Then the Dog said to the He-goat,—"No, no, I refused to go before." Then he (He-goat) said,—"Let us go. I know how we shall manage" (the cunning that I shall do). So he made a gourd, (and filled it with) a poisonous stalk, and took some raw cotton and put it inside and took it, and they went to the Hyæna's house. Now they found the Hyæna forging. Her cubs were sitting down working the bellows. When the mother Hyaena saw two meals (meats) had come, she said,—"Welcome." As for the Dog, when he saw the Hyæna, he (began) crying and losing control over himself. Then the He-goat said,—"The Hyæna cubs cannot blow. Get up, that I may blow for her." So the cubs got up from the blowing-place, and the He-goat took hold of the bellows. When he first took hold, he (began) singing and saying that he had eaten nine lions, he had eaten nine buffaloes, and that he had also eaten nine hyænas. Then the Hyæna said,—"What did you say, O son of a she-goat?" He said,—"I have eaten nine lions, I have eaten nine buffaloes, I have eaten nine hyænas." The Hyæna said,—"Where is the proof, since (it is that) you say you have eaten nine hyænas?" Then he (He-goat) pulled out the cotton from the red gourd. When she (Hyæna) had taken it and had seen the cotton like blood,[1] the Hyæna said,—"Son of a she-goat, wait a minute."[2] Then she went into her house, and when she came out, she opened the fence,[3] brought out her cubs, (and) ran away. The son of the she-goat heard nothing. He had not seen the Hyæna go away. So he said,—"O Dog, get up and let us go into the Hyæna's house." When they had entered, and had not seen anyone, the He-goat took the Dog and hid (closed) him in a store.[4] As for him, he dug a hole in the centre of the house, and got in, and left his beard outside. (They were there) for seven days. Then the Hyæna said,—"Certainly those guests (must) have gone home." So the cubs said,—"Well, let us go (back)." When they had gone into the
Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/90
64
Collectanea.
