Page:Fairytales•Tregear•1891.pdf/35

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THE PET WHALE.
29

from Sacred Island sang all sorts of songs and danced all manner of dances in order to make Kae laugh, so that they might see his teeth. They played on flutes, and accompanied the music with castanets; they played on instruments like Jews-harps; they played games with their fingers such as cats’ cradle and mora; they made dolls dance with all sorts of antics, but Kae did not laugh. At last they hit upon one intensely comic song, and they sung this all together, sticking out their hands and jerking their bodies, while their faces were grimacing till even the grim old magician was forced to join in the shouts of laughter. Then the women whispered one to the other, “Yonder is Kae, with the gapped teeth.” When they had found out which was he, they pretended that there was too much light and heat from the fire, as it made them too warm when dancing, so the fire was allowed to burn low, and the women commenced a “lullaby” song, a magical sleep-making charm. Soon the heads of those within the house began to nod, Kae with the others yielded to the drowsy spell, and he with his people all fell into an enchanted sleep. Hina and her friends took the old priest, rolled him up in their cloaks, and carried him gently down to the canoe, still fast asleep. They got