jumps into a puddle of white clay. in his body, and in time recovers.

With this he stops up the holes But his coat is spotted forever.

8. NYMO AND BAT.

Nymo and Bat travel together to a distant country, Bat acting as Nymo's servant and carrying all his things. Whenever they pass through a town, the people say to Nymo, "Your servant is heavily loaded and must be hungry, let him come and eat." Plenty "chop" is thus offered to Bat, but nothing to Nymo. So Nymo arranges to make Bat the master, and himself the servant. In the next town, Bat plays the part of master so well, that the people beg him to have "chop" with them; and Nymo, the servant, is overlooked. And so it continues until they come to the last town. Here Nymo says, "Now, Bat, since you have never been in this town before, and the people are all strangers, I warn you not to eat any food that is offered. It is quite likely to make you sick. If it does, and you have to leave the house during the night, there is a very strong man with a big club standing outside the door, who will beat you severely." Bat agrees not to eat, and Nymo eats up all the food. Late in the night Nymo's belly gets very sick, and he rouses Bat to find "Bush-Medicine." "No," says Bat, "there is a very strong man with a big club outside the door ready to beat me." Bat flies out over the door, and waits there with a club, knowing that Nymo will come out. Nymo comes out, and Bat beats him up. Then Bat flies back into the house and lies down, pretending to be asleep. Nymo calls to Bat, and tells him what happened to him outside the house. "I am not surprised," says Bat. "Is this not exactly what you said would happen to me if I ventured out of doors during the night?" From this experience of Nymo it came to be a law, that, whenever a man carries servants with him on a journey, he must provide their "chop."

9. DANCING AT THE SPRING.1

It is the time to make farms. All the animals in the town have agreed to go on a certain day and help Nymo cut his "bush" and clear his land. But Leopard coaxes the animals to desert Nymo, and takes them to work on his own farm. Nymo is "vexed too much." He studies up a plan to get even with Leopard. He knows that there is only one spring on Leopard's farm, and that some time during the day the animals must come there for water. So he takes his harp and hides himself near the spring. The animals send WaterDeer to get water for them. Water-Deer hears the music, and be

1 For bibliography see MAFLS 13: 119 (note 1); also compare Bushman (Honey, 14-18).-E. C. P.

gins to dance. He forgets all about the water. He stays so long, that the animals send Goat. Goat also begins to dance, and forgets about the water. Dog comes and dances. Bush-Cow comes and dances. All the animals except Leopard come, and all join in the dance. Finally Leopard comes, very angry; but as soon as he hears the music, which is a song about his wisdom and courage and strength, Leopard also begins to dance. They dance all day, and on their return to town tell Nymo, who has taken a short cut ahead of them, that they have not cut "plenty bush" for Leopard, because they had "big, big play" down by the spring. Nymo goes his way, glad because he has again beaten Leopard.

IO. REPUTATION.

Nymo goes, on invitation, to visit his "big friend," Bush-King, in a far country. Nymo is well treated because he is a friend of the king, and he is given one of the best houses in the town. In his sleepingroom a basket of eggs had been stored. Nymo takes them, and leaves the house and the town, telling the people that urgent business requires him to go home. On the river-bank near by, Nymo arranges with Frog, the ferryman, to be carried across in his canoe; but before they embark, the people of the town run up, crying to Frog not to take Nymo aross, because he has stolen their eggs. Nymo denies it, and declares that it is only a scheme to ruin his good name. But the people insist. Nymo proposes that they bring Bush-King to search him. Bush-King is downcast about the "thief palaver" against Nymo, and undertakes to search him. To his surprise, he finds the eggs on Nymo's person; but as he is unwilling to disgrace one whom he has but recently praised, and as there is a girl in the crowd Nymo is expected to marry, Bush-King declares to the people that he has found no eggs. Because Bush-King is a great and powerful man, the people believe him and return to their huts. The people in Nymo's country still say, "It needs no less man than the king of the town to restore a reputation once in question."

II. DEATH, DISEASE, AND SHAME.

Nymo is ambitious to be the wisest man in his town, and to profit thereby at the expense of his neighbors. He makes a long journey into the "big bush" to become the pupil of a famous medicine-man. Nymo finds Medicine-Man, and says to him, "Great teacher, I come to you in search of wisdom. I wish to be master over my countrymen, even as you are master over spirits and magic." - "First let me ask you," says Medicine-Man, "if you mean to be my friend as well as my pupil." "I do," answers Nymo. Nymo stays "many moons

gaining wisdom. To him, on leaving, Medicine-Man makes gifts, a girl to be his wife; animals, male and female, to increase to him; fine cloth; gold and ivory. Nymo makes Medicine-Man promise to return his visit. One day Medicine-Man decides to pay the promised visit. He sends out a runner with an ivory horn to call his retainers. With others come Death, Disease, and Shame. Medicine-Man sets forth, at the head of his company the herald with his horn. Arrived near Nymo's village, the herald blows the horn, and Nymo recognizes it. But instead of preparing to greet Medicine-Man, Nymo says to his wife, "When Medicine-Man arrives, you must weep bitterly, and say, 'My poor husband is dead! What shall I do? What shall I do?"" Then Nymo runs into the bush, digs a hole for his grave, and jumps into it. Medicine-Man hears Nymo's wife wailing, "My poor husband is dead! My poor husband is dead! What shall I do? What shall I do?" So Medicine-Man sends Death to Nymo's grave to find out who has killed him. Presently Death returns, and says, "Great teacher, it was not I who killed him." Then Disease is sent, to return quickly and say, "Great teacher, it was not I who killed him." Shame is sent. After a long while he returns, and says, "Great teacher, if Nymo is dead, as they say, I am sorry to say that I have killed him."

12. HUNTER TAKES NYMO'S PLACE.1

Every

Elephant is king of a large town where all the animals live. day there is a big palaver, because Nymo is constantly going about gossipping about his neighbors. At last Elephant loses patience, and beats the town-drum to call the animals together. Elephant says, "My friends, Nymo has caused plenty trouble in this town by gossip. Take him to the river by the big bush and drown him." They make a very strong kingja (basket of palm-fronds and bamboo), catch Nymo, and tie him in. King Elephant appoints four trusted carriers to take the kingja to the river and throw it in. On their way, the carriers set the kingja down in the road, and withdraw to the shade to rest and chop. A hunter passes; and Nymo calls to him, and says, "Untie me, and I will tell you something!" Hunter unties him. Nymo says, "They are carrying me to Leopard's town to make me king. I don't want to go. I never have agreed, and never will agree, to it. They are taking me by force, anyhow." — "Tie me in the kingja," proposes Hunter. "I will go in your place." Nymo ties in Hunter, and runs into the bush to watch what happens. The carriers get the kingja and throw it into the river. Nymo goes far into the interior. He makes plenty friends. Every day, as the people cook their chop, they 1 For bibliography see MAFLS 13: 82 (note 6); also compare Ewes (Spieth, 588). Bushman (Honey, 84-86).-E. C. P.

give him a generous portion, more than he can eat. So he saves what is left over, and makes up a package to take to every one in his own town. On his return home, the animals welcome him when they learn that he brings a "dash" for each. Nymo asks to have the drum beaten to call all together. He hands each animal his package, and says, "My good friends, accept these presents I bring from your dead relatives. Also the plenty 'how do' they send." To King Elephant he gives the biggest "dash" of all, and says, "King, your relatives asked many, many questions about you, and wanted to know why you have not come to see them. They asked me to urge you to come, so they could make big play and give you plenty 'dash'." Elephant and all the animals beg Nymo to take them to see their dead relatives. Nymo finally agrees, and says that first each must make his own kingja. It is only possible to reach the land of their relatives tied in a kingja. They all reach the river; and Elephant stipulates, that, as he is king, he go first. Tied fast in his kingja, they throw him in. There is a great gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. "That is the rejoicing below, of Elephant's relatives over his coming," says Nymo. The others want to follow Elephant at once; but Nymo asks them to return home, he has something more to tell. At home, he asks, "Have any of you ever seen one drowned come back to life?"—"No." - "Well, Elephant has just been drowned, and he can never come back. I treated him as he tried to treat me." The animals grumble, but do not molest Nymo, for Elephant had been something of a tyrant as king.

13. IMPOSSIBLE AGAINST IMPOSSIBLE.1

The animals of the bush meet, and agree to build one big town and live together. A man with one eye, one ear, one arm, and one leg, comes out of a river, and gets them to make him their king. As king, to get complete power, he decrees that every one kill his parents. Nymo hides his parents in the bush. Next the king decrees that the people weave a mat of rice-grains for him to sleep on, and bring him his farm from a distance and set it down near the town. Nymo consults his parents. They advise him to tell the animals to spread the rice over the ground, and to station twenty of the strongest men around the king's farm. Then Nymo is to go to the king and tell him that they are ready to make him a sleeping-mat of rice-grains, but they must first have an old rice-mat for a pattern; and that the men have gone for his farm, but that, as a son of the Water people, he must first dry up the river they have to cross to reach the new site. Since the king can neither supply the mat nor dry up the river, he has to release the people from their tasks. "No town can prosper without the counsel and experience of the elders."

1 Compare Bulu (JAFL 29 : 277). — Ed.

14. CAN YOU HAVE A FARM WITHOUT A ROAD TO IT?

Nymo is returning from the far interior with an elephant's tusk which his friend the king has "dashed" him. He has been many days on the road, and the tusk is a burden. He meets a bald-headed vulture, who offers to carry the tusk for him. When Nymo arrives home, he does not "meet" the tusk, so he sends his children to Vulture to fetch it. Vulture denies having any tusk belonging to Nymo. Nymo calls all the animals from the bush, and charges Vulture with keeping his tusk from him. The animals send for Vulture, and require him to answer the charge. "Good friends," says Vulture, "look carefully at Nymo's head and at mine. Which shows signs of having carried a heavy load from the far interior?" They find Vulture's head quite bald, and no sign about Nymo's head of carrying a load. Accordingly they let Vulture keep the tusk. The next year Vulture cuts the bush from a large piece of land for his rice-farm. With great labor he burns the bush, clears the land, and plants his seed. The rains come, and the rice grows so fast that in short time Vulture has a fine crop to harvest. Nymo has been watching; and when the rice is ready to cut, he opens a big wide road from his house straight to Vulture's farm. Then he takes with him his family and begins to cut rice, which they carry home and eat. Every day they return to the farm for more. Vulture catches them at it, and asks Nymo why he is gathering rice from his farm. Nymo rejoins, "How can you claim this rice? Don't you see the big wide road that runs from my house to this farm?” If the rice belongs to you, show me the road you have made." - "I always fly to my farm," says Vulture, "hence I have made no road." They agree to take the dispute to the animals. At the meeting, Vulture charges Nymo with stealing his rice, and Nymo proposes to the animals to visit the farm and see for themselves which shows evidence of having made the farm. When the animals come, Nymo shows them his road; but Vulture has none to show. The animals conclude it is not possible to have a farm without first making a road to it, so they decide in favor of Nymo. On the way home, Vulture thinks to himself, "No matter how clever one may be, he has a superior."

15. NYMO SEEKS WISDOM.1

Nymo visits Bush-Doctor and begs for wisdom, he wants to become the insect-man in the country. Bush-Doctor tells him first to bring him Python, all the rice-birds, and Leopard's tooth. Nymo cuts a long bamboo stick in the bush, and with it goes to find Python. He tells Python that Bush-Doctor had said Python was not as long as

1 Compare Sierra Leone (Cronise and Ward, 40-49); Georgia (Jones, XL, XLVIII; Harris 2 XXXIV, XXXV); Sea Islands, S.C. (Christensen, 36-41); Natchez, Hitchiti, Creek (Swanton, No. 4). See this number, pp. 404-405.