is almost black from burning.”  “Ay-ay,” said the monkeys, “let us tie a stone to his waist and drown him in the lake.”  The turtle cried and begged them to spare him, but the monkeys did not know that the water was the cause of his living, for it was his home.  They threw him in the lake and when they had watched a long time, they saw him float on the water and he was holding a large fish.  Then all the monkeys tied stones to their waists and dived in the lake to catch fish.  They did not float in the lake, but they died.  Only a pregnant monkey was left, but the turtle came and drowned her also. [379]

78

A turtle and a big lizard went to the field of Gotgotapa to steal ginger.  When they got there the turtle told the lizard he must be very still; but when the lizard tasted the ginger, he exclaimed, “The ginger of Gotgotapa is very good.”  “Be still,” said the turtle; but again the lizard shouted louder than before.  Then the man heard and came out of his house to catch the robbers.  The turtle could not run fast, so he lay very still, and the man did not see him; but the lizard ran and the man chased him.  When they were very far, the turtle went into the house.  Now, the man had a coconut shell which he used to sit on, and the turtle hid under it.

The man could not catch the lizard, so in a while he came back to his house and sat on the shell.  Bye and bye, the turtle called “Kook.”  Then the man jumped up and looked all around to find where the noise came from, but he could not find.  The turtle called “Kook” again and the man tried very hard to find what made the noise.  The turtle called a third time more loudly and then the man thought it was his testicles which made the noise, so he took a stone and hit them; then he died and the turtle ran away.

When the turtle got a long way, he met the lizard again and they saw some honey on the branch of a tree.  “I run first to get,” said the turtle; but the big lizard ran fast and seized the honey; then the bees stung him and he ran back to the turtle.  On their road they saw a bird snare.  The turtle said, “That is the paliget [380] of my grandfather.”  Then the lizard ran very fast to get it, but it caught his neck and held him until the man who owned it came and killed him.  Then the turtle went away.

79

The polo [381] said to a boy named Ilonen, “Tik-tik-loden, come and catch me,” many times.  Then the boy answered, “I am making a snare for you.”  The bird called again, “Tik-tik-loden.”  “I am almost finished,” said Ilonen.  Then the bird called again and the boy came and put the snare over the bird and caught it.  He took it home and put it in a jar and then went with the other boys to swim.  While he was gone, his grandmother ate the bird.  Ilonen came back and went to the jar to see the bird, but no bird.  “Where is my bird?” he said.  “I do not know,” said his grandmother.  “Let me see your anus,” said the boy.