Page:Folklore1919.djvu/445

Rh there were three cooking pots there, two of them had no sides and the third had no bottom.

He cut up the deer with the bladeless knife and put it into the pot that had no bottom, and lit a fire under it till the bones were burnt, but the meat hadn't even heard news of the fire. Then he ate till he was very thirsty of the meat that had no news of the fire.

He mounted the horse who had given up the ghost and rode till he reached three streams of water; two of them were dry, and the third hadn't a drop in it. He stooped over the stream that hadn't a drop in it and drank and drank till he lost his head.

(1) Let me whisper a tale in your ear. I got a present of three villages.

(2) But two villages were all waste land, and in the third there was not a single man.

(3) In the village in which three was not a single man sat three blacksmiths. But two of them did not know their business, and the third did not make anything.

(4) The blacksmith who made nothing, made three spades. But two of them were broken and good for nothing, and the third had no ferrule for the handle.

(5) With the spade that had no ferrule, he dug three tanks. But two of them were filled with dust, and the third had no water in it.

(6) In the tank which had no water in it, he set three fish-nets. But two were in rags and tatters, and the third had no meshes.

(7) With the net which had no meshes, he caught three ru-is (a kind of fish). But two jumped away and escaped, and the third he couldn't find.