"Why have you come from your own world, taking upon yourself this form
and shape, thereby causing so much pain and unhappiness to two innocent
people?"
The Nāt, seeing that he could no longer carry on his course of
deception, answered--
"In the season of the sun, and in that of the rain, for a greater time
than I can count, I have lived in a tree in the forest, where this
woodman comes every day. I troubled no one, and I was content till two
days ago, when he felled my home to the ground with neither warning
given to or permission asked of me. When other woodcutters have come,
they have and do always crave permission of the Nāt residing in the
tree to take from it even one branch. Therefore you must see that I
have had just cause to be angry."
Manoo then said that the woodman had certainly been wrong in the way he
had acted. Then, turning to the woman, he directed her and her husband
to hang up a dried cocoa-nut on the best side of their hut for the
Nāt to make his home in--an order which they promised to speedily
obey.
The Nāt said that he was satisfied with that arrangement.
Then the three, thanking the judge, withdrew and went homewards.
From that time forth all Burmese people hung, and still hang, dried
cocoa-nut in their houses for the spirits to dwell in.