NO, I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



281 



she has been killed by grasshoppers." Then 

 he pretended to weep loudly. Then the 

 monkeys went with him to the grasshopper 

 cliff and saw the monkey woman dead there. 

 Then the monkeys began to cry and roared 

 loudly, "Such hated grasshoppers, we will 

 destroy them all or we will not count as 

 monkeys." 



Next morning they brought togedier the 

 monkeys of three bends and six ridges to 

 make war with the grasshoppers. Because it 

 was too early the sun had not yet come out, 

 and the grasshoppers' wings were not yet 

 strong. The grasshoppers entreated the 

 monkeys saying, "You are good (Chinese) 

 people. Please wait until dinner before you 

 fight. Now we have embroidered clothing. 

 Wait until noon when our grandmothers (on 

 the mother's side) bring clothes for us to 

 wear, then we will fight." 



The monkeys of the three bends and six 

 mountaintops each carried a short club. At 

 noon, when the sun was just at the zenith, 

 the grasshoppers of die hill flew out to fight. 

 They flew and struck at the heads of the 

 monkeys. Then the monkeys struck at the 

 grasshoppers widi the clubs, and struck their 

 own heads. In a little while the monkeys 

 had all killed themselves, and only one 

 monkey was left, who was watching the 

 mountain. 



This lookout monkey (watch-mountain- 

 monkey) then ran to Ye Seo and asked him 

 about it. Ye Seo said to him, "These grass- 

 hoppers live on the reeds and grass. This 

 morning you run and seize them with your 

 hand, and they cannot fly, and you can 

 exterminate them." 



The monkey came back and did as he was 

 advised. The grasshoppers on the pass were 

 seized and eaten by him. Alas, he ate too 

 much. That night when he came back his 

 bowels were loose and he died, and then both 

 kinds had perished. Only the two brothers 

 were left. They made up this story to 

 commemorate it. 



Two Sons Were Recompensed by Their 

 Mother (420) 



In former times, on a flat, there was a Miao 

 family. The father had died. There were only 

 the mother and two sons. But their mother 

 was blind. The older brother married a wife. 

 The younger had not yet married, but he was 

 very diligent in farming. 



One day he made a clearing ^^ and did 



^^ Literally, cut down a fire field. The grass 

 and trees are first cut down, and later they are 



much farm work. Then he married a girl 

 who belonged to a family at the edge of an 

 old forest. After he had married this wife, 

 the older brother sent the mother to live with 

 the younger brother. Because the heart of the 

 older brother was not good, he did not give 

 any of the things in their home to the younger 

 brother, but only sent the blind mother to 

 live with him. 



The younger brother was very poor. One 

 month the mother became ill, and after she 

 had gradually become well she wanted very 

 much to eat chicken meat. 



One day the younger son and his wife went 

 to his wife's home. Her mother killed a 

 chicken for them to eat. She pretended that 

 she did not want to eat it, and picked up the 

 chicken meat with her chopsticks and, putting 

 it to one side, she wrapped it up and took it 

 home for her mother-in-law to eat. 



When she reached home it was dark and 

 her mother was asleep. She therefore put 

 the chicken meat in the cupboard and it was 

 knocked off into the urinating vessel by the 

 cat. Then the daughter-in-law chased the cat, 

 and as she chased the cat she wept. 



The mother asked her why she was crying. 

 Then she told the mother-in-law about bring- 

 ing back the chicken meat. The mother-in-law 

 said, "Although the chicken meat has fallen 

 into the vessel, you can wash it clean and 

 give it to me to eat. I am not afraid, and I 

 cannot get money to buy any." 



The daughter-in-law, when she heard this, 

 used a great deal of water and washed the 

 meat. Then she cut it into pieces and gave it 

 to her mother to eat. When she had eaten 

 the mother-in-law said, "Although this chicken 

 meat fell into the urine, after I have eaten 

 it my sickness has improved. In the future 

 you and your husband will get rich." 



That night the son and wife went to bed 

 and slept. Then their dead father came to 

 them and revealed himself to them in a 

 dream (did a dream for them). He said, 

 "My small son, tomorrow you two can go to 

 the foot of that cliff to carry silver." Both 

 the husband and the wife had this dream. 



Next morning they went below the cliff 

 and looked. They actually saw a lot of white 

 silver in a crevice on the cliff. Then they 

 came back home and told their mother. The 

 mother said, "This is yours. Quickly go and 

 carry it back." Then they went and carried 

 it home, and from this time they were rich. 



Later their older brother and his wife came 



burned. This is a common method in West China, 

 and it is very destructive of the forests. 



