iv THE THADO CLAN 211

himself, 'They will stop the holes in the baskets with the
leaves when they come to the stream so that the fish may not
fall out by accident,' he said, and he stopped the holes (in his
basket) with leaves. Then they all returned to the village.
Ngamboma, by diverting a stream, caught a few fish and
returned. When they reached their houses the dead roasted
the leaves which they called fish, but when Ngamboma tried
to roast them the leaves all burnt up. Then. Khuptingi said
to Ngamboma,' The others have caught so many fish; why have
you caught so few ?' Ngamboma roasted the real fish which he
had caught, but they burnt up just like the bamboo leaves.
Then one day the people again went out to hunt. In the place
where they went hunting they saw a huge black caterpillar;
the dead called it a bear. Ngamboma did not see it, and by
accident trod on it and killed it. Then the dead said to
Ngamboma, c That bear which ran towards you, have you seen
it ?' they said. Ngamboma—< I have not seen it/ he said.
Presently they saw the caterpillar which he had trodden on,
' Hei-le ! Why, you have shot it! * they said. They carried it up
to the village and all the dead ate up its flesh entirely.
Ngamboma, however, did not care to eat any of it. Then
Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, e Living people and dead people,
we shall not be able to live together comfortably; therefore, if
you now build yourself a house here and then return to your
home, when you die you will be able to live in it V—thus
Khuptingi said. So he set to work to build a house. The
dead called the arum trees, and they split them with axes and
built (with them), but Ngamboma just split those arums with
his nail very quickly. ' Can one build houses with such stuff ?'
he said. Then, splitting real trees into planks, he built his
house. Then Khuptingi said to Ngamboma, 'If you go to
your house and call all the villagers together and sacrifice a
mithan, and when you have finished eating its flesh you put
on very good cloths and wear round your neck the sacrificial
rope (the rope the mithan was bound with), and call on my
name, then you will die and will be able to come to our village/
she said. Just as Khuptingi said it came to pass; he died as
he was lying on his bed, then they were able to live together

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