fall down on the way.”  Then the young man went to the bin, and filled a very large jar full of grain, for it was his desire to carry off a large quantity of seed corn, and he lifted up on his shoulders the pot, which was filled full of wheat and barley, and came out of the shed with it.  And Anpu’s wife said to him, “How much grain hast thou on thy shoulders?” And Bata said to her, “Three measures of barley and two measures of wheat, in all five measures of grain; that is what I have on my shoulders.”  These were the words which he spake to her.  And she said to him, “How strong thou art!  I have been observing thy vigorousness day by day.”  And her heart inclined to him, and she entreated him to stay with her, promising to give him beautiful apparel if he would do so.  Then the young man became filled with fury like a panther of the south because of her words, and when she saw how angry he was she became terribly afraid.  And he said to her, “Verily thou art to me as my mother, and thy husband is as my father, and being my elder brother he hath provided me with the means of living.  Thou hast said unto me what ought not to have been said, and I pray thee not to repeat it.  On my part I shall tell no man of it, and on thine thou must never declare the matter to man or woman.”  Then Bata took up his load on his shoulders, and departed to the fields.  And when he arrived at the place where his elder brother was they continued their ploughing and laboured diligently at their work.

And when the evening was come the elder brother returned to his house.  And having loaded himself with the products of the fields, Bata drove his flocks and herds back to the farm and put them in their enclosures.

And behold, Anpu’s wife was smitten with fear, because of the words which she had spoken to Bata, and she took some grease and a piece of linen, and she made herself to appear like a woman who had been assaulted, and who had been violently beaten by her assailant, for she wished to say to her husband, “Thy young brother hath beaten me sorely.”  And when Anpu returned in the evening according to his daily custom, and arrived at his house, he found his wife lying on the ground in the condition of one who had been assaulted with violence.  She did not [appear to] pour water over his hands according to custom, she did not light a light before him; his house was in darkness, and she was lying prostrate and sick.  And her husband said unto her, “Who hath been talking to thee?” And she said unto him, “No one hath been talking to me except thy young brother.  When he came to fetch the seed corn he found me sitting alone, and he spake words of love to me, and he told me to tie up my hair.  But I would not listen to him, and I said to him, ’Am I not like thy mother?  Is not thy elder brother like thy father?’ Then he was greatly afraid, and he beat me to prevent me from telling thee about this matter.  Now, if thou dost not kill him I shall kill myself, for since I have complained to thee about his words, when he cometh back in the evening what he will do [to me] is manifest.”