Boys are always hungry.  This is good pork, eat it!” The elder boy refused and said to his brother, “Kaiku, younger brother, you must not eat this, it is dangerous meat!”

The younger brother was very hungry.  He quickly took a small piece that the man offered and ate it.  The boys went on their way, but when they were very far from their village, they suddenly heard a voice speaking from the little boy’s stomach.  “Master, I am here,” it said. “What did you say?” asked the elder brother.  “I said nothing,” cried the little brother, “it is my tummy talking!” “Master, master, here I am!” grunted the little boy’s stomach again, quite loudly this time.  Soon they heard footsteps, as if someone came running.  The big boy fled in panic, leaving his little brother behind, crying with fear.  Soon the spirit man appeared, picked up the little brother, and devoured him.  Then he went in search of the bigger brother, who was hiding in the bushes.  However, the spirit man could not find him, for the boy’s stomach was silent.  Never accept food from strangers!

The Bwaidoga people honor greatly the little manusio songbird for bringing green grass and trees to their island.

Kabubu the Pigeon. A woman once gave birth to a pigeon’s egg.  She kept it carefully until one fine day out of it hatched a beautiful baby boy.  His skin shone, and his hair was very soft.  He grew up to be the handsomest boy in the village.  He could sing wonderfully, and all the girls wanted to be courted by him.  One day the other young men of the village fell upon Kabubu and tied him with liana vines.  They put him on a raft and pushed it out to sea.  Soon Kabubu floated far from shore.  He could not move at all because his arms and legs were tied securely.  The young men on the beach jeered, “There you go, pretty boy, ask the girls to help you now!” That was just what happened, but many days had to pass first.

Kabubu grew as lean as a reed, but he did not become less handsome.  The current brought him toward another island, where there lived a young woman called Inetawakala.  When she saw the raft floating toward her, she jumped into her waka (canoe) and poled herself to the raft.  She quickly took her coconut knife and cut the lianas binding the unknown person.  Then she had a better look at Kabubu and exclaimed, “Look what I have got! There is the handsomest husband I could dream of, coming to me just like that! Poor man! You must be starving.  Come with me, I will cook you a meal.”  They married and lived long.

The Talking Snake. There once was a girl who lived by herself, for her parents had died.  One day she found a tiny snake and decided to keep it, as she had no one to talk to.  She fed it well with tubers, until it grew as long as a foot, then as long as an arm, then as long as a man.