 Munachar and Manachar
There once lived a Munachar and a Manachar,
a long time ago, and it
is a long time since it was, and if they were alive now
they would
not be alive then. They went out together to pick raspberries,
and
as many as Munachar used to pick Manachar used to eat.
Munachar said
he must go look for a rod to make a gad to hang Manachar,
who ate
his raspberries every one; and he came to the rod. "What
news the
day?" said the rod. "It is my own news that I'm
seeking. Going
looking for a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar,
who
ate my raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," said the rod, "until
you get an axe to cut
me." He came to the axe. "What news to-day?" said
the axe. "It's my
own news I'm seeking. Going looking for an axe, an axe
to cut a rod,
a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my
raspberries
every one."
"You will not get me," said the axe, "until
you get a flag to edge
me." He came to the flag. "What news today?" says
the flag. "It's my
own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a flag, flag to
edge axe,
axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar,
who
ate my raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," says the flag, "till
you get water to wet
me." He came to the water. "What news to-day?" says
the water. "It's
my own news that I'm seeking. Going looking for water,
water to wet
flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make
a gad, a gad
to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," said the water, "until
you get a deer who
will swim me." He came to the deer. "What news
to-day?" says the
deer. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking
for a deer, deer
to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe
to cut a
rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate
my
raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," said the deer, "until
you get a hound who
will hunt me." He came to the hound. "What news
to-day?" says the
hound. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking
for a hound,
hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag,
flag to
edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad
to hang
Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," said the hound, "until
you get a bit of
butter to put in my claw." He came to the butter. "What
news to-
day?" says the butter. "It's my own news I'm
seeking. Going looking
for butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt
deer, deer
to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe
to cut a
rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate
my
raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," said the butter, "until
you get a cat who
shall scrape me." He came to the cat. "What news
to-day?" said the
cat. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking
for a cat, cat to
scrape butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to
hunt deer,
deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe,
axe to cut
a rod, a rod to make a gad, gad to hang Manachar, who ate
my
raspberries every one."
"You will not get me," said the cat, "until
you will get milk which
you will give me." He came to the cow. "What
news to-day?" said the
cow. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking
for a cow, cow to
give me milk, milk I will give to the cat, cat to scrape
butter,
butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer
to swim
water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut
a rod, a rod
to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries
every
one."
"You will not get any milk from me," said the
cow, "until you bring
me a whisp of straw from those threshers yonder." He
came to the
threshers. "What news to-day?" said the threshers. "It's
my own news
I'm seeking. Going looking for a whisp of straw from ye
to give to
the cow, the cow to give me milk, milk I will give to the
cat, cat
to scrape butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound
to hunt deer,
deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe,
axe to cut
a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who
ate my
raspberries every one."
"You will not get any whisp of straw from us," said
the threshers,
"until you bring us the makings of a cake from the miller
over
yonder." He came to the miller. "What news to-day?" said
the miller.
"It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for the
makings of a
cake which I will give to the threshers, the threshers
to give me a
whisp of straw, the whisp of straw I will give to the cow,
the cow
to give me milk, milk I will give to the cat, cat to scrape
butter,
butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer
to swim
water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut
a rod, a rod
to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries
every
one."
"You will not get any makings of a cake from me," said
the miller,
"till you bring me the full of that sieve of water from
the river
over there."
He took the sieve in his hand and went over to the river,
but as
often as ever he would stoop and fill it with water, the
moment he
raised it the water would run out of it again, and sure,
if he had
been there from that day till this, he never could have
filled it. A
crow went flying by him, over his head. "Daub! daub!" said
the crow.
"My blessings on ye, then," said Munachar, "but
it's the good advice
you have," and he took the red clay and the daub that
was by the
brink, and he rubbed it to the bottom of the sieve, until
all the
holes were filled, and then the sieve held the water, and
he brought
the water to the miller, and the miller gave him the makings
of a
cake, and he gave the makings of the cake to the threshers,
and the
threshers gave him a whisp of straw, and he gave the whisp
of straw
to the cow, and the cow gave him milk, the milk he gave
to the cat,
the cat scraped the butter, the butter went into the claw
of the
hound, the hound hunted the deer, the deer swam the water,
the water
wet the flag, the flag sharpened the axe, the axe cut the
rod, and
the rod made a gad, and when he had it ready to hang Manachar
he
found that Manachar had BURST.
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