Page:Sagas from the Far East; or, Kalmouk and Mongolian traditionary tales.djvu/31

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SAGAS FROM THE FAR EAST.
7

Then spoke the great Master and Teacher, Nâgârg'una, again, saying,—

"When thou shalt have wandered forth hence for the distance of about an hundred miles, thou shalt come to a dark and fearsome ravine where lie the bodies of the giant-dead. At thy approach they shall all rise up and surround thee. But thou call out to them, 'Ye giant-dead, hala hala svâhâ[13]!' scattering abroad at the same time these barley-corns, consecrated by the power of magic art, and pass on thy way without fear.

About another hundred miles' space farther hence thou shalt come to a smooth mead by the side of a river where lie the bodies of the pigmy-dead. At thy approach they shall all rise up and surround thee. But thou cry out to them, 'Ye pigmy-dead, hulu hulu svâhâ!' and, strewing thine offering of barley-corns, again pass on thy way without fear.

At a hundred miles' space farther along thou shalt come to a garden of flowers having a grove of trees and a fountain in the midst; here lie the bodies of the child-dead. At thy approach they shall rise up and running together surround thee. But thou cry out to them, 'Ye child-dead, rira phad!' and, strewing thine offering of barley-corns, again pass on thy way without fear.

Out of the midst of these the Siddhî-kür will rise and will run away from before thee till he reaches his mango-