In a certain country there are a woman and a man, it is said. There is a younger sister of the man. The elder brother’s wife is very dear to the younger sister; the younger sister is a very good girl.

One day the elder brother said at the hand of the woman, “It is in my mind to call my younger sister [to be my wife].”

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.”1

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.”2 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.