But in a few years they all fell into poverty and had not enough to eat nor clothes to wear, and the father and mother were no better off; then the old man called all his sons and their wives and said “You see what trouble you have fallen into; I have a riddle for you, explain it to me.  There are four wells, three empty and one full of water; if you draw water from the full one and pour it into the three empty ones they will become full; but when they are full and the first one is empty, if you pour water from the three full ones into the empty one it will not be filled; what does this mean?” And they could not answer and he said, “The four wells mean that a man had three sons, and while they were little he filled their stomachs as the wells were filled with water; but when they separated they would not fill the old man’s stomach.”

And it was true, that the sons had done nothing to help their father and they were filled with shame and they agreed that as long as their father lived they would be joint with him and would not separate again until he died.

X. The Girl Who Found Helpers.

Once upon a time there were seven brothers, and they were all married, and they had one sister who was not married.  The brothers went away to a far country for a whole year, leaving their wives at home.  Now the wives hated their sister-in-law and did their best to torment her.  So one day they gave her a pot full of holes and told her to bring it back full of water; and threatened that if she failed she should have no food.  So she took the pot to the spring and there sat down and cried and sang:—­

    “I am fetching water in a pot full of holes,
    I am fetching water in a pot full of holes,
    How far away have my brothers gone to trade.”

After she had cried a long time, a number of frogs came up out of the water and asked her what was the matter, and she told them that she must fill the pot with water, and was not allowed to stop the holes with clay or lac.  Then they told her not to cry, and said, that they would sit on the holes and then the water would not run out; they did this and the girl dried her eyes and filled the pot with water and took it home.  Her sisters-in-law were much disappointed at her success, but the next day they told her to go to the jungle and bring back a bundle of leaves, but she was to use no rope for tying them up.  So she went to the jungle and collected the leaves and then sat down and cried and sang:—­

    “I am to fetch leaves without a rope
    I am to fetch leaves without a rope
    How far have my brothers gone to trade?”

and as she cried a buka sobo snake came out and asked why she was crying, and when she told it, it said that it would coil itself round the leaves in place of a rope.  So it stretched itself out straight and she piled the leaves on the top of it and the snake coiled itself tightly round them and so she was able to carry the bundle home on her head.  Her sisters-in-law ran to see how she managed it, but she put the bundle down gently and the snake slipped away unperceived.  Still they resolved to try again; so the next day they sent her to fetch a bundle of fire wood, but told her that she was to use no rope to tie it with.  So she went to the jungle and collected the sticks and then sat down and cried:—­