"You dirty son of

Are

your father,

you there? Are you alone not thirsty? Oh, you dirty child of your father!

Dirty child of your father!"

"I am indeed thirsty," said "One-eye,” and went

away.

Then the two girls came out of the hole, and the younger one took her elder sister on her back, and walked on. As they were going over the bare, treeless plain, the men saw them, and said, “There they are, far off," and ran after them.

When they came near, the two girls turned themselves into thorn trees, called "Wait-a-bit," and the beads which they wore became gum on the trees. The men then ate of the gum and fell asleep. Whilst they slept, the girls smeared gum over the men's eyes and went away, leaving them lying in the sun.

The girls were already near their kraal, when "One-eye" awoke, and said:

'Oh, the disgrace! fie on thee!

Our eyes are smeared over; fie on thee, my brother!" Then they removed the gum from their eyes, and hunted after the girls; but the latter reached home in safety, and told their parents what had happened. Then all lamented greatly, but they remained quietly at home, and did not search for the other girls.

42. THE UNREASONABLE CHILD TO WHOM THE DOG GAVE ITS DESERTS;

OR, A RECEIPT FOR PUTTING ANY ONE TO SLEEP.

(The original, in the o Tyi-hereró or Dámara language, is in Sir G. Grey's Library, J. Rath's Manuscript, pp. 39, 43.)

THERE was a little girl who had an eingi (pronounced a-inghi, some kind of fruit). She said to her Mother, "Mother, why is it that you do not say, 'My first-born, give me the eingi? Do I refuse it ?" "Her Mother said, "My first-born, give me the eingi." She gave it to her and went away, and her Mother ate the eïngi.

When the child came back, she said, "Mother, give me my eingi?" but her Mother answered, “I have eaten the eingi !"

The child said, "Mother, how is it that you have eaten my eingi, which I plucked from our tree?" The Mother then (to appease her) gave her a needle.

The little girl went away and found her Father sewing thongs with thorns; so she said, "Father, how is it that you sew with thorns? Why do not you say,

'My first-born, give me your needle ?' Do I refuse ?" So her Father said, "My first-born, give me your needle." She gave it to him and went away for a while. Her Father commenced sewing, but the needle broke; when, therefore, the child came back and said, Father, give me my needle," he answered, "The needle is broken;" but she complained about it, saying, "Father, how is it that you break my needle, which I got from Mother, who ate my eïngi, which I had plucked from our tree ?" Her Father then gave

66

her an axe.

وو

Going farther on she met the lads who were in charge of the cattle. They were busy taking out honey, and in order to get at it they were obliged to cut down the trees with stones. She addressed them: "Our sons, how is it that you use stones in order to get at the honey? Why do not you say, 'Our first-born, give us the axe?' Do I refuse, or what do I?" They said, "Our first-born, give us the axe.' So she gave it them, and went away for some time. The axe broke entirely. When she came back she asked, "Where is the axe? answered, "The axe is broken." She then said, "How is it that you break my axe, which I had received from Father who had broken my needle, which I got from Mother who had eaten my eïngi, which I

Please give it me." They

had plucked from our tree ?" But they gave her some honey (to comfort her).

She went her way again, and met a little old woman, eating insects, to whom she said, "Little old woman, how is it that you eat insects? Why don't you say, 'My first-born, give me honey?' Do I refuse or not ?" Then the little old woman asked, "My first-born, give me honey." She gave it her and went away; but presently returning, said, "Little old woman, let me have my honey!" Now the old woman had managed to eat it all during her absence, so she answered, "Oh! I have eaten the honey!" So the child complained, saying, "How is it that you eat my honey, which I received from the lads of our cattle, from our children who had broken my axe, which had been given me by Father who had broken my needle, which was a present from my Mother who had eaten up my eingi, that I had plucked from our tree ?"

The little old woman gave her food, and she went away. This time she came to the pheasants, who scratched the ground; and she said, "Pheasants! how is it that you scratch the ground? Why do not you say, 'First-born, give us food ?' Do I refuse, or what do I?" They said, "First-born, give." So she gave to them, and went away. When she came

back and demanded her food again, they said, “We have eaten the food." She asked, "How is it that you eat my food, which I had received from a little old woman who had eaten up my honey, that I had got from the lads of our cattle who had broken my axe, which had been given me by my Father who had broken my needle, which was a present from my Mother who had eaten my eingi, which I had plucked from our tree ?" The pheasants, flying up, pulled out each one a feather and threw them down to the little girl.

She then, walking along, met the children who watched the sheep. They were plucking out hairs from the sheep-skins. So she asked them, "How is it that you pull at these skins? Why do not you say, 'First-born, give us the feathers?' Do I refuse, or what do I?" They said, "First-born, give us the feathers." She gave them and went away, but all the feathers broke. When she returned and said, "Give me my feathers," they answered, "The feathers are broken." Then she complained, "Do you break my feathers which I received from the pheasants who had eaten my food, which had been given me by a little old woman?" They gave her some milk.

She went again on her way, and found their own