Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/475

Rh had been changed into a hornbill, and, indeed, many horn-bills came flying. "Is my brother there among you?", he said. "He is not with us, he is behind scratching up a Burman's excrement," they said. Presently his elder brother came flying up. "Is my elder brother up there?", he said. "I am here," said his elder brother." Eventually the younger brother, tiring of life, was turned into a hornbill, and joined his elder brother.

The following tale is told by the Lamgang, who are now settled in the southern portion of the Manipur state, but undoubtedly are closely allied to the Lushais. It was taken down by Babu Nithor Nath Banerji, and I have retained his expressive phraseology. "Once upon a time there lived a man. One day he heard from one of his village people that his crops were being destroyed by wild pigs, in the paddy field. He was very sorry to hear this report, and determined to kill the pigs. On the next day he set out with his wife, with arrows and bows; on his way he found a wild pig and aimed at it, but unfortunately his aim failed. But his wife covered the pig with her basket, which she had on her shoulder. The husband told his wife,—"Oh! my beloved wife, let the pig go, I will kill it with my arrow, it is really very disgraceful for me that my aim failed, and my wife caught it with her basket." On hearing this she let loose the pig, and the aim of her husband failed again, and the pig ran away. The husband, feeling much shame, followed it, and it happened that he met a tiger, and the tiger killed him. The wife had to wait for him till evening, and was obliged to return home at last. At daybreak she set forth to search for her husband in the jungles, and met the tiger which killed her husband. She was much frightened, and jumped to escape, but her efforts were in vain, the tiger soon caught and killed her. But ah! the most untoward event took place; the woman was . When the tiger caught her, twins were born, and the tiger ran away on seeing the two boys. When the tiger had gone away, a