Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 2 1884.djvu/139

 Rh The brothers at last came to the dwelling-places of the three sisters (apparently witches), and looking into first one and then another they at last find one which is unoccupied, and sit down to cook their rice. After a little while the witches return, and cry out, "Here are strangers come, whom we will eat!" The three brothers ask Isìlakòlona to get them out of their peril, promising to give him oxen and sheep when they get back home. So he asks one of the witches for water and it is brought to him. But he refuses to drink, saying that it is not the kind of vessel he is used to drink from. So they bring him different kinds of things, but still he refuses. After some time the witch asks, "What then do you drink from?" He replies that he only drinks out of a net. So the three witches go to fetch water in a net. Meanwhile the four brothers rise and go off home, taking with them a round pebble, a reed, a rush and an egg.

During this time the three witches are trying to draw water in a net, but as fast as they draw it it of course runs out again. At length they become angry as they find out the trick played upon them. They return to the house, but finding the brothers gone set off in pursuit, their coming being known by the storm which arose. To prevent being captured, Isìlakòlona plants the reed, and, invoking his ancestors, commands the reed to become a great forest. This comes to pass, but the pursuers cut it down and pass onwards. Then the rush is planted, and commanded to become a dense thicket; this is also done, and stops the enemy for a while, but is at length also cleared away. Then the egg is thrown down and becomes a great lake, but the pursuers drink it up and soon pass on in pursuit. Then Isìlakòlona puts down the pebble, and, standing upon it with his brothers, commands, and the stone rises up and becomes an immense rock. Then the sisters come up and beg to be taken upon the top, but are refused.

So the brothers wait there a long time and at length become very hungry. At that time the mother happened to look at the banana-tree, and saw that it was beginning to wither, and the dogs also began to growl. One after another the dogs were sent off, but as fast as they came up the witches destroyed them. Then the three brothers begged Isìlakòlona to devise some new plan. He bids them make