Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 21, 1910.djvu/398

 356 Collectanea.

13. How Spiders were reproduced. (B. G.) This is about the Spider. It was a time of famine. He had no food, (so) he said he would travel around and teach. The Ewe said, — " Here is my son, take him, and teach him reading." As they were travelling they came to some water, and the Spider told the lamb to mix flour (and water). When he had mixed the flour, he (Spider) said, — "You are not going to have any to drink. I shall drink, but if you beg you will get something." As they travelled, the lamb wasted all away, and became (like a mass of) veins. So it was, when they came to a certain town, the Spider said, — " Now, this evening when food has been brought, if I am not here do not begin to eat, but give it to the dog belonging to the chief of the town." He (the lamb) said,—" Right." Then the Spider turned (himself) into a dog. When he had turned (himself) into a dog, food was brought. So the lamb divided the food, (and) threw (some) to the dog. He ate it. He threw (some more) to him. He ate it. So he threw him the whole. When the food was finished, the Spider changed and became a Spider (again, and) came to the lamb, and said, — "When food was brought, did the chief's dog come, and did you give him (it) ? " He (lamb) said— "Yes." Then he (Spider) said,— "Good. To-morrow we shall leave." When dawn came they started, the lamb following him. Then he (Spider) said, — " You see (during) this travelling we have not had any luck. Let us return home," so spoke the Spider. So they went on. When they had come to a certain river, the Spider lighted a large fire. When the fire had been lighted, the Spider said, — " Listen, I am going to fall into the water. You must fall into the fire." Then he (the lamb) said, — " If the Spider were not alive, what use would life be to me ? " When he heard the Spider fall into the water, he fell into the fire and died. Then the Spider appeared. In reality he had not thrown himself into the water. He had thrown a stone. So he scraped off the lamb's hair {i.e. flayed him), and ate half there. The (other) half he put into his bag. When this was done he left. When he came near the Ewe's house, he (began) crying, he cried, (and) said, — " I was given a young one that I might teach him reading. Lo, he is dead." (He went on) thus until the Ewe said, — "Oh it is nothing. Spider. God has done so." Then a