28o 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



Then they went and did as their mother told 

 them. Then the big white horse laughed, 

 "He, he, he," and changed into a man. 



Afterward the grandfather again changed 

 into a sow. Their mother again told them 

 what to do, and they again found him. After 

 that the grandfather again said, "Now you 

 two may go and hide and let me come and 

 look for you. If I find you, you cannot go. 

 If I cannot find you, then you can go." 



Their mother secretly changed them into 

 a pair of chopsticks and put them inside a 

 bamboo tube. The grandfather hunted for a 

 day, but did not find them. At night they 

 broke out laughing, "Shi, shi, jia gong." He 

 again said, "You are truly my grandchildren." 

 He again said, "Tomorrow you may go and 

 hide in the wood in my field (cleared by 

 burning). I will set fire, and if I cannot burn 

 you, then you can go. If you are burnt to 

 death, you must not blame me." 



Although they consented, they did not 

 know how they could escape this calamity. 

 Then they began to weep. Then their mother 

 again said, "Do not cry. Today I will again 

 take responsibility. You two only go and 

 hide in the field." 



Just as they had hidden, the grandfather 

 set fire on all sides and burnt the clearing. 

 Then their mother changed them into small 

 fish (so they could hide in the mud). Then 

 they bored down into the mud. 



The fire burned along widi the wind. It 

 burned until night, when the mountain forest 

 was all burnt up. The grandfather then said, 

 "Are these two things still alive today.f*" Just 

 as he had finished speaking the two boys said, 

 "Grandfather, let us go." Then the grand- 

 father was shocked and said, "So I have no 

 way in which I can harm them (deceive 

 them)." 



Next day the grandfather told them to start 

 home with their mother. Just as they were 

 about to start the grandfather said, "Today 

 when j'ou reach the bank of the river with 

 your mother, when you see water bubbles 

 come, if you see black bubbles, dip them up. 

 If you see white bubbles, do not dip them up." 

 Their mother said, "Black bubbles are sky 

 demons. White bubbles are gold and silver 

 ornaments. Take care." 



Then they went to the shore of the stream. 

 They saw a big black bubble come floating 

 on the water. The older brother did not 

 believe his mother, and he reached out and 

 grasped the black bubble. Unexpectedly, a 

 big black man came out of the bubble, and he 

 leaped out and at one grasp seized their 

 mother and took her back home. 



Then the white bubbles arrived. They did 

 not care to dip them up, but again returned 

 to their grandfather's place and said to their 

 grandfather, "You are truly detestable. You 

 have again brought our mother back home. 

 After all, what do you want?" He replied, 

 "The older brother can go and pick up that 

 muddy water, and he will get a tiger's daugh- 

 ter for a wife. If the younger brother goes 

 and picks up clear water, he will get a 

 monkey's daughter for a wife. Today you 

 two may go and seek a wife, and then I will 

 release your mother to go with you." 



That day the older brother went into the 

 great forest. He called, "Tiger's daughter, 

 tiger's daughter, I will come and choose you 

 for my wife." But he was afraid of tigers, 

 so he climbed up into a tree and hid. In a 

 short time there came a woman from the big 

 bend, seeking him. But he did not dare to 

 speak. The woman sought for him awhile, 

 then went away, and he did not get her for 

 a wife. 



The younger brother went to a cliif and 

 chose a monkey's daughter and brought her 

 back home. The younger first reached home, 

 and the older brother had not arrived. When 

 the younger brother arrived, he told his wife 

 to go and bring water to drink. When she 

 went to carry water (on her back), she met 

 the older brother coming back. Then the 

 older brother saw that she was a monkey 

 woman, and was going to beat her. The 

 monkey woman said, "If you beat me, I have 

 my water dipper. I am not afraid of you." 

 Then the older brother killed her with one 

 blow of his fist. 



When the older brother reached the house 

 the younger brother asked him, "Did you 

 see my monkey wife come to carry water?" 

 He replied, "That thing was struck dead by 

 me and was thrown into the edge of the 

 pool." The younger brother said, "Mother 

 has not come back with us. Father is not at 

 home. If the monkeys come and require her 

 life of us, what can we do?" The older 

 brother said, "Tomorrow we will carry the 

 monkey woman and throw her on the grass- 

 hopper cliff. Then you play false by going 

 to the monkey cliff and calling. If the 

 monkeys come out and ask 'What are you 

 calling for?' you say, 'I have come to call my 

 monkey wife, for she came back this morning 

 to weave cloth. Has she come back to your 

 home, or not?' " 



When he went and called, the monkeys 

 replied. Then the mother monkey said, "I 

 have not seen my daughter come back." Then 

 he said, "If she is not to be seen, I fear that 



