Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/176

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Folklore of the Banyanja.


Next day Jarije went to another boy who was herding sheep. He said, "I will pick up one of your sheep and run away with it." The boy said, "I have heard of you and the goat and the sheep; but you cannot do that here; you can pick up the sheep; but you cannot run away with it; I would soon catch you." Jarije got away with the sheep again and again he ate all the meat and gave his brother none. His brother said, "Next time I will not open the door." The next day Jarije went to the same boy and got another sheep. A crowd of men pursued him, and when he came back he sang:

"Brother, you opened me the door," etc.

But the brother would not open the door; and the men killed Jarije.


The Khorhaan.

There was a man who went to make a garden. First of all he cut down all the trees; which had to be cleared away and went home that night to sleep. Next day he came to dig; but there was no longer a clearing, for all the trees were growing again. He cut down the trees again and went home at night to sleep; but next morning they were growing again in the same place. The third day he cut down the trees again and the next morning they were all growing again in the same place. He cut them all down again and that night he hid in the clearing. He saw a Khorhaan come, and it said, "Who wants to make a garden here?" and the trees answered him. He sang:

"Who has done this? Who has done this?
The man tells lies.
Trees, wake again!
Grass, wake again!"

Then all the trees grew again. The man killed the bird, and it said, "Kill me properly!" He picked it up, and it said, "Pick me up properly!" He took it home and