From Nicobarese Folklore
Once upon a time there was a man called Ot-Nya-Hum-Ku. He was a wonderful magician (to-mi-luo-no). He knew all the thoughts of other people; and when he went out into the rain he did not get wet.
Once he was sent by his wife to cut down and bring home some pandanus (bread-fruit), whilst she got the necessary firewood and water ready for cooking the same.
The man went off into the jungle to cut down the pandanus fruit. He climbed the tree, and chopped, and chopped, and chopped. But he could not manage it; for though he chopped the branch right through, the fruit did not fall, but the branch was joined on again as before. He kept at it all day, but had to go home in the afternoon empty-handed, without his load of pandanus fruit.
His wife was very angry with him when he got home, because she felt she had been made ridiculous by gathering and chopping firewood and drawing water, when there was nothing to cook. She was also tired with having had to wait for him so long.
So, after some altercation, his wife herself went along with him that very evening; and both of them started out for the garden to cut down and bring home the pandanus fruit. The man went up into the tree this time to show his wife how things stood. He severed the branch of the pandanus at one blow of his dah (machete); but it became glued on again.
When his wife saw what happened, she said: “Certainly this man is indeed a magician!”
So the woman herself then went up into the tree, and chopped down their load of pandanus. They then went back, put the pot on the fire, and cooked in it the chopped-up pandanus.
Another time there was a wild-pig hunt, and many were following the baying of their hounds. Now Ot-nya-hum-ka happened to be the only man who had a dah with him (the others having taken spears or bows and arrows). So it fell to him to clear the way where the jungle was dense and difficult. But no sooner had he chopped through a bough and passed on, than the lopped-off bough joined itself on again to the tree. So the others could not get along; there was no way for them to go; whilst he got on a long way ahead. After a bit, the others gave it up and went home; and he was left alone to get all the profits of their chase,
After a while, he got ill and died; and his body was hung up in a tree; but after some days he came to life again.
Again, in his old age, he died; but before his death he said to those around him: “When I am dead this time, bury me; but I shall remain dead only three days. So look out for the hole down through the ground to where I shall be lying, and dig me up. If you do so, I shall live on; but if you do not harken to what I say, I shall die outright and return no more.”
But the people were unwilling to did him up, for they were overpowered by the stench; so the magician at last died outright.
Source:
In the Nicobar Islands, George Whitehead, 1924
Kotharian Lightning 