Page:The Melanesians Studies in their Anthropology and Folklore.djvu/415

This page has been validated.
xix.]
The Little Orphan.
393

away his pigs, and to carry away his rawe, and to carry away his money. And his uncle went up to the door of the house, and said to his wives, Come along, get up you two, we three will go home; one of you will lead a pig with a line, one of you will carry a bag of money on her back. But they said to him, No! go home yourself, we two are going to stay and marry your nephew, the Little Orphan. And he says, Not so, you two cannot marry him because formerly you used contemptuous language to him; has he become good again? no, he is bad. I wanted to give him food, but you two forbade it, and I was prevented giving him food; and I wanted to go and look after him, but you two forbade it, and my going to see him came to nothing; and if you two are to make advances to him, is he good again? no, he is bad. You two could not eat, when you saw him it made you sick, and you two can't live with him. But they said, Not at all, you go home by yourself, we two are going to stay with him. Then his uncle says, No, get up both of you, we three are to go home. But they two say, No, you go home by yourself. Then says he, Who is it you two here are going to marry? You two can't live with him, the object of your scorn. Then they two get up and the three go home together. And the Little Orphan goes into the house, and makes a fire, and puts pig's flesh into the oven to make it keep. And when he has finished with his pig, then comes a report of a voyage, that the Motalava people with the Losalava people are going to paddle over to Gaua. Then says the Little Orphan to his mother, Oh, mother, those people are going to paddle over to Gaua tomorrow, and may I? And his mother says, You must not; stay and look after your meat in the oven. But he says E-o-o! not so, mother, I shall go on the voyage with them; I am going to them, and you two will cook my pig for me. So it was night and morning; and when morning was come he goes up inside the house and speaks to his mother and says, Well, mother, as I am going away from you two, and you two stay here, there is that heap of food you are to eat; but these you are not to touch. And he goes off, and