ABSTRACT
NEXT morning, sure enough, Matuk of Gochepa and a man from Mokomok came down, and a busy
time they had of it for the next few days (Dec. 3rd to 8th)-the worthy old Lirou of Tomil coming across two or three times to put in his word about the old traditions. Most learnedly did they discourse about the stars of heaven and days of the moon's age, and the names and attributes of bygone gods and heroes; how came the gift of fire and the invention of stone and shell adzes, and of the introduction of stone and shell money; who taught the folk to build fish-pens of cane and stone, of Yalafath the kindly but indolent Creator, and Luk the spirit of Evil, ever nimble and active. They waxed eloquent upon the ancient wars with Anangai and Balao (Uleai and the Pelews), and told strange tales of the vanished land of Sepin or Saiping to the north; the Yap Atlantis, whence came forth fierce warriors, who fought with the men of Ramung and Map and put certain of them to tribute, in the olden days before the great canoes of the white folk from over sea broke through the sky-line from the worlds beyond. Many such tales did they utter, and stubbornly pencil and note-book toiled behind. The man from Mokomok overcame his bashfulness at the bidding of Matuk, who conjured him to answer all my questions as if I was his very father. Over four hundred Uluthi keywords were added to the table of Caroline Island languages. They much resembled the Lamotrek, Sonsorol, and
This Micronesian Viking was earnest with me to remain in Yap, for from December to May canoes do not go up from Yap to Mokomok as the wind is contrary. I was then to return with them to Mokomok and enjoy the hospitality of their island. It was a sore temptation, but with a mighty effort I repelled it, for Uluthi is all but a terra incognita to the white man. And we went on with the work pleasantly, a trifle slowly, maybe, but surely. For a good interpreter was by, and no pains were spared to make sure of every doubtful or obscure point in each tale. The Mokomok man said that it was like being tried before the council of old men at home, so minutely was his evidence sifted and weighed; but the man, and indeed all my teachers, had excellent patience, and native curiosity effectually put native indolence to the rout. Moreover, there was plenty of strong tobacco to smoke; they were not kept at one subject too long, and to relieve the tension, I told them many tales for my part from Ponape and Kusaie, fourteen hundred miles to the east, of which they have perfectly clear record in their traditions as Fanupei or Falu-pei and Kuthiu. In a word, my advice to all who want to collect folk-lore from primitive races is this: (I) First put your native friends at their ease completely and get them to laugh and joke. (2) Tell stories J'ourse(f. leading up to the point or illustration of the question to be opened up. (3) Never interrupt to break the thread of a tale. You can always hark back after the tale is done and clear up any obscurity or apparent irrelevancy. I say apparent, because the Caroline Islander seems to consider side issues more than central facts. This makes his stories a trifle rambling. If taken up and interrupted, he is likely to ask plaintively, like the fuddled man in the story, " Where was I?" A little patience, and the native story-teller will make everything fairly
clear. You can't expect him all at once to have everything cut and dried, bottled up and corked down and labelled, and laid out neatly into prologue, scene, chapter, and epilogue like the work of a practised modem essaywriter. Our inquiry, whilst it lasted, was indeed a stiff business, and how my method succeeded may be seen in the Appendix.
