Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/349

 Collectanea. 325

the Lion from that big Camel ; let us kill the Lion." The others said, " How are we to kill him?" Then she said, " Let the Snake bite the Lion, and when you have bitten him go into the Zareba." So he bit him and went into the Zareba. Then she said, " O Fire, burn up both the Zareba and Snake." So the Fire burned both Zareba and Snake. Then she said, " The Fire has killed the Snake and the Fence, let the Flood too put out the Fire." After this Honesty said, " The Flood does not travel on the mountain, but only in the nullah ; let us travel on the mountain with the Camel." So they travelled on the mountain, and then Deceit said, "Let us slay the Camel." So they slew her, and cooked the steak, and gulped down the steak, and except the steak nothing else of the Camel did they eat. And the meat stuck in their throats, for it was a big piece, and could not pass through their mouths. So they died.

XL

Gerhajis and Arab.

(Haji Ali Mohammed, Habr Yunis, Abdallah Ismail, priest, aged

about 50.)

Gerhajis and Arab were the twin sons of Sheikh Ishhak (the ancestor of one of the two great divisions of the Somalis) by his wife Magado. Before birth one child put out his hand, and the mother wishing to mark him wanted to put a ring on his finger, but, no ring being available, tied on a piece of thread round the Uttle finger. Then the hand was withdrawn. Subsequently one boy was born, but no thread was found on his finger ; this child was called Arab. Later, the other was born, having the ring of thread, and called Gerhajis.

When they were grown up, there was a dispute as to which was the elder. For the elder son, besides becoming head man, must always be married before the younger is allowed to do so. But it was decided that the one that put his hand out, namely Gerhajis, was the first born

J. W. C. Kirk.

Note. — These Somali tales are interesting. Several of them, however, are defective, which perhaps may be accounted for by