Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/415

 n s. XIL NOV. 20, i9i5.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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wife's sister was passed. No. 25 in this table provides that a man may not marry his brother's daughter, and it was ruled in 1861 in the case of Reg. v. Brighton, which re- mains the governing case in these matters, that relationship by the half blood is a bar to marriage equally with relationship by the whole blood. It would, therefore, clearly not be competent for any of the five brothers mentioned in the proposition to marry, either of their half-nieces.

WILLOUGHBY MAYCOCK.

Some years ago (how many I cannot say ) the daily papers mentioned the case of a girl who claimed to be the widow of her great- uncle. So far as I remember, the legality of her position, the marriage being proved, was not disputed. At the time I referred to the Table of Affinities, and could discover no bar to such a union. T. A.

The daughter of one's grandfather cannot be the great-aunt of those who are his grand- children. Whatever her age, she would be but their aunt, and her brothers uncles, whom the Table of Kindred forbids to marry with sister's or brother's daughter.

ST. SWITHIN.

360). This is an error for " Castellmarch." (The word "Ladies" is also doubtful.) Castellmarch, or " the castle of the steed " (or "of mark"), is a large farm and is nearer to Abersoch than to Nevin, being on Hell's Mouth or Forth Neigwl (Port Nigel).
 * THE LADIES OF CASTLEMARCH' (11 S. xii.

H. H. JOHNSON.

THEOLOGICAL DISPUTATIONS BY MEANS OF SIGNS (US. xii. 96, 167, 387). MB. WHALE at the second reference relates the story of the Spanish Ambassador at Aberdeen. A similar tale has found its way (from India or Persia?) to Zanzibar, and is printed in the collection of Swahili stories entitled * Kiba- raka' (Zanzibar, U.M.C.A. Press, 1897) as ',-Sheki na Mlevi' (p. 30). A translation is appended. Any information a? to the immediate source of this version will be welcome :

The Sheikh and the Drunkard. A certain great scholar (mwana wa chuoni) once set out to go to a town. When he arrived, he did not enter the town, but remained \ outside in the plantations. The people of the town arose and went out to bring him in. He refused saying, " I have certain questions; if you can answer them, I will enter your town." Those people asked

him, "What sort of questions?" He said to them, " Like this," holding up one finger. They did not know the answer, and returned to the town. Other people came in like manner, and returned discomfited, till all the people in the town were finished. They were beaten, they were unable to bring him into the town.

There arose a certain man, a drunkard, and said to them, " I will bring him in; you, the great men of the town, cannot bring him in, but I will do it." The people answered and said to him, " The great and wealthy men cannot bring him in, and how will you bring him? " He said, " I will bring him." He went out and came to the scholar, who said to him, " I will not go unless you answer my questions." He said to him, " Tell me your questions." He said, "These," and held up one finger. The drunkard did thus : he held up two fingers. The scholar waved his hand upwards; the drunkard then waved his hand downward. The scholar held out his middle finger and moved it downward : the drunkard moved his middle ringer upward. The scholar then held out his hand to the drunkard, who took it, and they went their way to the town. The citizens made JL feast to welcome the scholar and gave him a house to live in. When he had rested for two days, the wise men came to the scholar and asked him, " How did he answer your questions so as to bring you into the town? " The scholar said : " He came to bring me into the town, and I said to him, ' You must answer my questions, and then I will come in.' He said to me, ' What are your questions? ' and I told him 1 God is One ' that is the meaning of the one finger. He answered, 'And His prophet ' that is the meaning of the two (fingers). (Then) I said to him, * God has spread out the heavens,' and he rejoined, ' He has also spread out the earth.' I said, ' God brings down the rain,' and he answered, ' God brings up the plants (out of the earth).' So I gave him my hand, and we entered the town together."

The people then went to that drunkard and asked him, " How did you answer the scholar's questions?" He said, "....He said to me, ' I am the only strong man.' I answered him, ' But I am another.' So he said tojme, ' I will cut off your head,' and I answered, ' I will cut off your foot.' Then he said, ' I will put my finger on the top of your head (utosi)' (a depreciatory gesture?), and I answered, * I will put mine under you (cha chini).' So he gave me his hand, and we entered the town together."