222 Beligion &c. among the Karens. [No. 4, 



replied to him roughly : ' Thou art an orphan, thy house is nasty and 

 dirty, who dost thou think would go up into it ? ' He returned to 

 his house, and heing very hungry, he said to himself : ' If I die, I die, 

 I will eat.' So he ate, and nothing happened to him. 



" The same thing occurred next day. His food was cooked and ready 

 for him on returning from his lahour. The following day, he deter- 

 mined to watch ; so after going away, he returned cautiously, and he 

 saw a young woman come out of the basket. She went to the brook 

 and brought water, and then cooked the rice. He showed himself to 

 her, and she no more took the form of an egg, but became his wife. 

 She said to him : ' My name is Miss Egg, but never speak my name. 

 If thou dost, I shall disappear, and thou wilt see me no more.' 



" People frequently asked him for his wife's name, but he never told, 

 till they induced him to drink arrack to intoxication. Then he reveal- 

 ed her name. "When he came to himself his wife was gone, and he 

 wept bitterly. 



" His dog said to him : ' Master, don't cry.' "We will go to where 

 Mistress is.' He answered : ' If we go, shall we find her ? ' The dog 

 Baid : ' Follow me.' So away they went together, till they reached the 

 banks of the Salwen, when the dog said : ' I will swim across. Take 

 bold of my tail, and on reaching the other side, do not say : ' Grood.' 

 1 1 tbon dost, my tail will drop off.' He failed, however, to do as he 

 was commanded, and on getting on shore he exclaimed: 'Good!' 

 when one of the dog's tails dropped off. 



" They kept on their way, till they reached another large river, where 

 the same scene was enacted ; and so on, till they had crossed seven 

 large rivers and all the dog's seven tails had dropped off. On losing 

 the last, the dog said to his master : ' I shall die, and there are many 

 cross-roads on the way. If master goes on, let him take my body 

 with him. On reaching the first crossings, cut off my head, and try 

 on which road the blood drops. Follow the road on which my blood 

 drop.-, ; and on coming to a multitude of houses, try the foot of the 

 steps of each house till my blood drops down on one. The house in 

 which my Mistress lives, is the one on which my blood drops upon 

 the steps.' The dog ceased speaking, and immediately expired. This 

 time the man followed his dog's directions, and found his wife." 



