m THE OLD KUKI CLANS 179

one of them could do any good. Then the young tiger-man
came. " I will cure her, and I will marry her afterwards," said
he. Her father said, " Cure the girl first and you may then
have her/'

So he cured her; the footprint which he had placed to dry on
the fire-shelf he opened out and threw away. Kiingdri "became
well and Keimi married her. " Come, Kdng6ri," said he, ((will
you go to my house ?" So they went; on the road Keimi
turned himself into a tiger, Kiing6ri caught hold of his tail, and
they ran like the wind. Some women of the village were
gathering wood and they saw this, so they went back home and
said to Kungdri's father, " Your daughter has got a tiger for a
husband." Kiingori's father said, " Whoever can go and take
Kungori may have her," but no one dared to take her. How-
ever, Hpohtir and Hrangchal, two friends, said, "We will take
her." Kung6ri's father said, " If you are able to take her you
may have her," so Hpohtir and Hrangchal set off. Going on
they came to Keimi's village. The young tiger-man, Keimi,
had gone out hunting; before he reached his house Hpohtir
and Hrangchal went to Kiingdri. " Kiing6ri," said they,
" where is your husband ?" " He is gone out hunting," she said,
" but will be home directly." On this they became afraid, and
Hpohtir and Hrangchal climbed up on to the top of the high
fire-shelf. Kling6ri's husband arrived. " There is the smell of
a human being," said he. " It must be my smell," said
Kiingdri. Night fell; everyone ate their dinners and lay down
to rest. In the morning Kiingori's husband again went out
to hunt. A widow said (to the two friends), " If you are going
to run away with Kdng6ri take fire-seed, thorn-seed, and water-
seed (with you)/' So they took fire-seed, thorn-seed, and water-
seed, and they took Kiingdri also and carried her off.

Kungori's husband returned home. He looked and found
Kting6ri was gone, so he followed after them in hot haste. A
little bird called to Hrangchal, " Eun! run! Kiing6ri's
husband will catch you," said the bird. So (the friends)
scattered the fire-seed, and the jungle and undergrowth burnt
furiously, so that Kiingori's husband could not come any
further. When the fire subsided he again resumed the
pursuit.

N 2