“‘My nature is of a hard metal,’ said Shiri and Badatt. ‘Why hard? I Khoto, the son of the peasant Dem Singh, am alone hardy; with this iron spade I raze to the ground thy kingly house. Behold now, although thou art of race accursed, of Shatsho Malika, I, Dem Singh’s son, am of hard metal; for with this iron spade I level thy very palace; look out! look out!’” During the Nauroz [evidently because it is not a national festival] and the Eed, none of these national Shîn songs are sung. Eggs are dyed in different colours and people go about amusing themselves by trying which eggs are hardest by striking the end of one against the end of another. The possessor of the hard egg wins the broken one. The women, however, amuse themselves on those days by tying ropes to trees and swinging themselves about on them. _BUJONI = RIDDLES, PROVERBS AND FABLES._ A. RIDDLES. THE NAVEL. 1. _Tishkóreya ushkúrey halól._ “The perpendicular mountain’s sparrow’s nest. The body’s sparrow’s hole.” A STICK. 2. _Méy_ _sazik_ _heyn_, _súreo_ _peréyn_, _bás_ _darre_ my sister is at day [_she_] walks, at night door _pató_; _búja._[15] behind; listen! “Now listen! My sister walks in the day-time and at night stands behind the door.” As “Sas” “Sazik” also means a stick, ordinarily called “Kunali” in Astori, the riddle means: “I have a stick which assists me in walking by day and which I put behind the door at night.” 3. The Gilgitis say “méy káke tré pay; dashtea” = my brother has three feet; explain now. This means a man’s two legs and a stick. A RADISH. 4. _Astóri mió dádo dimm dáwa-lók; dáyn sarpa-lók, buja._ My grandfather’s body [is] in Hades; his beard [is in] this world, [now] explain! This riddle is explained by “radish” whose body is in the earth and whose sprouts, compared to a beard, are above the ground. Remarkable above all, however, is that the unknown future state, referred to in this riddle, should be called, whether blessed or cursed, “Dawalók” [the place of Gods] by these nominal Muhammadans. This world is called “Sarpalók,” = the world of serpents. “Sarpe” is also the name for man. “Lók” is “place,” but the name by itself is not at present understood by the Shins. A HOOKA. 5. _G._ _méy_ DADI _shishédji_ _agár_, _lúpenu_ my father’s mother on her head fire is burning. The top of the Hooka is the _dadi’s_ or grandmother’s head. A SWORD. 6. _Tutâng_ _gotéjo_ _rúi_ _nikai_ “Darkness from the house the female demon is coming out,” viz., “out of the dark sheath the beautiful, but destructive, steel issues.” It is remarkable that the female Yatsh should be called “Rûi.” RED PEPPER. 7. _Lólo bakuró shé tshá lá há—búja!_ In the red sheep’s pen white young ones many are—attend!