________________
DECEMBER, 1896.]
THE DEVIL WORSHIP OF THE TULUVAS.
341
The brothers replied: "If you give us the field Natti Nalaja, cultivated by the Billavars, our very caste people will become our enemies. If you give us that field Guttuberke, cultivated by the Bangs, it will be like setting a dog against a dog. If you give us the field Beranpolli, cultivated by the Brâlimans, you will be only setting the cobra against the serpent. Therefore, if there is any waste land or any land overgrown with the plants tumbe and wekki, give that to us. If there is any laud such as is named by us, favour us with that."
"O heroes! there is the land called Ekkadka Erryangada," said the Balla!." “Then give us that, and mark out its boundaries," said tie brothors.
Accordingly the Ballal marked out its boundaries. When he had done so, they went and inhabited that desolate laud. They engaged a woman to cook for them, and began to cultivate the waste land. They ploughed the fields and manured it, awl sowed scoil in it. In course of time it came up and flourished. While the fields were waving and there was a prospect of a fine crop, on a certain night, wild hogs came and destroyed all. Next morniny, when they went ! Ece their field, they found that all had been destroyed by will logs. At this they became very angry and said to one another:-"This Bullil of Edambûr is it very poor king, and hunting in not practised in his kingdom; the food of this place is very course, evet the water that we drink is bad."
When they spoke thus to each other, some one overheard the remarks, went in, audi reported it to the Bala. The Ballal, hearing this, appointed a day for a hunt, and causoul a proclamation to be made by beating of tom-toms that there should assemble in the town. 01 the appointed day, every man who had a tuft upon his head. Accordingly all the people assembled with their arms, swords, bows and arrows, etc., on the appointeil dny. Hunting dogs also were ready. So they started early in the morning, on the appointed day, and went to the forests called Sanka towards the east. They blew the horns, bent the bush, and yelled and made a great noise, in order to frighten the beasts so that they might shew themselves. At last a very big boar was discovered in a large pit. When it heard the great grunting and noise matle by the men, dogs, etc., it started and began to ran. It came near Koti, roaring as if to tear him to pieces. Koți was now in & strait. He could not fly from the boast without bringing a stain on his heroism, and could not fight with it without risking his life. In this strait he prayed to the Bhůta, Brahmara of Kemmule, craving his help; and, setting an arrow to his bow, discharged it with such dexterity, that it entered the body through the mouth and came out through the anus. The boar cried out with a loud noise, and ran towards Parije und fell down dead on the borders between Pañje and Edambůr. The hunters went searching after the boar, looking along the traces of blood on the ground.
In the meantime one of the tenants of the Balla! of Panje saw the dead body of the boar on the borders of the land between Pañje and Edambûr, and went to his neighbours, brought them to the place and shewed it to them. They all examined it and fonnd that it bad bech killed by hunters, and had not died of any disease. Assuring themselves of this fact, they began to carry it to their quarters. The hunters reached the spot immediately after the boar was carried away, and looking towards Pañje they saw at a distance a great number of men carrying the boar. They pursued them, overtook, and compelled them to lay down their burden. One of them immediately ran to the Ballal of Pañje and informed him. In the meantime a regular hand-to-hand fight took place. The Pañje Balla! sent one hundred men with bows and arrow to fight with the hunters. When these men appeared on the scene, the hunters of Edambúr were frightened and retreated. But Koti and Channayya, stood firm facing the enemy. Koti alone took hold of the tusks of the boar and dragged it to Edambůr, and Channayya slew one hundred men with his dagger.
So the hunters returned to Edambúr with joy. The flesh of the boar being distributed between them, they cooked it and feasted upon it. On the other hand, the Ballal of Panje
