This is classified as ATU 2042. Chain of Accidents.
CONSEQUENCES
A man was sharpening his dao (by the river side) and the father of (all) prawns bit him in the hand.
(prawn)
The man became angry and (with one stroke of his dao) cut down a clump of big bamboos.
A fruit fell from the bamboos and struck a bird on the nape of the neck.
The bird (in his pain) scratched up an ant's nest with his feet.
The ant (irritated) bit a wild boar in the eye, and the boar (rushing off with one toss of his head) bore down a plantain tree where a bat dwelt under a leaf.
The bat (terrified) sought refuge in the ear of an elephant, and the elephant (driven out of his senses by this unwonted intrusion) kicked down the house of an old woman (who lived hard by).
The old woman was so frightened that she rushed out and fell into the well.
Why did this old woman thus fall into the well? "Because the elephant kicked down my house."
Why did the elephant kick down the house of another person?
"So indeed I did, but a bat entered into my ear (and I knew not what I was doing)."
Why did the hat go into the ear of another? "Even so (said the elephant) the bat went into my ear."
"The wild boar (said the bat) swept down my dwelling place."
Why did the boar sweep down the dwelling place of another?"
The ants bit me in the eye (said the boar)."
Why did the ants bite the eye of another?
"The bird scratched us up (replied the ants)."
Why did you scratch up the ant's nest?
"A fruit fell on my neck."
Why did the fruit fall on the neck of another?
"Tbe bamboos swept me down."
Why did tbe bamboos fall down?
"The dao-sharpener cut us down."
Why did the dao-sharpener cut down the bamboos?
"A prawn bit me in the hand."
Why did the prawn bite another's hand ?
"I did so, whether or no," said the prawn-father.
NOTES
This little story finds a parallel in our own English nursery tale of, how "then the cat began to kill the rat, the rat began to gnaw the rope, the rope began to hang the butcher, the butcher began to kill the ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench the fire, the fire began to burn the stick, the stick began to beat the pig," and thus enabled the old woman to get home before nightfall.
The above Dzo story was told me by Chaman, a boy of about 14, in the village of the Lushai chief Rutton Poia. During the narration we were surrounded by a circle of children who listened with great delight, although they must have heard the tale often before. Like Squire Hardcastle's story of 'grouse in the gun-room' however the story had not lost flavour by age or repetition—but the climax was reached when I afterwards read out from my note book what had been related, and the shouts of laughter brought the chief out of bis house to see what was the matter.
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