NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



135 



The tuan litmg told them to bring a long 

 rope and let him down into the pit. Then he 

 let himself down by the rope and saw that 

 the two ma gioh had already hacked the 

 spook to pieces. That spook was a big old 

 snake. Then the tiian kting first sent the 

 snake and tlie ma gioh up by the rope, then 

 he himself came up. He split the snake open 

 and boiled the big snake's liver and had the 

 sick person eat it, and the sick person became 

 well. 



A Girl Bewitched by a Fish Demon (270) 



In the big flat there was a pool. In that 

 place diere was a Chinese girl. Her earring 

 dropped into the pool, and it was swallowed 

 by a fish in the pool. 



That year the girl's family called a Miao 

 tuan l{ung to help them control demons. The 

 ma gioh was called by the Chinese family. 

 The tuan J{ung went that night to control the 

 demons. At midnight he sent out the ma 

 gioh who suddenly leaped into the pool and 

 was drowned. 



The family was afraid that they would be 

 blamed for this man's life, and they tied the 

 tuan \ung with an iron chain. But the tuan 

 \ung did not change countenance (was not 

 afraid). He beat his brass gong as usual. 

 He beat the gong three times, and then the 

 ma gioh captured the fish in the pool. When 

 the fish was brought out of the pool, the 

 tuan \ung split the fish open and fried its 

 liver and gave it to the girl. She then 

 became well. 



The Chinese family gladly tied him up but 

 did not release him easily. Afterward they 

 called the wise people of that district to talk 

 over how much silver the tuan \ung should 

 be paid. 



The tuan Jyung left this song to commemo- 

 rate this affair. 



Two Brothers Bewitched by a Frog Demon 

 (633) 



Ancient peoples lived in the dense forests 

 and in caves on the cliffs. At that time men 

 and demons had social intercourse. 



One day two brothers went on a journey. 

 They came under a big tree under a cliff. 

 They stayed there for the night and remained 

 there until day was dawning. Suddenly a 

 young man came to the big tree. He took 

 off the outer garment he v.'as wearing and 

 hung it on the tree, then went into a cave 

 ahead where a family was living. 



The two brodiers waited until daybreak 

 and then went to look. The garment was like 



the skin of a green frog. They took the 

 garment in their arms and went ahead carry- 

 ing it to that family. Then they knew that 

 the young person who took off the garment 

 was not a human being but a demon. 



The two brothers asked that family, "Did 

 anything happen today in your family?" The 

 family replied, "Nothing has happened to us." 

 In a moment that young person in that family 

 came out and said, "There is only the fact 

 that last night my wife quarreled a little with 

 me, and now she hasn't gotten up yet. She 

 is still sleeping." 



The two brothers said, "Your family should 

 quickly save her. We fear that she is about 

 to die." When that family went to look at 

 her, the door of that woman's room was 

 shut very tight. They found a big rock and 

 broke the door open. They saw that the 

 woman was already stiff on the bed. 



Then that family gave several domestic 

 animals in order to get the two brothers to 

 heal her. They put the demon's clothes in 

 some hot water and gave the water to the 

 woman to drink, and then she revived. 



A Vine That Was a Demon (273) 



There was a carpenter who went into the 

 deep forest. That night while he slept, at 

 midnight, a young man came and slept widi 

 him. He knew that this was in the midst of 

 the mountains. Why should anyone come at 

 midnight.? He was afraid and took a knife 

 and stabbed the other person. Then the young 

 man cried out, and the carpenter took his ax 

 and hacked the young man. Then the young 

 man ran away, and the carpenter did not dare 

 pursue him. 



The next morning he followed the foot- 

 prints of the young man and saw the scars 

 where he had cut the previous night. The 

 scars were on a big vine, and then he knew 

 that a vine in the deep forest had come to 

 entice him. 



A Banana Demon (271) 



In ancient times dierc was a family who 

 had banana trees outside their door. One 

 tree became a spook, and it came and enticed 

 the family's boy. But this spook was the 

 daughter of a Chinese family, and her name 

 was Niang Yao Ni (small female girl). When 

 this girl first came, the boy sat smilingly be- 

 side her on the bed. When she had gone, he 

 became ill. 



One day he was on the bed and cried out, 

 "Yang (or Niang) Yao Ni, are you going to 

 leave?" Then the family knew and asked 



