

















182 Religion &c. among the Karens. [No. 3, 
This Shie-oo had a spur, like a cock, and when Ta-ywa wrestled 
with him, Long-legs came behind, and tripped up Shie-oo, but. his 
spur entered the leg of Long-legs, and the blood flowed out like a 
river. When Shie-oo fell, Ta-ywa trod him down into the earth till 
he was immersed in it; and Long-arms thrust him down as far as his 
arms would reach ; and then Long-legs trod him down as far as his 
legs would go; and he went down below the earth, and has to carry 
the earth to the present time. When the earth quakes, people say: 
“ Shie-oo is raising himself.” 
Ta-ywa and his associates pursued their journey, and met with an 
empty house. After they had sat down, and drank water from a 
spout that brought down water from the brook above, they went up 
into the house, where they found a guitar. After Ta-ywa had tuned 
it, he played and sung: 
‘The house is pleasant, is fair ; 
The owner is where? Is where? ” 
The place where he sat was on the head of a very beautiful girl, 
who was hidden in the crevice of the floor, and she pinched him. He 
thought an insect had bitten him, and taking a cleaver he opened out 
the crevice of the bamboo floor, when he came on the head of the girl. 
She said to them: “ Ah, my dear boys, how is it that you are here ? 
The great eagle has eaten my father and mother, my friends, and my 
brothers. My parents had compassion on me and hid me. How have 
you appeared? The great eagle will come and devour you.” 
They replied to her: “ My dear girl, do not be afraid. Go beat 
out paddy and cook rice for us. So she went and beat out paddy, and 
cooked rice, and eat with them. 
They asked the girl: “‘ At what time does the great eagle come ?”” 
She answered: “‘ When the sun passes the meridian, when it is half 
way down, and at sun-set.” Then they said: “put up a split bamboo 
roof to the house, of seven layers; and below them a layer of iron.” 
This was done, and then they made a tin bow, and an iron bow. The 
tin bow, they called the silver bow ; and the iron bow, they called the 
old bamboo bow. Then they called out to the eagle singing : 
“Every thing has the Eagle devoured, 
Father, mother, and a wide land. 
Has eaten father and mother, 
But me in compassion they hid,” 
