WEST AFRICAN FOLKLORE. 773 



The goblin said that he had no more cowries, and the little 

 girl began crying, " My mother will beat me if I go home with 

 a cowry short." 



The goblin walked away, and the little girl walked after him. 



" Go away," said the goblin ; " turn back, for no one can enter 

 the country in which I live." 



" No," said the little girl ; " wherever you go, I will follow, 

 until you pay me my cowry." 



So the little girl followed, followed a long, long way, till they 

 came to the country where the people stand on their heads in their 

 mortars, and pound yams with their heads.* 



Then they went on again a long way, till they came to a river 

 of filth. And the goblin sang : 



" O young palm-oil seller, 



You must now turn back." 

 And the girl sang : 



" Save I get my cowry, 



I'll not leave your track." 



Then the goblin sang again : 



" O young palm-oil seller, 



Soon will lead this track 

 To the bloody river, 



Then you must turn back." 

 And she, 



" I will not turn back." 

 And he, 



"See yon gloomy forest." 

 And she, 



" I will not turn back." 

 And he, 



" See yon craggy mountain." 

 And she, 



"I will not turn back; 



Save I get my cowry, 

 I'll not leave your track." 



Then they walked on again, a long, long way ; and at last 

 they arrived at the land of dead people. 



The goblin gave the little girl some palm nuts with which to 

 make palm oil, and said to her, " Eat the palm oil yourself, and 

 give me the ha-ha." \ 



But when the palm oil was made the little girl gave it to the 

 goblin and ate the ha-ha herself. And the goblin said, " Very 

 well." 



* Yams are pounded into a sticky mass with a long wooden pestle, in a wooden mortar, 

 hollowed out of a section of a trunk of a tree. 



f Ha-ha, the stringy remnant of the pulp of the palm nut after the oil has been expressed. 



