[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

620 - MALEKULA
The Death of Ambat
» When heand his brothersiwere living on Tomman Island
Ambat married a woman called Lindanda. She was white like
the Ambat brothers. Now Awirara wanted her, so he said to
the other three : “ Look here, let us go to the mainland._ There
letvus take nimons 1 leaves and dive to the bottom where the
giant clam is, and every time we come up we will munch the
leaves. Then‘ Ambat will come along, and we will tell him that
we are eating the inside of that clam. Then he will dive down
where it is, and it will snap his head off." . So they asked Ambat
to go with them, and he agreed to do so. But before setting out
he said to Lindanda: " Lindanda, here is a rope. If you see
nothing, well and good ; but if you sec a dove (nivimat) come
up from the sea, fly past you, and settle on a tree, then tie this
rope to a tree and hang yourself by it.â€ù So Lindanda took the
rope, and he went across to the mainland. Passing by the shore
he saw his brothers diving and munching something as they
came up, so he asked them what it was. They replied : “ It is
the giant clam we are eating. If you will dive down you will
get some.â€ù Ambat guessed that it was a trick to kill him, but
nevertheless he stood on the rock and dived down and the clam
bit oft his head. Then his spirit rose up from the sea as a. dove
(nivimm), and flew to Tomman Island to Lindanda. And when
she saw it alight upon a tree, she knew that it was her husband's
spirit, so she took the rope he had given hcr and hanged herself
from the tree.’ And when the four brothers saw that Ambafs
head was bitten off, they returned to Tomrnan Island, thinking
to have Lindanda to wife. But when they came up they saw
her hanging from the tree, and they said to each other : “ Ambat
knew that we were deceiving him, intending to kill him and
take Lindanda, and now even at the last he has outwitted us,
for they have both died together."
Another version of this story will be found together with the
native text in Appendix B, and there are in it some important
differences and additions. It is a continuation of the tale about
the killing of the giant clam and the emergence of Tomman
1 These appear to be the same variety of leaves as are used for poisoning
ï¬Åsh.—C. H. W.
‘ The suicide 0! Lindandn. is interesting, for in Maleknla it is nut: the rule
for wives to kill themselves on the death oi their husbands.—C. H. W.