Note 104 — 8

While they were sleeping, Balbalaōga saw them in his balaua, and he was surprised, because no one was permitted to enter the town, for Silīt and the dog prevented. He said, “What is the matter of the guards that they did not see those people enter the town? Perhaps they are my relatives.” So he took some clothes to the balaua for them. He covered them with blankets while they slept. As soon as he covered them he sat down in the balaua and waited until they got up. As soon as Aponībolinayen awoke she saw him and said, “Do not wound us in many places, so we will not need to cure so much.” Balbalaōga said, “If I were an enemy I would have killed you while you slept. We are going to chew betel-nut and see who you are.” So he cut a betel-nut and gave to them, and their spittle was like agate beads. So he took them up into his golden house and told his mother alan to give them some clothes. Not long after they drank basi, after they had finished eating. All the alan were drunk and the mother of Balbalaōga of Dona said to them, “Aponībolinayen, Balbalaōga is your brother, for he was the after-birth of Awig, which they put in the tabalang which they sent down the stream.104 So I picked him up, for I had no child to inherit all my things.” Not long after they knew that they were brother and sister Balbalaōga asked his sister why they came to Dona without clothes. She said, “Aponītolau is jealous of Don Carlos and he cut off his head, and the head jumped to my breasts, so we were frightened and ran away. That is why we came here. I did not know I had a brother who lived here.” The head still hung to the breasts of Aponībolinayen, but they had not seen it before, for she had covered it. As soon as she showed it to Balbalaōga Page 80he took the head from her breasts and they sent some betel-nuts to go and summon their mother.