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SANTAL FOLK-TALES,

him to eat ; but he carried it with him when he crept into the gongo to sleep. At night the tiger came and lifting up the gongo felt it heavy, and said, "Well, are you inside ?" He replied, "Yes, I am." So the tiger carried off the gongo with the lame man in it. By the time the tiger had gone a consid-erable distance, the lame man became hungry and said within himself, " I shall have to die in the end, but in the meantime I wiU appease my hunger." So he opened his small parcel of mohwa, and the dry leaf crackled as he did so. The noise frightened the tiger and he said, " What is it you are opening ?" The lame man replied, "It is yesterday's lizard." "Hold! hold I" exclaimed the tiger, "Do not let him out yet, let me get clear away first." The lame man said, "Not so, I will not wait, but will let him out at once." The tiger being terrified at the prospect of again meeting his mortal enemy, the redoubtable lizard, threw down the gongo and fled, calling out, "I will not eat you. You have' got the lizard with you."

In the way the lame man by means of the lizard saved his life.

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