IOO

THE LUSHEI   CLANS	chap.

There are many tales of this hero, who is especially honoured
by the Khawtlang.
Mualsavata is another mythical hero of immense stature.
The smoke from his pipe was like that of a jhum burning.
His whetstone, some 18 inches long, lies beside the road near
Chongthleng, where it fell from his haversack, which his wife
had neglected to mend.
I have given so many tales in other parts of the monograph
that I shall only add one more here.
The Tale of Him who Demanded His Sister's Price.
He went to the west to demand his sister's price. The
debtor gave him a bamboo stirring rod. If you stirred an empty
pot with this rod it was at once filled with rice. He returned
towards his village. On the way he stayed the night in the
house of a widow, and placed his stirring rod on the shelf over
the hearth saying, " Granny, please don't stir your pot with my
stirring rod." " All right," said she, but, while he was walking
about the village, she stirred her pot just to see what sort of a
stirring rod it was, and, behold, her pot was full of rice. " It is
a very good stirring rod," she said ; " I will just exchange mine
for it"—which she did secretly. And the owner of the
magic rod went on to his village, and on arrival there he called
to his children, " Set the water boiling to cook the rice." His
children replied, " We have nothing to cook. What is the use of
boiling water alone?" "I have got rice, IVe got rice," he said.
So they boiled the water, and he stirred it hard with his rod, but
nothing came. "If we stir more it will come," he said, but
nevertheless nothing came.
Then he went off to demand the price from the debtor again,
who gave him a goat which passed nothing but amber and
cornelian beads, and said, "Take it carefully home." "All
right," said he. He stayed the night at the same widow's house,
and when he was going out to stroll through the village he said,
" Granny, you will be careful not to kick my goat on the rump,
won't you ?" " All right," said she, but directly he was out of
sight she kicked the goat and he passed many beads. " It is a
good goat," she said, and secretly substituted her own goat for
it. Her guest went off and directly he reached his house he