1865.] Religion &c. among the Karens. 183 



" Aha," the eagle exclaimed, " we said all were dead, and now we 

 have found another quite unexpectedly." The oldest eagle came, and 

 the sky hecame full of clouds. It became dark, it thundered, and 

 the sun set. The eagle perched on the branch of a large wood-oil 

 tree, but the branch broke, and it then flew up to the top of the tree 

 and perched there, where it broke off a branch and picked its teeth 

 with it, when the arm and leg bones of men fell out between its teeth. 



Then it laughed, and said : " Aha ! I said : can there be any thing 

 more left ? and here is the veriest trifle. Shall I dirty my teeth 

 with it?" 



Ta-ywa said : " Grandfather, you can devour me as a matter of 

 course, but we try a bamboo, we try a tree. Let us try each other 

 once." 



The great eagle replied : " Why should we try ? Be quiet, you 

 cannot do any thing." Ta-ywa answered : " Nevertheless, things are 

 tried ; let us try." 



The great eagle said : " Well then, how do you wish to try me ? " 

 He replied : " If you can strike through my roof then eat me ; but if 

 you cannot, you shall not eat me. 



Then the eagle pulled a feather out of his wing, and with it struck 

 through the seven layers of bamboo, but it did not go through the 

 iron. 



Ta-ywa immediately took the tin bow, and said to the eagle : 

 " Where is thy heart ? " He pointed to a spot on his side. Then 

 Ta-ywa shot at the spot, but the arrow did not enter ; so the eagle 

 said: "Ah, you cannot overcome. Wait, let me eat you." 



Ta-ywa said : " Grandfather, thou wilt eat me of course, but let me 

 try a shot with this old bamboo bow." The eagle answered : " Eh, 

 with the bow of glittering white if thou couldst not pierce me, how 

 wilt thou pierce me with the rusty old bamboo one ? " 



Ta-ywa said : "I will try a shot. Where is thy heart ? " He 

 replied : " My heart is at this variegated spot." Then Ta-ywa shot, 

 and the eagle fell dead. 



When he had killed one bird, he repaired the roof and made it 

 stronger than it was at first. Then he called and sung again, and a 

 second eagle came, with which a similar course was pursued, and it 

 was killed like the first, and so again with the third and last. 



