Introduction
This story comes from an old song which has been recounted in modern prose. However, the snatches of verse in which the conversations have been recorded may belong to the original.
It is likely that the three elders in the story represent three Miao clans, two of which were closely allied. Although the song does not say so specifically, inter-clan rivalry, together with pressure from the Chinese, were making life difficult for the whole community. A determined effort on the part of the third clan succeeded in recalling the two related clans from other preoccupations to join in settling outstanding questions and securing the threatened territories, to the mutual advantage of all concerned.
The couplet,
"The game returns again,
The game comes back",
which occurs several times, is not entirely clear, though possibly in the original song the lines were more specific. The meaning may be that, in the ordinary way, a hunted animal will try to circle back to its home territory, but in this case, that did not seem to be happening. The two huntsmen were travelling further and further afield. The reason was that their quarry was a tiger, and tigers range over very wide areas. The huntsmen eventually realized that the tiger was heading for the shelter of a cavern in the Na-lyu valley, so, while one pursued it, the other lay in wait and shot the tiger as it leapt across the river.
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M201TR 1
M201
Three leaders.
Narrated by Wang Da-lu.
The old folk say that in ancient times, very long ago, Elder Gi-yo was living on Mount
Gi-yo. The mountain where he lived resembled a ladle, hence its name. Elder Gi-yo
heard it said that Elder Gi-chi was living on Mount Gi-no, he also heard that Gi-vu-gindlw
was living on Mount Gi-vu. Now of these three elders, Elder Gi-yo lived on
Mount Gi-yo, so he was called Elder Gi-yo. Gi-vu-gi-ndlw, living on Mount Gi-vu was
called Elder Gi-vu, as well as Gi-vu-gi-ndlw. Elder Gi-no, who lived on Mount Gi-no,
was also called Gi-chi-gi-no.
All three Elders ran estates. Gi-chi-gi-no was an archer and a warrior, Elder Gi-yo was
a swordsman and also a warrior, while Gi-vu-gi-ndlw was a horseman and a warrior.
Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi-ndlw were brothers-in-law. The pair were famous in battle
for their archery. People all knew about these two.
Elder Gi-yo living on the north side of Mount Gi-yo heard that earth had produced
sorcerers and enchanters who had seized the very clouds in the sky. The seizing of the
clouds in the sky foreshadowed the emergence of evil people on earth whose evil and
cunning were like the clouds in the sky, extremely dark. There was so much fighting in
the community at that time that it was hard to live, hard to rest, and hard to raise a
family.
Elder Gi-yo decided to go in search of Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi-ndlw. When they
reached an uncultivated plain and saw there a group of children herding pigs, Elder Giyo
said to his retainers, "Come, let us ask those children who are herding pigs and see
whether they know where Elder Gi-no and Elder Gi-vu may be". So Elder Gi-yo sang a
song of enquiry, as follows:
"Children, herding your pigs that fill the plain,
It is said that Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi-ndlw
Are somewhere about, but where? Do you know?"
The pig-herds replied,
"Elder Gi-chi is on Mount Gi-no,
And Elder Gi-vu is on Mount Gi-vu".
Elder Gi-yo led his retainers to Mount Gi-no where he sang as follows:
"Where are Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu?
Are Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu at home?"
Gi-chi-gi-no's retainers sang in reply,
"Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi-ndlw are not at home.
They are following a striped tiger,
And have gone to the Hmao-dao-li-hxw country".
M201TR 2
Elder Gi-yo led his retainers to Hmao-dao-li-hxw and, having searched the mountain
before and behind and not found them, he sang,
"The game returns again,
The game comes back.
Why, then, for Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu,
Has the game not come?
For Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu I wonder,
Where has the game gone?"
Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu heard, and sang in reply,
"Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu,
They are following a striped tiger,
And have gone to the Fao-nzhi country".
Elder Gi-yo led his retainers and reached Fao-nzhi. Having searched the mountain
before and behind he found no one, so he sang as follows:
"The game returns again,
The game comes back.
For Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu I wonder,
Where has the game gone?"
Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu heard, and sang in reply,
"Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu,
They are following a striped tiger,
And have gone to the Na-lyu country".
While Elder Gi-chi rested on the river bank at a place where there was a cave, Gi-vu-gindlw
pursued the tiger until he caught up with Elder Gi-chi at Na-lyu. Now when the
tiger came to the river bank, as it was in the act of leaping across to the other side,
deliberately Elder Gi-chi stretched his cross-bow and loosed one shot, striking the tiger
in the upper part of its chest, killing it on the spot.
As Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi-ndlw were returning together they heard Elder Gi-yo
singing,
"The game comes back again,
But for Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu
The game did not return.
For Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu I wonder,
Where has the game gone?"
Elder Gi-chi and Elder Gi-vu replied,
“Are you a relative or a stranger?
If you are a relative, we are here at Na-lyu.”
Elder Gi-yo went and found Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi-ndlw, and the three left Na-lyu
and reached the heights of Na-lyu. Then from the heights of Na-lyu they reached the
M201TR 3
heights of Fao-nzhi and Hmao-dao-hxw. Thence from Hmao-dao-hxw they arrived here
at Gi-no and Gi-vu. Then Gi-chi-gi-no and Gi-vu-gi- ndlw accompanied Elder Gi-yo,
and they went and secured their territories everywhere.
Topic: Chiyou and his brothers. (Read 323 times)