A WOMAN HAD A CHILD. One day she went to work in the fields. While she was going to her work the child cried. When it stopped crying she suckled it, and after she had finished suckling it she laid it down in the shade. Then she went on hoeing.

Once again the child cried, and a bird came – an eagle – and sat upon it. It soothed the child with its wings. Then the child which was crying became silent. When she saw this the woman was greatly alarmed and said, “Dear me! How terrible! The eagle is eating my child!” As she went toward it the eagle flew away. Then she suckled her child, and after she had done suckling it she put it upon her back. When she had finished hoeing, she left off work and returned to the village.

On her arrival there, she did not tell her husband of the marvel which she had seen but kept it to herself. The next morning, the woman again went to work in the field with her child. The same thing happened – once again she laid the child to sleep in the shade. After a time the child cried. Then she beheld the eagle alight on the child and quiet it. Truly an astounding thing! Once again the woman went to her child. When the eagle saw her coming, it flew off and went to sit on a tree. The woman took her child and was greatly alarmed.

She returned to the village and, on her arrival, told her husband about it, saying, “A great marvel!”

Her husband asked, “What about ?”

The woman said, “Today is the second day I have seen the most amazing thing there where I hoe. I put my child to sleep in the shade, and as soon as it cried an eagle came, and when it alighted it stooped over the child and soothed it with its wings. Today is the second day that I have seen that bird act thus. Its name is eagle.'”

Thereupon the husband refused to believe her, saying, “No, you are lying; there never was such a thing.” The wife said no more.

Late in the afternoon the woman took her hoe and went to work in the field. On her arrival she laid her child in the shade. The child dried. Thereupon the woman thought, “Now I will go and call my husband, who disputed my word and said that I lied.” So the woman ran. When she arrived where her husband was, she cried, “Come on! It is you who disputed, saying there never was such a thing. Let us go now and see.”

The man took his bow and three arrows. On his arrival at the field, the woman said to him:

“Sit down here. I will put the child to sleep in the shade yonder, and then, when you see the bird coming, hide yourself.” The woman left the child and went some distance away, and the man hid himself there. Then the child cried very loudly. As the man watched, he saw the eagle come and sit upon the child. Then the man was greatly alarmed and charged his bow with two arrows, that he night pierce the eagle sitting on his child. Then he shot, but at the moment the eagle dodged, and both arrows pierced his child.

Now that is the explanation of the origin of murder. The eagle was a kind person; nevertheless that father of the child wished to kill it. Then the eagle cursed him, and said, “Now is kindness among men at an end, because you killed your child. Beginning with you, and going on to all people, you shall kill each other.

Tp this day people kill each other.

[ BALIA ]