NUER BEAST TALES. 111

God then made a small trench and said that anyone who could jump over it was not guilty but that if he fell in he was guilty and should die. Ijong was quite prepared for this but it greatly frightened Rill who said he was not feeling well and that if he fell in it would be on account of his lack of strength and not because he was in any way guilty. God therefore found that Rill was the offender but again let him off ordering that he and Ijong should go home by different routes.

On the way, however, they met, and Rill suggested a duel with bow and arrow. This Ijong accepted and Rill who was the first to shoot missed but Ijong’s dart caught Rill in the shoulder and hurt so much that he gave in.

They then shook hands and started off again as friends and on the way home they passed a dom palm with ripe fruit on it. This, however, belonged to a man who lived in a house at the foot of the tree and the problem was to remove the fruit without disturbing the owner. Rill volunteered to go up the tree and throw down the fruit if Ijong would catch it before it reached the ground. This was done and as Ijong was bending down to place one of the fruit carefully on the ground Rill landed another bit down bang on top of Ijong’s head which killed him at once.

Thus ended the friction between the jackal and the hawk and is the cause of the hawk’s curious shaped neck to-day.

The Jackal and the Turtle.

One day when Rill was very hungry he met Quoing the turtle and suggested that they should go to the cattle marah to get some milk. On reaching there Rill volunteered to take the cattle out to graze and during the day suddenly appeared back driving in front of him a black cow called Ashol which was the property of Quoing. "Come quick," said Rill, "and spear this buffaloe which is attacking me," whereupon Quoing sallied forth spear in hand and killed his own cow for his eyesight was very bad. "What have you done," said Rill, "you've killed your own cow." "Well, you told me it was a buffaloe," an- swered Quoing with indignation. "I did nothing of the sort, I told you to go and get the cattle rope in order to tie it up." Rill then took a water pot and, boring some holes in the bottom of it, ordered Quoing to go and get some sweet water from a far away pool. While he was thus employed Rill skinned the cow and after hiding the meat in the grass buried the horns in the ground leaving only the tips sticking out. After a lengthy absence Quoing returned complaining that he had made several trips to the water but the pot seemed to be a bad one as it always leaked out. "Never mind about the pot," said Rill who was now holding on to the top of the horns with apparent difficulty. "My back is nearly broken and if you don't come and help me quickly the cow will disappear altogether and we will lose all the meat." When Quoing caught