1917.] Riddles Current in the District of Sylhet. 121 



inkling of the idea possessed by the primitive composer of this 

 riddle that earthquakes are caused by subterraneous fires ? 



Stripped of its metaphor, the second line means that 

 wherever earthquakes occur, cries of i ulu, ulu 9 are uttered" 

 It refers to a custom which prevails among the Hindus of 

 Bengal. The Hindus throughout India believe that whenever 

 the god Vishnu, in his Boar-incarnation, transfers the burden 

 of the world from one of his tusks to another, earthquakes take 

 place. Another popular explanation is that the earth -tremor is 

 caused by the great bull or elephant, which supports the world, 

 changing his posture. At any rate, whenever earthquakes take 

 place, it is the custom in Western Bengal to blow conches, ring 

 I >ells and sound gongs. It would appear from the foregoing 

 riddle that the custom exists, in Sylhet and other parts of 

 Eastern Bengal, of the women's uttering cries of ' ulu, ulu ' on 

 the occasion of this natural phenomenon. 



^rf *; - ^ttst I 



Translation. 



(29) On the other side of the river, a cayenne pepper plant 



waves to and fro. 



What mother's son can 

 Answer. — The shadow. 



Note. 



Stripped of its metaphor, the meaning of the second line is 

 that nobody can stand upon his own shadow. 



Compare it with the following Parsee riddle about th 

 shadow (published at page 98 of Vol. X. of the Bombay Anthropo- 

 logical Society's Journal) which sets forth its characteristics 



more expressively : — 



11 What is that thing, which has neither flesh, blood nor 

 bone, and which, though inanimate, moves freely about ? " 

 Answer. — The shadow. 



Then I come to class 



(V). Condiment, etc. 



Translation. 



(30) The courtyard is empty. It has no house 



The edible substance has no bark. 

 Answer.— Salt. 



