THE LAY OF SAINT LINGO. 



195 



Where a man could scarcely enter. 

 There they found a spring of 



water, 

 Cool and sparkling in the shadow. 

 And they plucked the leaves of 



Puhis, 

 Making cups, and drank the waters, 

 And refreshed were from their 



labours. 

 Then said Lingo, " "Wherefore 



stay ye 1 

 We have not yet seen the creature. 

 Living creature without liver. 

 Witliout liver creature is not." 



And he said, "Here in the forest 

 Let us clear a field and plant it. 

 Down the trees here — let us fell 



them ; 

 And the ground here — let \is dig 



it; 

 Seed of rice here — let ns sow it. 

 I will sleep here for a little 

 While ye clear away the forest." 

 Then slept Lingo, slept and 



dreamed he, 

 Dreamed he of twelve threshing- 

 places, 

 Tbreshing-tioors that full of Gonds 



were. 

 And his soul was greatly troubled ; 

 And he rose and looked about 



him. 

 Found the Brothers sadly hewing, 

 Hewing sadly at a big tree ; 

 And their hands had blisters on 



them. 

 Blisters large as fruit of AoM. 

 And their hatchets — down they 



threw them ; 

 And went off and down they 



squatted. 



Then our Lingo up an axe took, 



Took and hewed he at the big tree, 



Hewed and levelled all the forest. 



Felled the trees and grubbed their 



roots out — 



In an hour the field was finished. 

 And the Gonds said, " Mighty 



Lingo ! 

 Lo our hands were sore and 



blistered, 

 Hewing sadly at one big tree, 

 Which we left still undemolished. 

 In an hour has Lingo done it ! 

 He has levelled all the forest ; 

 Black the land appears l)elow it ; 

 Thick the rice is sown upon it ; 

 High a hedge is raised around it ; 

 Single left an entrance to it ; 

 Strong a gate is placed before it." 

 Then they rose and turned them 



homewards, 

 Homewards went they to their 



wigwams. 

 Soon the rainy season cometh, 

 Black a little cloud appeareth. 

 Strong the winds from heaven are 



loosened. 

 All the sky is clouded over ; 

 Now the rain begins to patter. 

 lu a while the streams run knee- 

 deep, 

 All the hollows flooded brimfull. 

 Thus three days and nights it 



rained, 

 Then it stopped as it begun had. 

 And the rice began to shoot up ; 

 Green became the field of Lingo. 

 High as fingers four it sprouted, 

 Sprouted thus high in a day's time. 

 In a month 'twas somewhat higher, 

 With a man's knee it wa^ level. 

 In the forest shade primeval 

 Sixteen scores of Deer were 



dwelling ; 

 Chief among them Uncle Mamdn; 

 Nephew Bhasyal — heir apparent. 

 Rich the odour reached their 



noses 

 Of that rice-field in the clearing. 

 First the Uncle sniffed the odour. 

 And the Nephew sniffed it after, 

 o 2 



