A battle also between the owl and the serpent is noteworthy.  It runs as follows:—­There were ten brothers, whose names were Sefulu, Iva, Valu, Fitu, Ono, Lima, Fa, Tolu, Lua, and Tasi, and so named from the ten numerals, which in those days began with Sefulu as 1, and ended with Tasi as 10.  These ten brothers went to the forest to cut wood for a large canoe.  They came upon an owl and a serpent fighting.  Sefulu was walking first, and to him the owl called out; “Sefulu, you come and kill my enemy here, the serpent, and if you do, you shall have a right to the Ifilele and Maota timber trees” [Afzelia bijuga, and Dysoxylon Sp.]

“No, let us pass on,” said Sefulu, “there are plenty of other trees which will answer our purpose.”  Then the owl turned to Iva and all the others on to Lua, and implored help in killing the serpent, but each in turn answered as did Sefulu.  Tasi, however, replied to the entreaty of the owl, and said, “Yes, I will,” and grasping his felling axe, struck out at the serpent and killed it.  “Well done, Tasi!” said the owl, “and to keep in remembrance for all time to come your bravery, and respect for me, you shall stand foremost in everything that is numbered.  Sefulu who has been first shall now be last, and you who have been last shall always be first.”  And so it has continued to the present day—­the first, Tasi, and the tenth, Sefulu.

5.  The appearance or forms of things, as in this latter instance perhaps, have also suggested some other fabulous stories.  They say that the rat had wings formerly, and that the large bat or flying fox at that time had no wings.  One day the bat said to the rat:  “Let me try on your wings for a little, that I may see how I like flying.”  The rat lent the bat his wings, off flew the bat with the wings, and never came back to return them.  And hence the proverb applied to a person who borrows and does not return:  “Like the bat with the rat.”

Take another illustration.  With the exception of the mountain plantain (Musa uranospatha) all the bananas have their bunches of fruit hanging downwards towards the earth, like a bunch of grapes.

The plantain shoots up its bunch of fruit erect towards the heavens.  As the reason of this, we are told that of old all the bananas held their heads erect, but they quarrelled with the plantain, fought, were beaten, and, ever since, have hung their heads in token of their defeat, whereas the plantain is erect still, and the symbol of its own victory.

6.  They have a number of other fabulous stories referred to in proverbial language in daily use.  Take the story of the fowl and the turtle.  A fowl made her headquarters over a rock from which a cool spring of fresh water ran out into the adjacent stream.  One day a turtle made its appearance.  It was enjoying the cool fresh bath, and rising now and then to look about, when it was addressed roughly by the fowl:  “Who are you?” “I