Four brothers, Malu, Seo, Sigar, and Kulka, left their native island, Muralug, each in his own canoe, and came to a coral reef near Waraber. The wind rose, and soon it blew so hard that the anchor-rope of Sigar's canoe broke, and he called out to his brothers, " I drift away." Ultimately he was stranded on Yam.
The three other canoes went on to Aurid, where Kulka said he would remain.
Malu and Seo proceeded to Masig. Now Malu, the eldest of the four brothers, was a bad man, and misbehaved himself with the women of that island. Seo expostulated with him. This so enraged Malu that he took a long spear (bager) and thrust it through Seo from behind, with such vigour that the spear came out in front ; he then threw the body into the sea. The inhabitants of Masig, however, took it up and put it in the bush.
Malu set sail for Mer, but, encountering bad weather, the canoe broke all to pieces on Saper reef, which lies southwest of Mer. With the assistance of the gunwale boards he swam to Begegiz, a village at the south-west of Mer. The men of the Dauerle clan, who inhabit that part of the island, seized him and said, " You stop here, we look for food." They made a stone fence round Begegiz, but, as Malu did not get much food, he swam off to Dauar, and landed at the sand-spit, Giar. All the Dauar men who were there caught Malu and put him in a house. They informed him they were going to look for food, and put a rope fence (beribei kar) round him.
Malu looked about him, but could find no food, so he swam round to the south side of the island of Dauar, and landed in the bay of Orme. Here also the men seized him, and made a stone fence round him.
The old story was repeated, but this time he recrossed the channel between Dauar and Mer, and landed at Aund, on the south side of the latter island. There was only a single house, inhabited by a man named Dorg, and his wife, Kabur, in this little cove.
Kabur was line-fishing on the reef at Terker, when Malu swam across the channel. As Malu was pushing the gunwale-board of his wrecked canoe before him, and being all but submerged, he escaped the sight of Kabur, who thought it was merely a drifting canoe. Then Malu changed into an octopus (att) and swam to Kabur, and crawled up her, entwining his arms round her body and neck. He left her with a retreating wave, and then returned ; but this time Kabur killed him with the small fish-spear she had, and putting him in her basket, secured the mouth of it with the spear, and deposited the basket in a rock-pool.
Kabur went home and called her husband, and together they went to look at the octopus. She said to him, " This is your zogo". Dorg took the octopus to his house, and hung the basket up which contained it.
At sundown they went to bed, and the wife told her husband all about the catching of it. During the night they watched the basket, and saw the octopus crawl out of the basket, its eyes shining brightly, while it made a clicking noise. The octopus fell to the ground, and immediately was transformed into the man Malu, who picked up all the shells lying in the house and hit them together. When Malu heard the frogs and cicadas making their respective noises outside [? in response to the rattle Malu made with the shells], he left the house and went all round the island ; when he returned he went into the basket as an octopus.
"Dorg think to himself, 'What I do now ? I am glad I've got him.' " In the morning he painted himself red all over, put on his gauntlet (kadig) and belt, and decorated his head with feathers of the cassowary and of the Torres Straits pigeon. Kabur also painted herself, and remained in the house. Dorg went out and followed the track of Malu all round the island. All the men of the island agreed that Dorg had got a good zogo, and they had a long yarn over it. They instigated Dam and Samekep, Kabur's younger brothers, to inquire into the matter. The two brothers agreed between themselves to take some food to Kabur, and to have a look at the octopus, and to steal it if they could. So they went to see Kabur, and brought her a present of food without asking for anything ; they yarned and yarned. At sundown Kabur asked, " You two go ?" " No," they replied, " it's too dark, we sleep here ; to-morrow we go." " That best," their sister replied, and they retired to rest, the two brothers occupying a separate bed. They did not sleep, but kept watch. In due time they saw the light shining from the eyes of the octopus. " Ulloa !" they said, '' we find him out now." They painted themselves. Dam said, "No talk." Malu came out, walked round the island, and returned into his basket. Then the brothers went into the bush and yarned. " Now we catch him," Dam said ; '' I take him." The other said " No !" " Yes," he replied, " I take him now."
In the morning Kabur said, " When you two go ?" " We go now," they replied. Kabur gave them some food, and they went into the bush and hid the food. Dorg once more painted himself with red, put on a large gauntlet, and carried five sticks, while he again followed Malu's track. Kabur painted herself, put on plenty of petticoats and ornaments, and stayed behind.
The two brothers returned to the house. Dam entered, and cut the string which suspended the basket, and gave the latter to Samekep to hold. When Dam got outside he wanted Samekep to give up the basket as he had taken it ; but Samekep said to Dam, " You go and get a drum and we will dance." Samekep put on the ati. Dam took a drum, and Samekep danced. Dam again asked for the ati or octopus. Samekep said, " No, the drum is good enough for you." The brothers left the bomai at the village of Las. As they were returning thither the men called out to the brothers, " You got him now ?" To which they received this satisfactory answer, " Yes."
Dorg went round the island as far as Gizo, and having run quickly, was very tired. " Heart along him think, these two fellows steal my thing." Then he walked home, and took his bow and arrows, and further armed himself with sharks' teeth fastened on to a stick (5). Kabur took a kubager, or sharp piece of wood, and together they went to Las, and talked to the people of that village.
The Las men gave Dorg a pipe of tobacco to smoke, " and they friends." They said, " This belong man, send woman away." Dorg said, " All right, you keep him."
Canoes came from all islands to see Malu, so great did the fame of the zogo become.
