192 



THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



To the wigwams of the Sisters. 

 But had scarce begun to scold them 

 Ere they found the tables turned 

 " Pretty fellows are you truly ! 

 Thus to leave your wives behind 



you 

 And go hunting in the forest, 

 "While your very holy Lingo 

 Tries his arts upon our virtue. 

 We have quite made up our minds now 

 Not to stay another minute, 

 But to take our beds and wardrobes, 

 And return to where we came from 

 To our poor deceived papa ! " 

 Then the Brothers said among them 

 " O that sinful, wicked Lingo ! 

 How the villain has deceived us ! 

 When we offered him the fairest, 

 No, he wanted none, he told us ; 

 Called them sisters, called them 



mothers ; 

 Now to play so mean a trick on 

 Us when hunting in the forest ! 

 Let us get him to the jungle, 

 Kill him there, and pull his eyes out. 

 Hares and antelopes we've hunted, 

 Now we'll hunt our little Lingo. 

 Bread or water let us touch not 

 Till we've played a game of marbles 

 With the eyes of faithless Lingo." 

 Then they went and wakened Lingo, 

 Saying, "Rise, our youngest brother." 

 And he rose, and wondering asked 



them 

 Why so late they had returned, 

 Bringing nothing from the forest. 

 And they answered, " Lo, a Creature, 

 Mighty strong, appeared before us ; 

 And we fought him with our arrows, 

 But this mighty Creature fell not, 



Neither fled he ; come then with us." 

 Then rose Lingo, and before them 

 Stalked he on into the forest, 

 To the forest- shade primeval. 

 Looked for traces of the Creature 

 In the grass, among the bushes; 

 But this mighty Creature saw not. 

 Then they sat them down and rested 

 By the tree called Sarekata. 

 And the Brothers went for water, 

 Went and pondered how to kill him ; 

 And returning softly, hidden 

 By the stem of Sarekata, 

 From their bows four arrows sped they, 

 Bulrush shafts, at holy Lingo. 

 Split his skull was, pierced his neck 



was, 

 Cleft the liver was of Lingo. 

 Down he dropped, and out his life 



By the Tree called Sarekata. 



Then a knife they took and gouged 

 him, 



Out the eyes they bored of Lingo ; 



In a hole they put the body ; 



Strewed it over with some branches ; 



Pulled some leaves and made a goblet 



For the bored-out eyes of Lingo ; 



Tied it up into a waistcloth, 



Hied them homeward to their wig- 

 wams; 



Called their wives, and lit some torches, 



Blazing torches made of flax-stalks ; 



Played their horrid game of marbles 



With the bored-out eyes of Lingo. 

 So the Brothers four of Lingo 



And those seven nice young women 



Chucked his eyes about like marbles 



For an hour's time by the torch- 

 light. 



