278 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 



123 



flooded a large field. Then he gave this field 

 the name of Mu Ho Keo (wood fire creek). 

 Then he took the grass and went to the 

 emperor. He entered the emperor's palace. 

 The emperor requested him, and he healed 

 the emperor's daughter. Then the emperor 

 gave the princess to him as a wife. 



Because he was a Miao and got this great 

 wealthy country, he secretly left this in the 

 hands of the Miao as a reminder. 



A Laborer Who Planted only One Seed Be- 

 came Rich (410) 



In former times there was a son of a Miao 

 who went and worked for a rich man. When 

 he began he said to his master, "I do not want 

 any wages. I only request that you give me 

 four years of harvest from one grain of rice." 

 The master said, "All right." 



During the first year he took a single grain 

 of rice and planted it at the edge of his 

 master's ricefield. At harvest time there was 

 only one stalk (or head). The second year 

 he took the grain from this stalk and planted 

 it. At the time of harvest there was over one 

 quart of rice. 



He did this year after year for four years. 

 The master did not have any fields for him- 

 self, and the boy had become a very rich 

 man with (plenty of) food to eat. The master 

 said, "This Miao's planning is excellent. We 

 truly do not dare to hire Miao to come and 

 work." 



An Orphan Enjoyed Happiness and His 

 Father-in-law Deceived Him, but His 

 Sons Recovered Their Mother (412) 



In ancient times there was an orphan who 

 had nothing to eat or wear. He would blow 

 the fire, then warm himself by tlie fire. He 

 would sit on the ground. 



Every day he went and cut wood in the 

 deep forest. He cut down a place and burnt 

 off the trees and grass, and on that clearing 

 (fire land) he opened up a well. When he 

 had just opened up the well of water, then 

 seven wild ducks flew there and lighted on 

 the water. They came every day, and he could 

 not drive them away. So he ran and asked 

 Ye Seo. 



Ye Seo said to him, "This is your good 

 fortune. You need not be sorry. Some day 

 you may go and hide and wait until they 

 come and bathe, and you pick up a spotted 

 feather from one of their wings. You will 

 certainly be benefitted by them." 



Next day he went there and hid, and the 

 seven ducks came flying to bathe. Then he 



leaped up and shouted loudly, and the ducks 

 dived into the water. Then he went and 

 picked up a spotted feather from their wings. 



In a little while an old woman came and 

 asked him to give back the feather to her, 

 but he was unwilling. The old woman then 

 said, "If you don't give it back to me, I will 

 change my form and frighten you." He said, 

 "You may change. I am not afraid." Then 

 the old woman moved her head, and the skin 

 of all her body split open. Then he was 

 afraid and gave it back to her. 



Next day he again went and asked Ye Seo. 

 Ye Seo said to him, "You do not want that 

 spotted feather or the black feather. You want 

 only the white feather, and it will be all 

 right." 



The next day he went and picked up the 

 white feather. In a short time a pretty girl 

 came and asked him for the white feather, 

 but he was unwilling to give it to her. Then 

 the girl said, "Won't you give it to me? Then 

 I will be your wife." He did not object, and 

 they became husband and wife. 



When they had lived together three years, 

 they had born to them twin boys. After the 

 sons had grown more than one year, when 

 the mother was at home caring for them 

 they would cry, but when their father was at 

 home the children would not cry. It was this 

 way six or seven years. 



One day the father went out to do farm 

 work, and only the mother was at home. The 

 two sons were crying. Then the mother asked 

 them, "What is the matter with you?" Then 

 they said, 'Tou cannot fly. When our father 

 is at home, he has a white feather. Every day 

 he wears that white feather on his head and 

 he pretends to fly like a duck, and then we 

 laugh at him." The mother then asked, 

 "Where is this white feather?" They replied, 

 "The white feather is upstairs hidden among 

 the rafters." Then she went upstairs and took 

 it down and put it on her head, and actually 

 flew to the left and to the right. Then the 

 children broke out laughing. She practiced 

 flying, and when she could fly well she flew 

 out of the front door and did not come back. 



At night the father came back and could 

 not find the mother. The father blamed the 

 two boys and said that they must by some 

 means or other find their mother, and if they 

 did not he would kill them. They replied to 

 their father, "We will go and hunt for her." 

 They went just into an aged forest and picked 

 up a crow feather. They thought it was their 

 mother's feather, so they came back happily 

 to see their father. They arrived at the home 

 of a blacksmith. The blacksmidi asked, 



