Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/336

320 very tired and hot he could not catch it. Lumawig laughed at him and said:

"You chase that pig until he is thin and still you cannot catch it, though all the others have theirs."

Thereupon he grasped the hind legs of the pig and lifted it. All the people laughed and the brother-in-law said:

"Of course you can catch it, because I chased it until it was tired."

Lumawig then handed it to him, and said: "Here, you carry it." But no sooner had the brother-in-law put it over his shoulder than it cut loose and ran away.

"Why did you let it go?" asked Lumawig. "Do you care nothing for it, even after I caught it for you? Catch it again and bring it here."

So the brother-in-law started out again, and he chased it up stream and down, but he could not catch it. Finally Lumawig reached down and picked up the pig and carried it to the place where the others were cooking.

After they had all eaten and drunk and made their offerings to the spirits, Lumawig said: