No. 25 — 1882.] SINHALESE FOLK-LORE STORIES. 



231 



the medicine that had cured his ketta, he took the poor old 

 woman to the same spot, and making a bigger hole carefully 

 covered her up. 



VI.— Hunting a Palm-Cat. 



A long time ago there lived in Tumpane a newly married 

 couple. One evening as the wife was commencing to prepare 

 her husband's dinner she heard the cry of a kalaveddd 

 (palm-cat) in a tree near the house, and, thinking if she 

 could manage to catch it she might surprise her husband with 

 a good meat curry, went out with the dog, saying " usi, 

 usi" (urging on the dog). The dog ran to the foot of the 

 tree barking and placed his forefeet on the trunk. She, thinking 

 that he was trying to climb it, began to make him a valalla (a 

 ring put round the ankles when climbing a tree). Just at that 

 time the husband returned, and seeing what she was doing chid 

 her for her foolishness, saying that 'he would shew her the way 

 to get the dog up the tree.' Procuring a long stake he sharpen- 

 ed one end of it and sticking it into the dog hoisted him up to 

 where the palm-cat was. The poor animal in agony whined 

 hi! be! "Say not ''be ! be ! (I cannot, I cannot)' " said the man 

 "but lay hold of the palm-cat !" 



