74 SEA-DYAK LEGEND. 



She spread out a mat for Pulang-Gana and then went into 

 the room jto get ready a meal 'for their visitor. Soon after 

 she opened the door of the room and asked him to come in 

 and eat. 



The old man who seemed kind and hospitable said to him : 



" Go in and have some food. You must be hungry after 

 your long journey. When you have eaten and rested, we can 

 have a talk together. I have long wished to meet you and to 

 ask you about yourself and your brothers, and how affairs are 

 in your country." 



Pulang-Gana went into the room and found a nice meal 

 awaiting him. Being very hungry, he did full justice to it. - 



That evening as they sat by the fire, the old man asked 

 him about his people and if they had good crops of paddy in 

 his country. Pualng-Gana said in reply that though his 

 brothers possessed the largest paddy fields in the country, still 

 he never remembered their having a really good harvest. The 

 paddy they obtained was not sufficient to last them the whole 

 year, and they had to fall back on potatoes and sago for food. 

 The old man seemed interested in what Pulang-Gana said of 

 himself, and Pulang-Gana want on and told him .of all his cir- 

 cumstances, how he lived with his six brothers and only sister 

 and how unkind his brothers were to him. He told the old 

 man also about the porcupine which did such damage to their 

 garden, and how often hehad been scolded and beaten by his 

 brothers for not being able to drive away or kill the animal. 

 He gave an account of his adventures that morning, how deter- 

 mining to kill the porcupine, he had followed it through the 

 under-ground passage through the mountain and had found 

 himself in this strange country. 



" I have heard your story," said the hold man, "and think 

 you are very much to be pitied. Your brothers seem to have 

 been very unkind and to have treated you very badly. I would 

 like you to stay with me here, and not return to them. I have 

 no son, and would like you to marry my daughter and live with 

 us. I am getting old and am not so strong as I used to be and 

 will be glad of your help." 



Jour, Straits Branch 



