Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/175

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Jarije was a boy with only one leg. He used to steal from the flocks of others. One day he came to a boy who was herding goats and said, "I will pick up one of your goats on my back and run away with it." The boy said, "You can pick it up; but you cannot run away with it; I should soon catch you." Jarije picked up a goat and ran away with it. His home was a hole in the ground. When he came to it he sang:

The brother opened and Jarije went down and shut up the entrance to the hole; it had grass growing on it. When the boy who was running after Jarije came up he could not find the entrance. Jarije killed the goat, and his brother cooked it. Jarije ate it all and gave him none. The brother said, "Another time I will not open the door if you do that."

Next day Jarije went to a boy who was herding sheep and said, "I will pick up one of your sheep and run away with it." The boy said, " You can pick it up; but you cannot run away with it; I have heard about you and the goat; but you cannot do that here; I would soon catch you." Jarije picked up the sheep and ran home, and sang

The brother let him in and the boy who was pursuing Jarije could not find the entrance because grass grew on the top. Jarije killed the sheep and his brother cooked it. Jarije ate it all and gave him none. The boy said, "Another time I will not open the door for you if you do that."