Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/506

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470
Collectanea.

(them) to the boy. When day broke, he took them to the chief.[1] As for him, when the Snake saw that the boy had very nearly been killed, he said,—"O youth." He (Auta) said,—"Um." He (Snake) said,—"There is a daughter of the chief of (whom) the chief is very fond." Then the Snake said,—"I shall enter into her stomach. All the learned men in the world will be assembled to attend to the girl, but she will not get well. But you, when you go, you will heal her." He (Snake) said,—"I it is who will give you medicine with which to heal her." He (Snake) said,—"When you go to this chief, you say your medicine is difficult (to obtain). The chief will say,—"What can be difficult to me?" You say,—"It will certainly be hard for you." He will say,—"O youth, whatever the difficulty I will do (it)." "Very well, I want a white leper's liver brought me at once."" He (Snake) said,—"Now, when you have been brought the white leper's liver, put (it with some) water in a pot. Give (it) to this girl that she may drink. Then she will be healed." So the boy said,—"Very well." Now the girl was playing with (amongst) the girls, her fellows, when the Snake started, and he crawled inside her stomach. Then the girl said to her fellows she had a stomach- ache, she was going home. Then the girls said,—"Let us go. The chief's daughter is not well." When she had gone home, she lay down, and her stomach (began) swelling, and swelling, and swelling, until it was like a storehouse. Then the chief arose, and (began) crying, and crying, and crying, and falling down and doing all kinds of things. Then the white leper whom the chief was fond of came and gave his advice. All the learned men in the town were summoned. Everyone gave (her) medicine, (but) it did no (good). The girl did not get better. (They) went to Faki Fatika, and called the learned men of the town. They came and gave (her) medicine. The girl got no better. Then this rich boy came with one old rag on. He had not (on) a good robe. So he came to the chief, and said,—"May your life be prolonged."[2] Then the white leper arose and hit him, and said,—"The chief's daughter is ill. Have you, a wearer of rags, come (to bother him)?" Then he said,—("As for) me I have come

  1. These are the usual tasks, and occur in many stories.
  2. A common salutation, corresponding to "O King, live for ever!"