Page:Papuan Fairy Tales.djvu/73

Rh for he seeks my life. Let him not pass, I pray thee."

Therefore, as Matamera and his company hasted after Wakeke, Toda, the bower bird, sat upon a tree and cried unto them, and his voice was that of a man. Therefore were the fishes much afraid and would have turned back, but Ladiadi, who ever leapeth in the water, said, "Wait now while I leap high in the air and look if there be any enemy near." Then he leapt but saw nothing, and the fishes went forward. And now were they hard upon Wakeke, and would have slain him, but again Toda cried from his tree, and this time none waited to see who it might be, but all turned and fled to the sea. Thus was Wakeke safe, and he ate the liver of Arebo, and dwelt as a chief all the days of his life.



hath been said that there are lands where a man takes but one woman to wife and is therewith content. But in Papua it is not so; this is therefore the tale of a man whose wives were five. Now it came to pass that on a day the man's throat was weary for lack of flesh meat, and he longed greatly for some. But the rains had not ceased, and the grass was yet green on the hunting ground, so he knew not how