NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



279 



"What feather is that you have?" They re- 

 pHed, "This is our mother's feather for flying." 

 Then the blacksmith stole their feather and 

 burnt it, and they broke out crying, but the 

 blacksmith was helpless and beat out a pair 

 of fire tongs and a hammer and gave them 

 to the boys. He said, "You take these and go, 

 and Pto matter what you meet, grasp it with 

 the tongs and beat it with the hammer. It 

 will certainly be your mother." 



They first met a green bird. Then they 

 grasped the bird with the tongs and beat it 

 with the hammer. Then the bird cried out, 

 "Ji li, ji li, you two brothers must not grasp 

 me. Quickly go ahead. Your mother passed 

 by here not long ago." Then they ceased 

 beating the bird and pursued their mother. 



They met an angleworm and were about 

 to grasp and beat it. The angleworm showed 

 them where to go, and they went below the 

 cliff. There they met a flock of swallows but 

 the swallows said, 'Tou must not bother us. 

 Go quickly onto the mountain. There is a 

 big pool of water. In the pool are nine 

 spotted stones. You wantonly seize and beat 

 them and say to the stones, 'We want our 

 mother, we want our mother.' Then you will 

 certainly see your mother." 



They went up on the mountain and saw die 

 pool and the stones. They both beat and 

 called out. In a short time the water went 

 aside, and their mother came out and led 

 them into a house. 



The Heart of the Father-in-law Was Evil. 

 He Did Not Want the Mother to Return. 

 The Older Son Did Not Get a Tiger's 

 Daughter for a Wife. The Younger Son 

 Got a Mon\ey for a Wife (413) 



(This story is a sequel to the previous one.) 

 The wife's father came out and welcomed 

 the two sons into the house to live. On the 

 third day, in the morning, the two sons said 

 to their grandfather (mother's father), "We 

 are afraid that because we have been here 

 a long time our father will worry. Today 

 we want to take our mother back home." 

 The grandfather said, "Do you want to go? 

 Quickly pick the peaches in my garden, then 

 you may go." Then they picked all the 

 peaches. 



The grandfather said, "It will not do. Do 

 you want to go? Quickly put the peaches 

 back on the tree for me and then you may go. 

 If not, you cannot go at all." When they 

 heard this, they could only cry. They wept 

 a day and the mother secretly came down to 

 them and said to them, "Quickly eat a bowl 



of rice. Tomorrow I will put the peaches 

 back for you." 



Next morning the mother climbed up in 

 the peach tree and fanned with her skirt, and 

 in a short time the peaches were all back in 

 place. 



The grandfather then said, 'Tou still must 

 not be in a hurry about going. You two must 

 still go and burn off a clearing for me (cut 

 off a fire land) . It must be very large so that 

 I can sow one peck of small grain. You 

 cannot go until it is planted." 



They began and cut down trees several 

 months before it was finished. One day they 

 went and sowed one peck and two quarts of 

 small grain. Just as they had finished the 

 grandfather said, "Do you want to go? You 

 must quickly pick this grain up, and as at 

 first fill up one peck and two quarts of seed 

 before you can go. Otherwise you cannot go." 



The two boys thought, "This grain is so 

 small. How can we pick it up?" And the 

 two went about picking it up and crying as 

 they worked. Then their mother said to 

 them, "Do not cry. You can eat food and let 

 me come and pick it up." 



When the two had rested a short time the 

 mother took her skirt and waved it and 

 whistled, and a strong wind came, and in a 

 short time grain was all heaped up in a pile. 

 Alas, there was lacking a small handful to 

 fill up the corner of one of the quart 

 measures. It was because this had been eaten 

 by a small bird that had flown here and eaten 

 it. When they saw that the corner of the 

 measure was not filled up, they wept. Then 

 the mother reached her hand and caught the 

 small bird, and took her brass hairpin and 

 cut open the stomach of the bird and took out 

 the grain, and then the quart measure was 

 filled up. 



The grandfather also said, 'Tou two have 

 ability, but I will still test your minds. Let 

 me go and hide, and you come and find me. 

 If you find me I will let you go. If you cannot 

 find me, you cannot go." When he had 

 finished speaking, the grandfather was not to 

 be seen, and they did not know where he 

 had gone. 



Their mother secretly told them, 'Tou go 

 into the big flat. There is a white horse. You 

 go, one on the left side and one on the right, 

 and grasp him with your fingers (tickle him 

 near the shoulders). When you grasp him 

 you must say, 'u ji u jia gong, u ji u jia gong 

 (near home grandfather).' Then he will 

 certainly laugh." 



Of course they went. They sought him 

 for one day, and found the big white horse. 



