NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



199 



acted like pepper and affected like pepper the 

 heart of the boy's mother. Then the mother 

 said, "Ngeo Va, if you want to go you may." 



After three years had passed by, Ndzeo Dai 

 had grown up, and then after six years Ndzeo 

 Dai became a man. Ndzeo Dai was good at 

 plowing and following the plow. The mother 

 said, "If my son Ndzeo Dai farms a field of 

 one mow, then we have enough to eat. When 

 he has planted the dry-field rice or the water- 

 paddy rice, then I have food to eat (he is a 

 good farmer) . 



One day the Miao Bi Tsu ^° conducted the 

 flower-altar ceremony, and this girl Ngeo Va 

 dressed all over her body in fine clothes and 

 went there to visit. Ndzeo Dai (nd^Au^ Tai*) 

 also dressed in fine clothes and went there 

 to have a good time. 



In that home Ndzeo Dai began playing a 

 tune on the liu sheng and was going to the 

 front of the house. Ngeo Va wept until she 

 shed tears. Then Ndzeo Dai again played a 

 tune on the liu sheng and went toward the 

 front of the house. Ngeo Va again wept and 

 stumbled and fell. She sighed and said, "Ze 

 (3e), I would like to be a shoe (ingot) of 

 silver. If I could be put back into the melting 

 pot again, I would like to go back and be 

 used by him (married to him). I would like 

 to be like a pick which is worn out, which 

 can return to the blacksmith to be made over, 

 if when I came back I could be his wife." 



Her weeping and sighing was heard by 

 Ndzeo Dai's father. Not long after Ngeo Va 

 became ill and became yellow and dried up. 

 Then that family held funeral ceremonies for 

 her three nights and days and then carried 

 Ngeo Va out to bury her. Ngeo Va's grave 

 ditch was behind the grave. 



One day Ngeo Va stood behind the grave. 

 Ndzeo Dai's father, Gi Je Gai P'ong came 

 with his body covered with striped hair. He 

 came from Ntzi's bend. Ngeo Va stood below 

 the moon. Ndzeo Dai's father changed so 

 that his whole body was covered with striped 

 hair (into a tiger) and he came from Ntzi's 

 place. His mouth was as big as a peck 

 measure. His whiskers were as large as a 

 sifter. When he came he escorted Ngeo Va 

 to the edge of the field. He then again 

 escorted her to the center of the field. 



At this time Ndzeo Dai came to plow. He 

 plov/ed up to the edge of the field, and heard 

 the breath of that tiger. Ndzeo Dai again 

 plowed to the center of the field and smelt 

 the odor of the tiger. Ndzeo Dai again 

 plowed to the edge of the field and saw the 



^o A Miao living halfway up a hill. 



woman standing at the edge of the field. 

 Ndzeo Dai again plowed back to the center 

 of the field, and he saw Ngeo Va standing 

 in the middle of the field. Then Ngeo Va 

 opened her mouth and said, "Now I have 

 come to be your wife. I have now come to be 

 your servant." Ndzeo Dai said, "I do not 

 know whose wife you are or whose servant 

 you are." Ndzeo Dai also said, "I do not 

 want you." Ngeo Va said, "Don't you want 

 me? I will call my father (-in-law) here and 

 we will talk about it. I will call my father 

 (-in-law) and we will discuss the matter." He 

 said, "If I tell you to call him, you can't 

 find a father to call." 



Then Ngeo Va clapped her hands and 

 called out "My father." Then Gi Je Gai P'ong 

 came down the mountain ridge. His mouth 

 was as big as a peck measure and his whiskers 

 were as large as a sifter. Gi Je Gai P'ong said, 

 "Ngeo Va has now come to be your wife, 

 to be your servant. You two wait a day until 

 the Miao below hold memorial services on 

 the flowery altar, and if you two go together 

 it will be well." 



Actually on that day on the plain below a 

 Miao family was using the flowery altar for 

 memorial services. Ndzeo Dai prepared good 

 clothes for all his body and went. He played 

 the liu sheng and went toward the interior 

 and his wife did not cry. He then played his 

 liti sheng and went toward the door, but his 

 wife did not faint away. 



Ngeo Va had left a small baby in that 

 family,'''^ and the baby stretched out her arms 

 to her mother and touched her mother's 

 breast. Then Ngeo Va embraced the child in 

 her arms. Then the other husband stamped 

 on the floor and said that she was his wife. 

 Ndzeo Dai said, "How can she be your wife?" 

 He could not give any reason. Then he told 

 Ndzeo Dai to speak. Ndzeo Dai said, "I have 

 commemorated the souls of my own ancestors. 

 I have not wrongly made offerings to the an- 

 cestors of others. My father Gi Je Gai P'ong 

 gave Ngeo Va to me for a wife." Ndzeo Dai 

 also said, "If you do not believe it, I will call 

 my father here to speak and explain to us." 



He told Ngeo Va to call, but she could not 

 think of a way to call him. Ndzeo Dai then 

 clapped his hands and thus called his father. 

 His father Gi Je Gai P'ong then came run- 

 ning along the mountain ridge. Then Ndzeo 

 Dai again called three times, and his father 

 came on down. His mouth was open as large 

 as a peck measure and his whiskers were as 



''1 Apparently Ngeo Va had been remarried into 

 another family and had given birth to a child. 



