The woman says, "Well, what is it to me, if it be good to you?"

While she was there, the woman having placed paddy on the hearth, and

waited until the time when it is boiling, said to that sister-in-law,

"Sister-in-law, having gone rubbing castor-oil on your two legs take

out the paddy that is on the hearth."

The woman combed the man's head. She said it to the girl unnoticed

by the man, to save the girl.

That girl having gone rubbing her two legs, when she was taking out

the paddy the heat of the fire on the hearth struck her two legs, and

the castor-oil, having become warm, descends down her two legs. Then

that woman, having been combing and combing the man's head, says at

the hand of the man, "There! You say it is in your mind to call your

younger sister [to be your wife]. Look there, at the matter from her

legs; her legs are ulcerated." [149]

Then the man says, "It is unnecessary to keep that one; you take

that one, and having taken this bill-hook cut that one's neck, and

come back."

After that, the woman, calling her sister-in-law and having gone,

handed her over to a widow woman, and having secretly taken that

man's money also, gave it to the widow woman for her expenses on

account of the girl.

While returning, she cut a dog on the path, and smearing the blood

on the bill-hook, came back and showed it to the man, "Look here

(Menna). The blood that has been cut from your younger sister." Well

then, to the man's mind it is good.

At the time when the man is not at home, having cut a tunnel from the

woman's house to the widow woman's house, and from the woman's house to

the widow woman's house having drawn a silver chain and an iron chain,

she said at the hand of the widow woman, "If there be a sorrow shake

the iron chain; if there be a pleasure shake the silver chain." [150]

Having said it the woman came home.

On a certain day the girl arrived at marriageable age. The widow

woman shook the silver chain. Afterwards, this girl having gone

[there], when she looked the girl had arrived at a marriageable age;

and having distributed the present given to the washerman on the

occasion, and the like, she again said at the hand of the widow woman,

"If there be a pleasure, shake the silver chain; if a sorrow, shake

the iron chain," and came home again.

Again one day she shook the silver chain. This woman having gone again,

when she looked [she found that] to give the girl [in marriage] the

name [of the man] had been decided. Afterwards, having distributed the

[food of the] wedding [feast] and the like, the woman came home.

The girl having been [married] a little time, bore a boy. Afterwards

the girl said to the girl's man, "Tying pingo (carrying-stick)

loads, let us go to our village." The man also having said "Ha,"

cooking cakes, and carrying the little one also, they came to the

widow woman's house.

Then the widow woman shook the silver chain. The girl's sister-in-law

came. Having come, when she looked the girl's little one is there also.

Having given from the cakes to the widow woman, she took the others,

and calling the girl, calling the girl's husband also, and carrying

the little one, she returned home [with them]. Having gone home,

the girl's sister-in-law caused the little one to lie in the waist

pocket of the girl's elder brother, and said, "There. Your younger

sister's little one!" [and told him how she had been saved].

After that, the elder brother having wept, took the little one in

his arms.

North-western Province.

Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, Volume 2 (of 3) · 第 163 / 347 题