Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/713

 Folk Tales fi'oni the Nag a Hills of Assam. 403

For this reason they said to their parents, " Change places with us to-day and tend our herds, then you too will under- stand." Thus they spake. And so their parents on that day tended their herds. Then both herds before they had met kept on moving quickly. But when they had met and were grazing together they were well pleased, and did not stray, but remained together.

And so both parents thought, " Because of this our children will stop together." Thereafter neither complained.

And so, happy in each other's company, they tended their herds together.

Then one day Diu said to Tsou, " To-morrow I will bring meat and food, and we will eat of them here for our midday meal." Thus Diu spake, and on the next day brought all manner of food and waited for Tsou at the tryst.

But Tsou had two lovers in his village, and they caught him each by a piso. Thus he was unable to go, and so, when he had escaped by breaking his piso, he went late to the tryst.

For this reason Diu was very angry and was driving off her herd. At that very moment Tsou, descending the path, saw what she was doing. And so Tsou said to Diu, " Come back, I am coming now." Thus he spake, but Diu was very angry and said, " I will not return. All day I have waited and you have not come ; therefore will I not return." Thus she spake and spake again, " You are false, Tsou, and a man having no shame." Thus spake Diu, and drove off her herd.

And Tsou went down, and saw the food which Diu had brought for the tryst, and knew that she had been waiting for him, and got understanding, and his heart was heavy within him, and he wept bitterly, and went to his house.

From that time on the two were estranged.

Later Tsou took to himself a wife, and Diu also went to the house of another.

And it happened that they were cultivating neighbouring fields. And so one day a friend of Tsou's carrying his son went into Diu's field to get fire. Then Diu asked them, " Whose son is it that you are carrying } " The boy who was carrying the child said, " The child I am carrying is the son of Tsou." Thus