Page:The Melanesians Studies in their Anthropology and Folklore.djvu/409

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xix.]
The Little Orphan.
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mention it in the village. And he went up there to bring out his money-bags on his back, and he saw that his ten bags had nothing in them; and he went outside and saw that all his pigs were gone; his distribution of property came to nothing at all. And when the evening was dark, and Ganviviris was sleeping in his house, they heard him cry out, and they asked him, What ails you? And he said, Esi! there is something, but I don't know what it is, that has happened to me. And he began to sicken on that very night, and on the fifth day he died.

6. The Little Orphan. Mota.

A story to tell. They were living in their place, the boys were growing up, and their father and mother said to them, Go down to the beach, and catch fish with hook and line for us, and we two will go inland and get vegetables for us all to eat with them. And they said, Very well; and the two went up to the garden, and they went down to the beach. And as they were going along the path the Little Orphan said, Let me go with you. But they said E-o-o! not you, a little orphan, we will go by ourselves alone, we who are children of fathers; if you were to go with us what would you eat? You have no father, you have no mother, who will give you food to eat with your fish? And they went first, and the Little Orphan behind. And those the children of fathers went down to the beach, and the Little Orphan went down a steep place eastwards to the landing-place at Sanwawa; and there he fishes for himself with a line and hook. And when he sees those others mounting back into the island, he also strings his fish together and mounts back himself; and he comes near to them, and they say. Don't come together with us, you have no father and no mother to give you vegetable food to eat your fish with. So they mount up, and they before and he behind. But they go on the way homeward, and he stops short, and goes into his cave and roasts his fish. And when he has roasted them he takes