Page:Sagas from the Far East; or, Kalmouk and Mongolian traditionary tales.djvu/66

42 did; and when his companions came home, and saw for themselves the marks the oxen had made in tramping up the soil, they said, "He hath spoken true things."

The day after, Massang went hunting, and took with him the black-coloured man and the green-coloured man. The white-coloured man being left in charge of the homestead, set himself to prepare the dinner. Nor was it long before the same little old woman who had visited his companions made her appearance; and soon she had made an end of all the provisions. "This is doubtless how it fell out with the green-coloured man yesterday, and the black-coloured man the day before," said the white-coloured man to himself; "but neither can I own any more than they that I was overmatched by such a little old wife, nor yet can I tell the same story as they." So he fetched a mule in from the field, and made it trot all round the dwelling, that when his companions came in he might tell them that a party of merchants had been by, with a file of mules carrying their packs of merchandize, who had held him bound, and eaten up the provisions.

All this he did; and when his companions came home, and saw for themselves the marks of the mule-hoofs all round the dwelling, they said, "He hath spoken true things."

The next day it was Massang's turn to stay at home, nor did he neglect the duty which fell upon him of