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SANTAL FOLK-TALES,

said, “What is wrong? You are completely out of breath,’ Lelha replied, “My brothers have gone to search for hiras and manis, and I also am busy preparing to follow them.” She tried to dissuade him saying, “Although the mean fellows beat you, still you will not keep away from them.” Lelha quickly replied, “What help is there for it, mother ? Let my brothers beat me or not, what is that to me? I must bear it all.” So his mother prepared food? and Lelha, having partaken of it, set out.

He went to the stable, and saddled the lame horse, as his brothers had taken away the good ones, and mounting rode to the outskirts of the city. He then dismounted, and turned the lame horse loose, and went into the raja’s flower garden, and said, “Oh! Indarpuri Kuri, give mea horse instantly. My brothers have left me behind, and gone I know not where. Give me such a horse as will enable me to reach them at once.” Immediately a horse was at his side, and in a few seconds he was in sight of his brothers. He then alighted from his horse, and said “Oh! Indarpuri Kuri, I return your horse,” and instantly it disappeared, and he overtook his brothers on foot.

When his brothers saw him, they said, “He has overtaken us.” Some of them said, “Catch him and beat him,” others said, “ No, let him alone, he will do our cooking. We can go in search of hiras and manis, and leave him to guard our camp. Come let us push on, we have now got a good guard for our camp.” This pleased all, and they said, “It is now evening, let us pitch our camp for the night.” They did so, and Lelha soon had supper ready, of which having partaken they all retired to rest.

In the morning Lelha again acted as cook, and while it was yet early set breakfast before his brothers, and they having eaten, mounted their horses, and went in search of hiras and manis. They were now a month’s journey distant from their