa. " H'm, that's strange. This is fishing into a broken basket," and that is the origin of the Tongan expression " Fishing into a broken basket." Suddenly the day dawned, and the gods fled ; but Longoboa stayed, for he had arrived in Tonga.