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Custom and Myth by Andrew Lang
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rests never?'--Answer, 'The Wind.' 'Who are the comrades that always
fight, and never hurt each other?'--'The Teeth.' In France, as we read
in the 'Recueil de Calembours,' the people ask, 'What runs faster than a
horse, crosses water, and is not wet?'--Answer, 'The Sun.' The Samoans
put the riddle, 'A man who stands between two ravenous fishes?'--Answer,
'The tongue between the teeth.' Again, 'There are twenty brothers, each
with a hat on his head?'--Answer, 'Fingers and toes, with nails for
hats.' This is like the French 'un pere a douze fils?'--'l'an.' A
comparison of M. Rolland's 'Devinettes' with the Woluf conundrums of
Boilat, the Samoan examples in Turner's' Samoa,' and the Scotch enigmas
collected by Chambers, will show the identity of peasant and savage
humour.

A few examples, less generally known, may be given to prove that the
beliefs of folklore are not peculiar to any one race or stock of men. The
first case is remarkable: it occurs in Mexico and Ceylon--nor are we
aware that it is found elsewhere. In Macmillan's Magazine {15} is
published a paper by Mrs. Edwards, called 'The Mystery of the Pezazi.'
The events described in this narrative occurred on August 28, 1876, in a
bungalow some thirty miles from Badiella. The narrator occupied a new
house on an estate called Allagalla. Her native servants soon asserted
that the place was haunted by a Pezazi. The English visitors saw and
heard nothing extraordinary till a certain night: an abridged account of
what happened then may be given in the words of Mrs. Edwards:--

Wrapped in dreams, I lay on the night in question tranquilly sleeping,
but gradually roused to a perception that discordant sounds disturbed
the serenity of my slumber. Loth to stir, I still dozed on, the
sounds, however, becoming, as it seemed, more determined to make
themselves heard; and I awoke to the consciousness that they proceeded
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