Page:Papuan Fairy Tales.djvu/155

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THE UNLUCKY MAN
113

him lying tales of his brother, and the man, being her husband, believed her.

It came to pass that on the morrow the elder brother bade the younger go with him to look for gelaruru, which is the spawn of the flying fish. And they set out together in a canoe. When they were far out to sea the elder man dropped his boar tusk overboard, as though by accident, and he cried to his brother, "Look, the boar tusk has fallen into the sea. Dive quickly for it, before it is gone."

Then the younger brother dived overboard to look for the tusk. But when he came up to breathe the canoe was already far away. Then he called, "Come back, brother, and let me get on board." But his brother answered, "Thou shalt never come on board, for that thy deeds were evil while I was yet at Iriwavo."

"Nay, brother," cried the man in the water, "is it then an evil deed to hinder thy wife from doing wrong?"

Then was his brother yet more angry for that he had spoken thus of his wife. Therefore he flung in to the water a bunch of coconuts which were already sprouting, and said, "There is thy canoe, brother, I will now return; stay thou here." And he paddled swiftly homewards. Now when he reached the shore his wife said to him, "Where is now thy brother?" He told her what he had done, and, moreover, what the other had said concerning her, and the woman was much afraid lest the truth