Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/709

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Folk Tales from the Nāga Hills of Assam.
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them. Then he asked them, "What are you doing?" And Gakripu said, "While I was fighting with this bear he has been defecating these rupees. If you fight with him he will defecate some rupees." Thus he said to him. Then the other got off horse, removed his good clothes, and began to fight with the bear.

Then Gakripu collected his money, took the good clothes of the other, mounted his horse, and went away.

And the other, though he went on fighting with the bear did not get one rupee. And so he afterwards searched for the other, but did not find him. And he went to search for him and continued going along the road Gakripu was following.

And Gakripu riding his horse came to the edge of a stream and met there an old woman and her daughter. Then the old woman said to him, "What is your name?" He answered, "My name is Gakripu." Then he asked the old woman, "What are you two doing here?" The old woman said, "We want to cross the water, but because there is much water we cannot get straight across." Then Gakripu said, "I will carry you both across." Thus speaking he made the daughter get up on his horse, and said, "I will take her across first and then return and fetch you." Thus speaking he took the daughter, mounted his horse, crossed the stream, and went away.

Then the old woman at the edge of the stream said, "I shall never be able to go across." And she wept.

Then the man whom Gakripu had formerly deceived came and met with the old woman, and so he asked her, "Why are you crying here?" The old woman said, "A man has taken away my daughter. Gakripu is his name. That is why I am crying." Thus she spoke, and the other said, "That is the man who formerly deceived me. We will search for him together." And so the two together, going along the path Gakripu had followed, searched for him.

At that time Gakripu had reached a village and was gambling with the Raja. And the two came and saw him, and said to the Raja, "Gakripu has stolen my horse and my clothes, and has also stolen this old woman's daughter." And so they prepared to plead their case, but Gakripu said, "It is not I, my name is not Gakripu."