Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/714

 404 Folk Tales frovi the Naga Hills of Assam.

he spake and Diu was sore stricken within her, and taking in her hand a large red bead she gave it to the child. Thus doing she said, " If you are like your father, you will be very handsome but a base deceiver it may be." Thus she spake.

Then the boy who was with the child carried him again to the house of Tsou. Then Tsou saw the large bead hanging round his son's neck, and he asked the boy who was carrying. his son, " Who has given him this large bead ) " And he made answer, " The woman who lives in that direction gave it to him, and spake after this fashion, ' If you are like your father you will be very handsome, but a deceiver it may be '." Thus he spake. Then Tsou when he had heard these words was sore stricken in his mind and wept.

Thus is the story of these two told in Tenyima lore, and thus is it sung in our songs.

This story always moves deeply both narrator and audience, and is very popular.

No. 7. The Story of the Jackal and Man.

Once a man when he had gone to work to cultivate his jhum fields used to stop in the jungle and did not return home every night. So his wife, bringing him his food in order to give it to him, used to go down the field path. Then, while she was going down that path a large jackal came and said to her, " If you don't give me food I will catch and eat you." Thus he said to the woman. And so the woman being frightened gave him half her food and gave half to her husband. Then her husband, as his food was insufficient, thought, " Perhaps my wife is in love with another man. She does not give me all the food she brings down." So he asked his wife, " You don't give me all the food you bring down ; with whom are you having an affair } " Then his wife replied, " I am intriguing with nobody, but when I come down the path a large jackal blocks the way, and he speaks like this to me, ' If you don't give me food I will catch and eat you.' Thus he speaks and being frightened I give him half of what I am bringing." Then her husband said, " If