Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/503

 Collectanea. 467

bounded forward, seized the calabash and came and said, — " Here." Silence. Then she hit the woman (corpse) on the forehead, and the corpse fell down. Then the boy ran out from the shade and (began) crying, and said the chief's wives had killed his wife (for him the wife) at the stream, and the alarm reached even to the chief's house. Then the chief said it was a lie. His wives would not quarrel. So he said, — " Go and see."^^ When they had come, they came upon the corpse lying down, so they went and said to the chief, — "Ah, it is true ! Your wives have done murder." Then he said, — " Very well, let her (corpse) be brought here." When she had been carried and brought to the chief, he said, — " Here, Boy, whence have you come with this woman?" Then he said to the chief, — "What has that to do with you?" Then the judge said, — "This boy is to be feared (thing of fear). Settle with him, and let him go." So the chief brought two wives instead of his own, and gave him (them). Then the boy went out and entered the forest, and went and lived in the forest and built a house. When he had built a house, he drove away the two wives whom the chief had given him, and said he would live alone. Then a Frog said, — "Auta, may I come to your house and live?" He said, — "Come and stay by all means." Then a Monkey said, — "Auta, may I come to your house and live?" He said, — "Come and stay by all means." Then a Horse said, — "Auta, may I come to your house and live?" He said, — "Come and stay by all means." A Camel, a Donkey, Stinging Ants, Ants, large Stinging Travelling Ants, a Mule, a large Snake, a Crown-bird, a Crow, all came and lived (with him). They conceived all at the same time. Then a Bull came, and said everyone was to build a storehouse in the compound. They made thirty (altogether). He (Bull) came and built thirty receptacles inside the houses. Again he came, and made thirty deep holes in the compound. Then the Bull filled all the storehouses with gold, that is what he gave birth to (that was his birth). The Mule came and brought forth silver. He filled all the thirty holes. The Camel filled the receptacles with cowries. The rest, the very small ones, brought forth slaves, they filled the

-^ These (and the following) verbs are in the passive, but must be rendered by the active in English.