1884.] 
A Nicobar tale. 
35 
komnggne ?” “ Haa, tiiie Tiom- 
berombi kenmolo.” “Tim leap 
me ?” “ Oh okpak dak.” Tim leap 
me dewe ? “ Haa, hemeaiig okpak 
dak leap.” 
Juchter^ oknok en omia. luaklia- 
hende ganlongtei en Tiomberombi 
61 dak top en kande. Hat hew 
omia. Shinkoehange aneeh kan an, 
hewe ganlongtei en enkane, hat 
hew en omia. 
Gnahhagne en kaniom da shien 
hewen ganlongtei de olfang enkane. 
“ Hat gechtereshe !” gneeh 
kaniom. “ Tiomberombi ka, 
Tiomberombi omia.” 
Rsewe, katiape, hat katiape 
karan, henpon. Jnchtereende 
shomhata de 61 ghi mang(n)8eh. 
Hat iteak enkane, teina pohoa 
omia. 
Juchter6 hatamende urohetshe 
rombi, the younger ?” “Is it not 
yon who made war ?” “Ho, I am 
Tiomberombi, the younger.” 
“What work can you do?” “I 
can boil water.” “ What else can 
you do ?” Ho (thing), I know only 
that one thing, to boil water.” 
How it happened after this that 
the chief was eating. Tiomberom¬ 
bi slipped his finger-ring into the 
water his wife was to drink. The 
chief did not see (him do it). His 
wife drank ofi at a draught and saw 
the ring, but the chief did not see it. 
* A boy called out, who saw tfio 
ring in the woman’s mouth. 
“ It is not true,” said the boy, 
“it is Tiomberombi himself, Tiom¬ 
berombi the chief.” 
They seize him and bind him 
they do not bind him with chains, 
but with strings. Then he was 
brought into a stone house. The 
woman (i. e., his wife) did not 
sleep for fear of the chief. 
t How it happened in the night, 
fighting. At length he manages to procure his introduction to the 
presence of his enemy the chief, where he finds his wife, who, however, 
does not recognize him, as he is probably disguised. In order to make 
her aware, who he is, he deposits his finger ring in the cup of water, 
which she is about to drink. On lifting the cup to her mouth she sees 
and recognizes it, and, no doubt, its owner. 
* Tiomberombi successfully eludes the observation of the elders, but 
he reckoned without an enfant terrible, whose presence perhaps he had not 
condescended to notice. This sharp-eyed youngster detects Tiomberom- 
bi’s manoeuvre and denounces him, and he is then seized, tied up and 
thrown into a stone built prison. His wife meanwhile, who is still with 
the chief, spends the night without sleep through fear and dread. Tiom- 
berombi’s fortunes are now at their lowest ebb. But succour comes from 
an unexpected quarter. 
t Humbers of rats were heard scampering about the room, in which 
