Note 53 — Chapter IV · MYTHS AND LEGENDS

“Ta Mita (Sir Dove) and Ta Ko̱io (a species of small bird) went hunting together and got a great number of pigs. Ta Ko̱io told Ta Mita to get some canes to tie up all the pigs. As soon as Ta Mita had gone to look for the cane, Ta Ko̱io went up a big Dipterocarpus tree, taking half the pigs with him. He came down and took the rest of the pigs. He stayed up in the tree with the pigs. When Ta Mita came back he found that the pigs had disappeared. He was very angry and went home. As there was nothing to eat, Mita and his two children, Čada and Čoda (two species of fish) went fishing. Ko̱io was still up the tree. He was cooking the pigs up there. Mita and his children passed under the tree and some burning resin53 fell on them. In this way they discovered that Ko̱io was in the tree. Mita planned to punish Ko̱io. He cut a great number of sharp stakes of Areca wood and fixed them all round the tree, pointing upwards. Ko̱io was asleep. Mita made the tree sink into the ground. As soon as it was low enough he took some water and threw it into the ear of the sleeping Ko̱io, who awoke in a fright and jumped from the tree. He was impaled on the stakes of wood and so died.”