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JULY, 1895.)
THE DEVIL WORSHIP OF THE TULUVAS.
213
They looked at one another and spoke a strange language, and then they laughed at her. "Brothers ! do you laugh at my foolishness, or at my beauty p” asked she.
“We did not laugh at your foolishness, sister! How many children had your mother p asked they.
“I had one father and two mothers, but to my mother, I am the only daughter. I heard that my younger mother has two children, such as none have yet been born, nor will such be born hereafter. They are committing many crimes, and go about murdering. I have not seen them yet," said she.
"We are your brothers," said they.
She took the jug of water and poured it on their legs, and said: "I am your elder sister!"
She thought to herself that they were related, and so she embraced them. She took them into the inner part of the house, and made them sit on a swinging cot. She made a small seat of mud and cleaned it with cow-dung. She got ready & clean cloth. She purified them all with red fire. She came out, took the dagger and bow, and put them on the seat She held out some grass and called a red cow that had gone out to graze. She drew five sérs of milk from the cow and boiled it down to two sers. She took the milk and called to them.
"We will not drink water, as there is enmity between us and Palli Bannaya !" said they.
“Do you come to go away again, or take the jewels off my nose and off my neck P" asked she. "I have not yet taken off my earrings. I am a young girl. If you are old enomies, keep such enmity back. Drop your enmity and drink water," said she.
"We do not think good and bad of the house where we have drunk milk. We do not destroy the house where we drink milk. We do not ruin the place, where we have sat down !" said they, and chewed betel-nut. When they sat down, the man who had gone to the forest of Sanka Malla returned, carrying tdri. When he entered the hut called Mungil, he said to his wife:
"What is it that I hear the sound of the swinging cot ?"
"O husband ! you have mocked at me up till now for having no family. They are your brothers-in-law and my step-brothers," said she.
"Have you done what you should not have done ?” said he. He went out through the opening of a screen and ran away.
"Where are you running, Palli Bannaya P" asked Kôți and Channayya, and called out to him.
"I believe in you, Koti, but not in your brother," said he.
"A wild fox ever looks behind while running, but you cannot do even that. He is not such & younger brother as to disregard his elder brother's advice," said Kôți.
"You had better come back! Palli Bannaya! Palli Bandaya!" said they.
"Payya Baidya ! 14 let us go home !" said they. “We hear that you are the confidential servant of Kemira of Pañja. Will you kindly introduce us to him ?"
"I was the servant of the former Ballal, but the present Kemira is a fool and useless. I am not his servant ! His servant is one Sanda Giddi," said he.
“Will you shew as Sanda Giddi's house P" said they.
"I will shew it to you, heroes! But you had better go to your sister's house !" said he. “We shall go to her on our return. Take us now to Sanda Giddi's house," said they.
16 There is apparently a hiatus bere in the text.
