IN a certain city there are a man and his daughter, it is said. The man’s wife being dead, the girl cooks food for the man. The man cuts jungle at a chena clearing. The girl every day having cooked, and placed the food ready for her father, goes to rock in a golden swing.1 Then a Mahagē 2 comes and says, “Daughter, give me a little fire.” The girl sitting in the swing says, “Is it here with me ? It is at the hearth; take it.” The Mahagē goes into the house, pulls out and takes the things which that girl has cooked and placed there, and having eaten, carries away the fire. So, after two or three days had passed in that manner, the man asked, “Who, daughter, while I am coming home has eaten the rice that you have cooked and placed for me?” Then the girl said, “I don’t know, father. Every day when I have cooked the food and placed it ready for you, and gone to rock in the golden swing, a Mahagō comes and begs fire from me. Then I say, ‘ Is it here with me ? It is at the hearth ; take it.’ It will be the Mahagē.” Then the man, having said, “Hā. Daughter, cook and arrange the food to-day also, and go to the golden swing,” got onto the shelf, and stayed there. . Afterwards the girl, having cooked and placed the food exactly as on other days, went to the golden swing. Then the Mahagē having come on that day also, begged, “ Daughter, [Page 130] give me a little fire.” The girl said, “Is it here with me ? It is at the hearth; take it.” Then the Mahagē having gone into the house, and drawn out the pots, and eaten part of the rice, when she was about to rise after taking the fire, the man on the shelf asked, “What is that you have been doing ?” The Mahagē said, “What indeed ! Why don’t you invite me [to be your wife] ?” The man said, “Hā. Stop here.” So the woman stayed. After a great many days had passed, the woman lay down. “What are you lying down for ?” asked the man. The woman said, “It is in my mind to eat your daughter’s two eyes.” Afterwards the man called the girl, and said, “Daughter, a yoke of cattle are missing; let us go and seek them.” While he went with the girl, taking a cord, the dog also followed behind. Having gone into a great forest, he said, “Daughter, come here in order that I may look at your head.” 3 While he was looking and looking at it, the girl fell asleep. Then the man placed the girl against a tree, and tied her to it; and having cut out her two eyes, came home and placed one on the shelf and one in the salt pot. The dog that went with the man having come home, howled, rolling about in the open space in front of the house. There was also a child. That little one having gone somewhere, on coming back bringing a mango, asked that Mahagē, “Loku-Ammā, give me a knife.” The woman said, “Have I got one here ? It is on the shelf; get it.” Then the child, going into the house, and putting his hand on the shelf, caught hold of the eye placed there by the man, and said, “This is indeed our elder