Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/187

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Legends from Torres Straits.
181

not from the other; both then appeared in the sky as stars. Hence the constellation Mŭgi Dorgai ("small dorgai") is only composed of two stars (body and arm), while the Kai Dorgai ("large dorgai") constellation has three stars.


xcii.—The Drowning of Adi and his Wives.

The only tradition which Macgillivray collected was from Muralug, and is as follows:—"The first man created was a great giant named Adi, who, while fishing off Hammond Island, was caught by the rising tide and drowned Hammond Rock springing up immediately after to mark the spot. His wives, who were watching him at the time, resolved to drown themselves, and were changed into some dry rocks upon an adjacent reef, named after them Ipīle, or the Wives." (Voyage of the "Rattlesnake", ii, p. 30.)


xviii.—The Legend of Malu.

Four brothers, Malu, Seo, Sigar, and Kulka, left their native island, Muralug, each in his own canoe, and came to a coral reef near Waraber. The wind rose, and soon it blew so hard that the anchor-rope of Sigar's canoe broke, and he called out to his brothers, "I drift away." Ultimately he was stranded on Yam.

The three other canoes went on to Aurid, where Kulka said he would remain.

Malu and Seo proceeded to Masig. Now Malu, the eldest of the four brothers, was a bad man, and misbehaved himself with the women of that island. Seo expostulated with him. This so enraged Malu that he took a long spear (bager) and thrust it through Seo from behind, with such vigour that the spear came out in front; he then threw the body into the sea. The inhabitants of Masig, however, took it up and put it in the bush.

Malu set sail for Mer, but, encountering bad weather, the