day to the day they died none of them ever found their way
back to the beautiful country of the Hsangs, but had to spend all their
lives upon this earth of ours.

Thus we see that it is earthly desires that keep us from the spirit
country. We see, or we hear, we smell or desire some earthly thing. We
get our desires, but they keep us pinned down to the earth. We cannot go
to the spirit country because of them.

When the spirits discovered that they could not return to the Hsang
country they agreed that they would marry each other and take up their
abode upon this earth of ours. But here arose a difficulty; there were
five male hsangs but only four females! There was chance of a great
quarrel, but the strongest of them, his name was Hsin Kyan, thought
within himself:

"I am stronger than any of my brothers and could easily defeat them and
marry whom I will, but what merit would there be in that? I will ask
them whether they would be willing to make me king and each of them give
me of their daughters when they are old enough, then in time I shall
have wives and power as well." Thus we see it is the man who is willing
to control his desires and wait who becomes great.

Hsin Kyan's brethren were very glad to make the agreement and thus it
was that he became the ruler of them all. When the daughters of the
others were old enough, they brought them to the king, and from that day
it has been the custom for men to offer their daughters to the king.

Now it happened that the universal lord, Sa Kyah, who rules over all
spirits and men looked earthward and saw the new kingdom that was
established; he became jealous and determined to kill Hsin Kyan and take
his kingdom away from him. But Hsin Kyan was very subtle and cunning, so
he tattooed himself with charms of such great strength that even the
mighty lord Sa Kyah could not kill him. For many years they fought.
Great mountains were thrown by each combatant at the other, but Hsin
Kyan could not defeat the lord Sa Kyah, neither could the lord Sa Kyah
kill Hsin Kyan.

Our great ancestor Hsin Kyan had seven daughters, whose names to this
day are remembered among us as they have been given to the different
days of the week, from Nang Ta Nang Nooie, the eldest, after whom we
call the first day of the week Wan Ta Nang Nooie, to Nang Hsa Ne, the
youngest, and when the mighty lord Sa Kyah found that he could not kill
their father, he spoke to these daughters and told them he was se