THE AINOS OF l'EZO, JAPAN. 487 



The wizard was astounded, for what lie had told the Aiuo was a wicked lie, in- 

 vented with the sole intention of causing the death of the man, whom, for reasons hest 

 known to himself, he hated. Still, as that which he had meant as an idle tale was 

 apparently an actual fact, he decided to see the world himself in this fashion. So, 

 going to the top of the mountain and seeing a belt of clouds a short way below, he 

 jumped on to it, but was simply smashed to pieces in the valley beneath. That night 

 the god of the mountain appeared to the first (good) man in a dream and said, "The 

 wizard has met wi th the death which his fraud and folly deserve. You I kept from hurt 

 because you are a good man. So when, in obedience to the wizard's advice, you leapt 

 off outo the cloud, I bore you up and showed you the world in order to make you 

 wiser. Let all men learn from this how wickedness leads to condign puuishmeut." 



LEGEND OF A FAMINE. 

 By Mr. John Batcheloe. 



There was a woman who was ever sitting bj- the window and doing some kind of 

 needlework or other. 



In the window of the house there was a large cup tilled to the brim with wine, 

 upon which floated a ceremonial moustache-lifter. 



The ceremouial moustache-lifter was dancing about upon the top of the wine cup. 

 In explaining the subject from the beginning and setting it forth from the end, the 

 tale runs as follows : 



Now look, do you think that the great god, do you think that the true god, was 

 blind? 



In Ainu land there was a great famine and the Ainu were dying for want of food, 

 yet with what little rice-malt aud with what little millet they had they made (a cup 

 of) wine. 



Now the great god had mercy, and, in order that our relatives might eat, produced 

 both deer and fish. 



And the great god had mei'cy upon us, therefore he looked upou us aud, iu truth, 

 saw that in Ainu laud there was a famine, aud that the Ainu had nothing to eat. 

 Then was that cup of wine emptied into six lacquer- ware vessels. 



In a very little while the scent of the wine filled the whole house. 



Therefore were all the gods led iu aud the gods of places were brought from every- 

 where, and they were all well pleased with that delicious wine. 



Then the goddess of the rivers aud the goddess of the mouths of rivers dauced back 

 and forth in the house. 



Upon this the gods laughed with smiles upon their faces; 



And while they looked at the goddesses they saw them pluck out two hairs from a 

 deer ; 



And, as it were, blew them over the tops of the mountains ; then appeared two 

 herds of deer skipping upon the mountain tops, one of bucks and the other of does. 



Then they plucked out two scales from a fish, aud, as it were, blew them over the 

 rivers ; and the beds of the rivers were so crowded with fish that they scraped upon 

 the stones, and the tops of the rivers w T ere so full that the fish stood out like the 

 porches of houses and were dried up by the sun. 



So the things called fish filled all the rivers to the brim. 



Then the Ainu went fishing aud caused their boats to dance upon the rivers. 



The young men now found fish and venison in rich abundance. 



Hence it is that Ainu land is so good. Hence it is that from ancient times till now 

 there has been hunting. Hence it is that there are inheritors to this hunting. 



LEGEND OF THE LARGE TROUT. 



By Mr. John Batciielor. 



At the source of the Saru River there is a large lake. 



In this lake there was a monster trout which was so big that it used to flap its (pec- 

 toral) fius at oue end and wave its tail at the other. 



