36 
F. A. de Roepstorff— Tiomheromhi. 
[No. 1, 
komset. “ Da de ra do, da de ra do.” 
“ Kaetere en me,” gnseli Tioni- 
berombi nang komaet. 
“ Jiiclitere, tiin io me (^®)katne ?” 
“ Dock en me orae tenmcela ?” 
“Tin tenmaela ?” 
“ Grot de kat(6)a kaneala omia, 
got te tenmaela tine. 
“ Katei en tiebiende maka.” 
Kat, kat, kat, kat kaneala omia 
ende. Jana iuenlere en omia, 
beignade en komset. Hati5-o-en- 
de, tapak to gni mang(n)oeh da 
Tiomberombi leat katiape. 
“ Da de ra do, da de ra do.” 
“ Kom de tenmsela ?” 
“ Ob ninne, tieoi leat orse.” 
Hatio-6-o-bata en tenmsela ta tei 
that there were many rats. “ Pat¬ 
ter, patter, patter” (wenttheirfeet). 
“ Come here,” said Tiomberombi 
to a rat. 
“ What do yon want, friend ?” 
“ Can yon get my looking glass.” 
“ Where is the looking glass ?” 
“It is nnder the pillow of the 
chief, (there) is my looking glass.” 
* “We will carry it off by and 
bye.” 
They worked and worked away 
at the chief’s (head)pillow. If the 
chief moved in his sleep, the rats 
stopped. They dragged (it) on 
and on, and arrived at the stone- 
bnilt honse where Tiomberombi 
was imprisoned. 
“ Patter, patter ” (went the rats). 
“ Have yon got possession of the 
looking glass ?” 
“ This is it, we have brought 
(taken away) it.” 
They dragged the looking glass 
he is imprisoned, and he calls one of them to him. He begs the rat to 
enable him to regain possession of the mysterious mirror, and tells him 
he will find it nnder the head pillow of the chief. 
Kdtiie I have rendered by “ friend.” Tiie means “ parent.” Kd 
is a prefix added to all words of relationship tiom == grandparent, tiie 
( sister 
( sister 
= parent, tiau = elder < n , tan = younger < , kon = child, 
^ ’ ( brother’ ^ brother ’ 
and it is the polite way always to address persons with these words 
with ka as a prefix. In doing so due consideration must be given to the 
relative ages of the speakers. This is the only way that politeness can 
be shown and as all are socially equal amongst the Nicobarese this way 
of address is very nice. 
* The rats promise to fetch the looking glass later in the night. Kat, 
kat is onomatopoetic for the working of the rats. The chief sleeps 
soundly, but occasionally he moves his arms and they (keigna=wait, stop) 
hide. Having secured the mirror, they drag it into the house, where 
Tiomberombi lies bound, and up to where, about his neek, by the fore- 
