ROSSELL] MYTHS 235 



after her. On the way he saw two attractive girls approaching him. 

 Tiimuig aside, lie lay dowTi beside the trail and l)egan to sing a 

 pleasing song just after the girls had passed him. Surprised at hear- 

 ing a voice beliind them, they looked back to see whence it came, 

 but could find no one. They saw nothing except a dead body that 

 was well advanced with decay. Wlieii thej' started on they heard 

 the singing again, but when they renewed the search they could find 

 no ]i%-ing person. The younger said, "It nmst be this decajdng 

 corpse that is singmg. " 



"Let us go," said the elder; but the younger refused, sajang, "I 

 am going to take that dead body, for I can see it winking." So she 

 took it to her home and loft it while she went to gather grass seed. 

 Soon the younger girl wanted to return to the house. 



"You want to go back to that putrid corpse," said the elder; 

 "you crazy thmg!" 



"Well, I am going; and if you are going to stay here, stay as long 

 as you like." So the younger woman got ready to go home, but the 

 other also got ready and accompanied her. ^Vhen they reached the 

 house the younger went in and found a handsome young man, to 

 whom she went without a word. The elder girl called her several 

 times, asking her to come aiad help cook some food. At hist the 

 elder girl came and discovered the young man, and she also came to 

 him. But the younger said, "You scolded me for bringing him here; 

 now you may go out and leave him to me. " 



Finally the young man said, "Go out, both of you, and cook some- 

 tliing for me to eat; I am hungry." So they both went to do as he 

 wished. The next day the husband of the two young women came 

 home, and was very angry at finding the 3'oimg man there. 



"Put lip one of your wives, " said he, "and we will have a game. " 



The young man said, "I have nothing to wager." But the hus- 

 band replied, "Put up one of your wives." Then the young man 

 said, "You must put up your shirt." And it was the turn of the 

 husband to reply, "I have no sliirt." 



"Yes, you have." 



"No, this is my skin," he answered, scratching his breast until 

 the blood came. 



"It is not your skhi; it is your sliirt. If you do not believe me, 

 I will take it off you and then I shall win the wager from you." "I 

 agree," said the other. So the young man took the husband of the 

 women up by the hands and shook him, and he dropped dead out of 

 his skin. 



At tliis time the young man's mother came, and they took the two 

 young women with them to their home. Soon he went to play ki^ts 



