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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



suddenly came out somediing like an earth- 

 worm. As soon as it had gone out of their 

 front door it changed into a big thing as big 

 as a mat. It rolled over once. Then the 

 ground in front of their front door changed 

 into a big field, and the creature became 

 invisible. 



From this time the two old people all their 

 lives had enough to live on. They composed 

 this song to commemorate it. 



A Demon Who Ate People Was Imprisoned 

 in a Jug (184) 



Once there was a big hungry lean demon. 

 He waited every night beside the road to eat 

 people. It is unknown how many people he 

 had already eaten. 



That day there was an old man who went 

 along that road. The demon leaped forth and 

 was about to start eating him. The old man 

 said, "Now you want to eat me. I am old 

 and am not enough for you to eat. Behind 

 me is another man. Wait awhile until he 

 comes and then you may eat us." 



Just as he had finished speaking, another 

 old man came. The demon then was about 

 to eat them. In a short time a Chinese student 

 also arrived. The hungry demon was about 

 to bite and eat him. The student, although 

 he was young, had some ability. He said, 

 'Tou want to eat us. After all, where is your 

 home?" The hungry demon said, "My home, 

 you can not go in." The pupil then said, 

 "Since we three cannot enter your home, how 

 can we enter your stomach?" The demon 

 said, "I can lead you to my home so you can 

 see it. Afterward I will request you to enter 

 my stomach." The young pupil said, "That's 

 right, diat's right." 



The demon did not take precautions about 

 them, but led them to his residence. He 

 lived in a small jug. 



They asked him, "How can anybody as 

 big as you live in this?" He said, "Please 

 look. I am going in." Then the demon 

 twisted his body and entered the jug. The 

 pupil then took his book and covered up the 

 jug. Then the demon cried out. The three 

 together dug a hole in the road-crossing 

 and covered up and buried the hungry 

 demon. Then they all separated and went 

 away. 



Afterward the two old Miao composed this 

 song to commemorate it. 



A Deception (206) 



In a fortified place dwelt a man and his 

 wife. They were 50 years old before a son 

 was born to them. 



The parents loved him dearly. The son 

 was also very wise, but he was not honest 

 and could speak only deceptive words. 



One day his aunt on his mother's side came 

 to his home. His uncle said, "I see that you 

 are a strange person. I have heard say that 

 you are efficient in deceiving people. See if 

 you can deceive me in something today." The 

 boy replied, "My uncle, I am able to do what 

 you say. But my father constantly rebukes 

 me. Please climb up this tree and see if my 

 father is coming or not before I will talk. I 

 am afraid tliat my father will come and whip 

 me." The uncle said, "Wait until I climb 

 up and look." 



When he had said this, he climbed up the 

 tree and looked. He looked for a long time, 

 but did not see the father coming. Then he 

 came down and said to his nephew, "Now 

 you can speak." The boy answered, "The 

 deceiving words I have spoken already. If 

 I were not deceiving my uncle, do you think 

 my uncle vi^ould have been willing to climb 

 up the tree?" When he had said this, he 

 broke out laughing. Therefore his uncle saw 

 that he was very efficient in deceiving people 

 and left this song commemorating it. 



A Wise Girl and a Stupid Girl (332) 



In most ancient times there was an old 

 Miao woman. She went out and met Na Bo 

 Ntsong "^ who ate her up. When the day 

 was almost ended her two daughters went 

 to call her. But she did not reply. Then the 

 two sisters went into the forest and called 

 their mother's mother. When they called, that 

 Na Bo Ntsong falsely replied for their grand- 

 mother saying, "I will come soon, ha." When 

 she arrived, because she had a tail she lied 

 saying, "On my buttocks I have a boil. It is 

 not convenient for me to sit on a stool. I 

 want to sit on a jug with a small mouth." 

 Then tlie two sisters carried such a jug out 

 for her to sit on. 



After she had sat there a long time she said, 

 "Tonight you take off your clothing and 

 shake off the lice, and I will sleep with the 

 one who is clean." But of those two sisters 

 the older was the smarter, and the younger 

 was the more stupid. The older took a hand- 

 ful of su ma (sesame) seeds and put it inside 

 of her clothes. When she shook the clothing, 

 the sesame fell into the fire, and there were 

 sounds as of burning lice. Na Bo Ntsong 

 said, "You have too many lice. I do not want 

 you to sleep with me." 



65 Na Bo Ntsong or Na Bo Ndzong is a female 

 witch who changes men into tigers, and if she 

 meets women she eats diem. 



