XVII MYTHS, LEGENDS, STORIES 147 



any gongs or other things to pay you, so I'll make 

 you a whole man with two arms and two legs and 

 two eyes." Simpang Impang accepted the bargain, 

 and was overjoyed to find himself a whole man. 

 Then he remembered the messages he had brought 

 from the tree and the lake, and the wind-spirit 

 promised to do as he was asked. And then Simpang 

 Impang put to him the question of the bamboo and 

 of the banana plant ; and the wind-spirit said, **They 

 have no branches because human beings are always 

 offending against custom ; they often utter the 

 names of their father-in-law and mother-in-law, and 

 sometimes they walk before them in going through 

 the jungle ; that is why the bamboo and the banana 

 have no branches." 



Kenyah Fable of the Mouse-Deer and 

 THE Tortoise 



Animal fables are current among all the peoples 

 of Borneo, and are frequently repeated and listened 

 to with much enjoyment ; some individuals who 

 acquire the reputation of being good story-tellers 

 are frequently called upon to practise their art. 

 Closely allied with this enjoyment of fables is the 

 practice of describing incidents of social or tribal 

 intercourse in fables, parables, or allegories, which 

 are made to suit the occasions and to point the 

 appropriate moral. 



Once upon a time Plandok (the tiny mouse-deer) 

 and Kelap (the water-tortoise) went out together to 

 find fruit. They found a tree laden with ripe fruit 

 close by a house. " I can't climb up that tree," said 

 Plandok, "but I'll give you a leg up, and then you 

 can get on to that branch." So he pushed up Kelap 

 on to the lowermost branch. Kelap threw down all 

 the fruit, but then didn't know how to get down, and 

 called to Plandok for help. ** Oh ! get down anyway 



I 



