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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 



123 



went as directed. When he arrived at the 

 great sea he saw only the big waves and did 

 not see his wife, and he began to weep loudly. 

 The maidservant of Lo Yin the bachelor of 

 arts came out to carry water and saw him. 

 She asked him, "Why are you crying.?" He 

 replied, "My wife has been brought here by 

 Lo Yin, die bachelor of arts. I have come 

 here and I see only the waves and do not 

 see my wife. Therefore I am crying." 



The servant returned and told his wife. 

 Then his wife said, "Where is he? Tell him 

 to come." The servant then came out and 

 said to him, "Our lady told me to come and 

 get you." He replied, "These are big waves. 

 How can I go.?" The woman said, "You put 

 your head under my si-m and I will take 

 you." 



He did as directed, and before he knew it 

 he was carried into the house by the woman 

 servant. 



In the sea was a great house, very well 

 built. When his wife saw him, she talked 

 with him. They talked a very long time. 

 Then the wife said to him, "You go back 

 quickly. At this time Lo Yin the bachelor of 

 arts will come back. When he comes he will 

 certainly injure you." He replied, "You go 

 back with me." The woman said, "I will 

 not go." The woman blew on him three 

 times and said, "He will truly come home 

 now. Over there is a bunch of grass. You 

 go there and hide." 



He hid there for a time and saw that Lo 

 Yin, the bachelor of arts, had come. Out of 

 his mouth there had grown two very large 

 tusks. 



Next day, when he had eaten breakfast, 

 Lo Yin the bachelor of arts got things ready 

 and again went away. Then the husband 

 came out and spoke with his wife. The wife 

 said, "Do you still want me to go with you? 

 In the parlor of Lo Yin the bachelor of arts 

 is a sword. You go and pick it up. If you 

 can pick it up you kill him and then I will 

 go with you." 



He tried to pick it up, and he could lift it. 

 She then prepared some dinner for her hus- 

 band to eat. When her husband had finished 

 eating he went as usual into the grass and 

 hid. Before long he saw that Lo Yin, the 

 bachelor of arts, had come. Then he took 



the sword and killed Lo Yin the bachelor of 

 arts, and his wife returned with him. 



After she had returned diree days the hus- 

 band said, "I want to go and engage a wife 

 for my son. Over there is a magistrate. He 

 has seven daughters. If we have some way 

 to get one of the daughters, that is better." 

 His wife said, "I can." 



The wife turned into a small bird and 

 flew to a tree in front of the magistrate's 

 door and sang. She sang, "Gi li giao lo. The 

 magistrate has seven daughters. Does he wish 

 to marry one to a Miao.? If he does not, the 

 seven will all die." The official said, "What 

 bird is this, after all, which is singing here? I 

 will go and kill it." Just as they were going 

 to kill it the bird flew back. 



Next day it flew into the middle of the 

 magistrate's parlor and sang. Then the magis- 

 trate ran and seized her and broke one of 

 her legs, then set her down on the table. 

 Then the magistrate returned into his room. 



Then the small cat came out and miaowed, 

 and the bird flew into the granary. When the 

 official came out again he could not see the 

 bird. The official said, "It was captured by 

 me." ^^ 



The bird in the granary was eating grain 

 and nourishing its wound. When its wound 

 had been healed it again flew in front of the 

 door and sang, "Ji li, jiao lo, die great old 

 gentleman has seven daughters. Do you wish 

 to wed one to a Miao? If you do not, all 

 seven will die." The official asked, "What 

 bird is this that was eaten by my cat and 

 still comes here and sings? Are you truly 

 an immortal? Go back and send a go- 

 between." 



Then the official saw a written document 

 in the middle of the parlor which said, "How 

 great a bridal present do you want?" The 

 official saw it, but saw no person. Then the 

 magistrate said, "I want so much, so much." 

 He saw nobody but heard a voice say, "The 

 things are all ready." He saw that the cere- 

 monial presents were actually there, and 

 heard a voice come and take his daughter 

 away. But he did not know in what direction 

 they went. The daughter of the official and 

 the son of the Miao family became husband 

 and wife, and the mother went and changed 

 into an immortal. 



MISCELLANEOUS FOLKTALES 

 A Good Daughter-in-law (17) 



In ancient times there was a mother-in-law 

 and her daughter-in-law. Because the father- 



33 The official thought it was some strange, 

 dangerous supernatural bird. 



in-law and husband had died, the mother-in- 

 law said to the daughter-in-law, "I am old. 

 Because you are still young you get married 

 again. How about it?" The daughter-in-law 

 replied, "Although I am young I will truly 

 not marry another. I will certainly live with 



