164 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



the Three Inns. You heard the rooster of 

 Lu Wei crow, and the noise of the 9-inch iron 

 gun which sounded and resounded (sounded 

 twice). I am Gi Bong's (d5i"^ boO*') sevendi 

 daughter, his youngest daughter, and I was 

 married to Ye Gai (je^ gai°) who lives at 

 Yang Mu Gan (jaO^ mu-^ gaen^)- I came 

 back to the gulch on the opposite side and 

 met six thieves who chased me. I took the 

 silver flower on my head and ran into the 

 horse grass. My body died halfway up the 

 cliff. I threw the golden flower that was on 

 my head beside the road. My life died below 

 the cliff on the big read. You go back and 

 have my father Gi Bong bring a coffin and 

 bury my body. You may pick up my golden 

 flower for your wages, Mr. Shioh." 



Three nights in succession he talked to the 

 woman. On the fourth night he ran to the 

 house of Gi Bong (father cherry) ; then he 

 told Gi Bong what the girl had said. Gi Bong 

 replied, "I actually have the daughter you 

 speak about. But I do not know whether she 

 is living now. We want you to lead us. If 

 we get there and this is so, we will thank you. 

 If not, we will kill you. If it is so the silver 

 flower will be your wages." That night her 

 father and her older and younger brothers 

 went along with Shioh to the mountain pass. 



When they arrived the girl's soul had gone 

 down the mountain to drink water and was 

 not there. Shioh spoke as he had before. But 

 he did not hear anybody answer him. Gi 

 Bong said, "Since you have deceived us, we 

 will kill you." Shioh said, "Do not be in a 

 hurry. Wait a little while and if this is not 

 so you can kill me." 



Then Shioh climbed up on the big chestnut 

 tree and put his fingers in his mouth and 

 whistled. He again sighed and spoke as be- 

 fore. Suddenly the girl's soul again arrived 

 and answered him and said the same things. 

 They all listened carefully. 



They waited until daylight, and all went 

 together to the cliff and searched. They ac- 

 tually found the silver flower she wore, and 

 also found in the horse grass the girl's golden 

 flower. They also searched as far as halfway 

 up the cliff and saw a heap of dry bones. Her 

 father and brothers wept awhile, then put her 

 inside the coffin and gave the silver flower 

 and the golden flower to Shioh as a reward. 

 From this time both were happy and Shioh 

 did not walk any more at night and the 

 woman did not cry out during the night. 



How the Miao Found Tea with Which to 

 Entertain Guests (159) 



At daybreak we go and hoe the fields and 

 plant tea trees. When the fields have been 



hoed, we go and make clearings on the grassy 

 hills. When the new clearings have been 

 finished, the entire hills are red (because the 

 soil is red). When the clearings have been 

 made on the grassy hills, then we plant tea 

 fathers (trees). 



When the tea mother first came, it was dur- 

 ing the two coldest months of the year (die 

 eleventh and twelfth lunar months). Winter 

 is the time when the place is very cold. The 

 tea mother folded her hands and slept quietly. 

 The tea father, with his hands and feet folded, 

 quietly let the rain fall on him. 



When spring came and the weather was 

 mild, and the place was also mild and warm, 

 then the buds came forth on the tea mother 

 in the tea grove. On the tea fadier green 

 buds appeared. Tender buds grew on the tea 

 mother. On the tea father sprouts appeared 

 as green as those on the tea mother. 



The family of Ye Gn Hmong Gn (se' dsy' 

 XmoO" d3y^) then reached with their hands 

 to pick it. They picked off the tea mother 

 and put it in the iron pot and roasted it. 

 Then they picked off the tea father and stirred 

 it into the brass vessel. They roasted dry the 

 tea mother (leaves). Then they roasted the 

 leaves off the tea father until they were dry. 

 Then they took the leaves off the tea mother 

 and put them into the teapot, then placed the 

 leaves of the tea father in the jar. The color 

 of the tea father and of the tea modier was 

 like that of water. 



V/hen the time arrived for the Miao Gii to 

 welcome the bride, the Miao Gii's go-betweens 

 put on fine clothes and came. When they 

 had first reached the tea made from the tea 

 mother's leaves, then they drank some. When 

 they reached the tea father's tea, they gave 

 some to the guests to drink. The tea mother's 

 leaves were spotted. The tea father's leaves 

 were individual buds. 



The tea mother of the Miao Gii visited die 

 guests all night with a smiling appearance. 

 The tea father also laughing and smiling 

 visited all night with the guests who brought 

 the bride. 



The song is ended. 



A Stupid Man Found Gold (167) 



In ancient times a family had three sons. 

 They were all very stupid. Their father took 

 300 taels of silver and divided it among them, 

 giving each 100 taels. He told them to take 

 this money and use it to learn wisdom. The 

 two oldest sons took their silver and used it 

 to make a living (invested it). The smallest 

 son could not find anything useful to do with 

 his silver. He took the silver and went onto a 

 boat with some Chinese where he played 



