1884.] 
A Nicobar tale. 
33 
Hat doch en kan Tiomberombi, 
hemeang ioang de gni; Tiombe- 
rombi leat itoe de matai tiie kande. 
Jucbtere dge(a)ngiie en Tiombe¬ 
rombi, haeniede io beniongiede 
kande ; de hemeang tat koi. 
“ Tin en tenmsela ? Tin en ten- 
masla ?” gnseh Tiomberombi. “ Til 
de dok de ghiha ?” “ Kae po- 
mdeshe da bako koi Kanoadae 
Petiang.” “ Oh ie kare- (^)hoet ah ! 
da ene hat bt en tenmaela. Kahae 
en sheian.” 
Shnmianhata kan Tiomberombi. 
Dongle te ghi Tiomberombi en 
kalseng, io orae kan Tiomberombi, 
orae tioaha, orae sheian. 
liiakheghe de sheian, iuakheghe 
enkane. 
Tiomberombi’s wife cannot (soil : 
defend the place), she is alone in 
the house ; Tiomberombi had gone 
on a visit to her father. How Ti¬ 
omberombi ran (i. e., to the canoe) 
and hurried (across the water) to 
his wife who was quite alone. 
* “ Where is the glass ? where is 
the glass ?” cries Tiomberombi. 
“ Who has been in the house ?” 
“ The old grey haired (woman) Ka¬ 
no adae Petiang.” “ Ah me! if that 
be so, then we shall not live ! for 
now the looking glass is not here. 
Bring a bag.” 
His wife puts Tiomberombi in a 
bag. The foreigners came into the 
house of Tiomberombi; they took 
away his wife, (all) his property 
and the bag. 
t The bag and the woman were 
brought on board. 
The flag which waved over Tiomberombi’s island kingdom is shot away. 
He is from home at the time on a visit to his wife’s father, his wife is 
alone in the house. But he sees the fall of the symbol of his power, and 
hastens home to enquire into and repair, if he can, the catastrophe. 
* In great anxiety as soon as he comes in, he cries, “ Where is the 
mao-ic mirror ?” It is nowhere to be found. “ Who has been here ?” he 
enquires and on learning that the old woman had been there, he resigns all 
hope and says that it will cost them their lives. ^ lioet ah. Hat and hcet 
mean “ not hat is used for the singular, hcst for the plural. Hcst ah 
= not live. The meaning supplies “ I or we shall not live,” hcet makes 
it “we.” He resolves u|Don concealing himself, however ; and with the 
assistance of his wife he is enclosed in a bag and placed amongst the 
household property. His brave, faithful wife has to face the enemy. 
t As he no doubt anticipated, they land and convey everything 
away, his wife, his property, his all, literally bag and baggage. He 
thus manages to have himself and his household gods conveyed away 
together. Our hero in the bag is placed in the bow of the vessel. 
The vessel sinks to the water’s edge at the bow. He is shifted aft, 
E 
