II* Thfe 



from Lower Ladakh* Talc No 



-r 



By Rev. A. H. Francke. 



A collection of Sag'as 



THE TALE OP SKYABA RGODPO. 



Abstract of Contents. 



k 



Agn Sky aha rgodpo of gLing went a-hunting and met with 

 the great king of GroyuL They became friends and arranged 

 that their children were to marry each other. Both their wives 

 ■were with child, and, one d^iy, when Skyaba rgodpo fonnd a golden 

 bow and arrow, and the king of Groyul a mother-o-pearl spindle, 

 they knew thnt the formf^r was to get a baby-boy, and the latter a 

 babv-girl. Tliey agreed that the names of their children were to 

 be Gromo so dkar (black brown with white teeth) for the girl, and 

 Skynha dkarpo (white ladle) for the boy. Then they played at dice 

 for seven days about their children, to find ont who of the two 

 was to become the master of the house.^ The result whs that 

 Skyaba rgodp6*s boy was to be master, and that the girl was to 

 accept him, even if he should be very poor. Then the whole con- 

 tract was written by Sky aha rgodjpo with his own blood and hid- 

 den beneath his saddle. On his way home, Skyaba rgodpo was 

 swallowed by a wild yak, and the horse arrived in the stable 



alone. 



When Skyaba rgodpo^s hoy was born and gro^n up, he 

 decided to leave his home and go to find his father. He saddled his 

 horse arid discovered the marriage contract. From a high hill he 

 saw a yak gr^azing and asked him what kind of food he liked best. 

 The yak replied that he liked the flesh of men and animals heai 

 of ail, and thnt he would not eat grass unless he could not get 

 the former. Next morning the hoy killed the yak with seven 

 aiTows and opened his belly. Oat of it came a number of men 

 whom the yak had devoured, and also the boy's father. The 

 latter, however, died soon. His corpse was burnt over three 



arrows 



Then 



received 



Qroyul 



to accompany the boy, dPalle rgodpon khrai myo khrai thung^ Ang- 

 gar Itsnng^pa ; ^Mt ynlla medpat] Qrodpa che ; Lag lag rings; 

 rkang rhmg rings. Before arriving in Groyul, they came to a 

 great lake. A^ra dPnlle made a great dumpling of one bushel of 

 flour and sat down on a boulder to eat it. ' 



Then a beautiful girl 



1 The queation is whet»ier fche boy is to be a hagpo who providei a wife 

 for himself or a magfa who is asked bj the girl, whilst she remaios tnaater 



in her father's house- 



