;0. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



35 



hd killed the dogs, and the Kvv'a people did 

 ot find them. 



When the moon came out the sister took 

 er headcloth and her belt and tied them 

 Iround her brother and let him down the cliff 

 nd afterward went down herself. Then they 

 scaped. 



Next day the Kw'a people came but could 

 ot find their footprints and did not know 

 /here to search. Then the sister made up this 

 ong to teach others thereafter not to go near 

 ae Kw'a people. 



'ome Miao Who Could Not Fay the Lolos 

 \ Their Rent and Requested Others to Do 

 So (533) 



There was a clan of Miao (a few tens of 

 amilies or more) who every year should pay 

 hickens, beeswax, and hemp to the Lolos as 

 ent. Very early that clan of Miao took pos- 

 ession of a locality. Because the place to pay 

 he rent was far away, this Miao clan, when 

 hey were about to go and pay the rent, 

 TOuld all buy an animal (cow, pig, or sheep) 



and kill it and offer it to the ancestors so the 

 ancestors would protect them on their way, 

 and then they would select two people to go 

 and pay their rent. They would do this way 

 every year. 



Afterward that clan of Miao, when they 

 saw the Lolos living near them, requested 

 these Lolos to go and pay the rent for them. 

 But the pay for these Lolos to go and pay the 

 rent was a pound of hemp, a pound of bees- 

 wax, and a chicken from every family. They 

 gave these to the Lolos, and the Lolos went 

 and helped by paying the rent for them. 



The Lolos paid their rent in this way a 

 long time, until the Miao themselves could 

 no longer find the way to go to the distant 

 place and pay the rent. So they gave their 

 contract for the property to the nearby Lolos 

 and requested them to constantly help them 

 pay the rental. Now this clan of Miao at 

 harvest time must help the nearby Lolos two 

 days for each family, and at the end of each 

 year must give one catty of hemp, one of 

 beeswax, and one chicken. To the present 

 day this is still practiced.^- 



The Taipings 



"he Coming of the Taipings (92) 



The sky was in its place. The sky was well 

 bove. The earth was in its place and the 

 arth below was without disturbance. In the 

 mperor's land the long-haired criminals re- 

 lelled even to Lo Piao.®^ The rebellion of 

 he long-haired criminals reached to Lo Piao. 

 ?efore they had come the place was peaceful. 

 Vhile the place was still quiet, they reached 

 Vang Chia Ch'ang.*^-* 



People said the Taipings were very fierce, 

 rheir rebellion reached Yunnan Province, 

 lome of them were very fierce. They crossed 

 )ver into the mountains of Yunnan. The rich 

 ^olo women were terrified. The Chinese 

 vomen who were wealthy v/ere also greatly 

 rightened. The Chinese women and girls 

 lid in the caves on the sides of the cliifs. 

 rhe wealthy Lolo women were unwilling to 

 lie. They sent a message as far as the sky is 

 )road. The Chinese wealthy women and girls 

 vere also unwilling to die and quickly pre- 

 )ared and sent messages to distant places. 



On the next day the Chinese general Wang 



^2 This is true of some Miao groups in Kwei- 

 how and Yunnan, but not of all of them, and not 

 rue in Szechwan so far as can be learned. 



^^ Lo Piao is near die Yunnan border in Szech- 

 van Province. 



^* Wang Chia Ch'ang is southeast of Lo Piao. 



(}) led soldiers here to Lo Piao, and the Chi- 

 nese generalissimo also came. General Wang 

 discussed matters in the temple. The Chinese 

 generalissimo also made his plans in a temple. 

 The Chinese general Wang discussed enrolling 

 soldiers. The Chinese generalissimo also deter- 

 mined he would train ofiBcers. General Wang 

 discussed things in Szechwan. The generalis- 

 simo determined plans in Chengtu. The Chi- 

 nese general Wang determined to make iron 

 guns. The generalissimo determined to make 

 brass (or bronze) guns. General Wang made 

 iron guns for people to use. The generalis- 

 simo also manufactured brass guns for people 

 to use. The Chinese general Wang's soldiers 

 shouldered brass guns to put on the Yunnan 

 borderland. The Chinese generalissimo took 

 iron guns to put on the mountains of Yunnan. 

 When the fire cords (to set off the guns with) 

 had smoked seven days at one time, the 

 brass guns were set off and the iron guns 

 sounded forth with a roar, and the brass 

 guns resounded and then killed. They killed 

 all the Taipings. 



When the iron gun sounded forth, they 

 soon killed and killed the Taipings until 

 there were none left. Then the Chinese 

 general Wang said, "Now there are no Tai- 

 pings to arise and rebel. Now there are no 

 Taipings to arise and disturb things." 



