Ressource

pəhile uhile iŋga cuːktaŋŋɛllɛ akkhɛn bahrə tehrə bərsə yoraŋ khɔmbhɛllɛ kɔ amba sintola bəgan lɛptɛ.
sərdar kam cogɛ.
kudzum thiknu dzogusi.
khɔmbhɛllɛ iŋga pekŋa phɛaŋ kɔ a rəhər thaŋɛ — asira thaŋɛ sikkim pekŋa phɛaŋ kɔ.
khɔmbhɛ tehrə bərsə rɔt yoraŋ khɔmbhɛllɛ.
pegaŋŋaŋ kɔ pegaŋ khɛtnasiŋŋaŋ pegaŋ. ambarɛ mɛbaŋsaŋŋɛn.
niyaːn sumyaːn pəhile khunɛ thasiŋ pe.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kuegaŋnu khɛtnasiŋŋaŋ pegaŋŋaŋ timduŋ teˀruŋŋaŋ kɔ.
sintola kuyumbɛ səikəɖa səi rɛ akkhɛn dui rupiya thiklɔt mɛbɛrigɛ nambhakp'ɛn.
nambhakpa khɔmbharɔt mɛbɛrigɛ.
tho maŋdziŋŋɛn cəĩ tin rupiya səikəɖa mɛbɛrigɛ,
tərə khɔtthonu cəĩ tin rupiya səikəɖa ɛtmu abhedaŋba phɛllɛ
cɛːtcik alla yusik ɛmbhɛrɛ anda bihan dik pekma sintola n tupma nam thadha tupma waːtmaŋ kɔ kɔk cokma ɖoko 'tmu kɔk cokma waːtmaŋ ɛtyo — ɛtyo adhi lam yumaŋ kɔ khatyo nɛma poŋ.
khɔmbhɛ bihan dik thamasiŋ pekmaŋ kɔ yo siŋtam huŋmunaba.
khɔmbhɛllɛ iŋga kɔ yɔllik kuma mɛnchukpa.
tehi pãc səi pãc səi thik kəhile car səi pəccas kəhile pãc səi thik kuyuŋba.
tərə khɔtmunu yammu khɔmbhɛ huŋuŋba kəhile chə rupiya sat rupiya thik taːktuŋba.
khɔllɛ yaˀs'yaˀ — khɔmbhɛllɛ yaˀs'yaˀ səsto nɛssɛ — the — ser rɛ — pãc suka ser rɔt nɛssɛ — dui ser yaˀs'yaˀ iŋuŋ.
iŋumbɛaŋ khɔmbhɛ sa iŋumbɛ.
sa iŋumbɛaŋ ɛttho anigɛ ɖera 'tmu yammu thaŋigɛaŋ nɛssigɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ sɛndik yaˀ kɛlaːkp'ɛn yaˀ mɛlaːk besəri .
sam kɛlob'ɛn sam mɛlo.
kɛwaˀ — kɛyuŋb'ɛn mɛyuŋ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ adharat thɛllik yuŋma poŋ.
khɔmbhɛllɛ khɔmbhɛ yaˀ mɛlaːk.
khɔmbhɛ mɛim.
khɔmbhɛaŋ bihan dik yammu sɛndik mɛbokkaŋ kɔ pekmunaba pokmunaŋ kɔ sintola tupsɛ.
pekmuna pekmuna tho ɛtna sintola kuma tupma waːtmaŋ kɔ. yammu uhi kubhɛrɛk lam yuŋmunaba.
tərə khɔmbhɛ kam cogigɛ taːndi.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ amba thasiŋŋaŋ phɛrɛ pe taːndi kɔ.
iŋga kɔ khɛtnasiŋŋaŋ kɔ yammu sintola kuma mɛnchukpa.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ tho pegaŋ ɛtmu anigɛ'tmu meribuŋ e mahila mɛmɛttub'ɛllɛ meribuŋge mahila rɛ tho lam tɔma siŋtam kudhuŋdaŋ lam tɔma peʈi sərdar khunɛ lie ba coguaŋ nɛssɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ lie ba coguaŋ nɛssɛ khɔmbhɛ taːndi ni khɔtmu lam tɔm'ɛtmu lasaŋ.
lasaŋ yagaŋ — yagaŋ taːndi khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ amba phɛrɛ be ɛtna himna.
iŋga yagaŋ yagaŋ taːndi tɔŋbe thik the yagaŋ.
khɔmbhɛ kam cogumbɛ. khɔmbhɛaŋ cogumbɛ cogumbɛ khɔmbha lam tɔmaŋ surumbɛ.
surumbɛaŋ kɔ pemen tələb taːkma bela 'llɛ kɔ na kam cogumbɛ ɛmbhɔ luŋdhakke mɛsɛttub'ɛn khɔnnɛn khan peʈi sərdar lɛ lie ba cogub'ɛn anigɛ cogumbɛb'ɛn kam ɛn kɔ thubɛ khɛrɛ.
thubɛ khɛrɛaŋ kɔ bəŋ ! lɔˀ thubɛ khɛrɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ taːndi kɔ —
taːndi kɔ hoit lɔrik yammu pəisa rokuwa mɛdzogu.
pəisa rokuwa mɛdzoguaŋ kɔ yapmi mɛmbɛrɛn.
khɔmbhɛaŋ khan peʈi sərdar ɛn mɛtmunaba meribuŋge mahila aŋ anigɛ kɔ kulli 'llɛ hektumbɛ,
"anigɛ kam cogumbɛba pəisa n abɛrɛ!"
" ləu anigɛ yammu cəĩ yammu cəĩ anigɛ mɛdzogumbɛn," mɛttumbɛ, mɛːnni?
mɛttumbɛaŋ kɔ taːndi hɔmbhɛaŋ ɔːktɛ phiːktɛ phɛaŋ kɔ khunɛ sərdar ɛn mɛttuaŋ kɔ kubhɛrɛk kubhɛrɛk thiklɔt pəisa mɛbɛrigɛ anigɛ tələb ɛn kɔ.
khɔmbharɔt mɛbɛrigɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ taːndi ni khɔmbhɛ yammu kam dzogumbɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ dui məhina ba anigɛ tələb yuŋɛ bãki .
yuŋɛaŋ kɔ khɔnnɛn yuŋɛaŋ kɔ taːndi dzogumbɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kha luŋdhakke yammu alla naba kɔ dewəl mɛmɛttu —
aniɛtmu ani nepal ɛtmu kɔ luŋdhakke amɛttum tərə naba paːn dewəl mɛmɛttu.
khan dewəl ɛn pura mɛdzogu — dzogum surumbɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ khatmunu pemen mɛbirigɛ pura .
mɛbirigɛaŋ kɔ pegigɛ yammu na.
martam roɖ mɛmɛttub'ɛtmu pegigɛ.
əbə martam roɖ ɛtmu hatmu yagigɛ.
yagigɛaŋ kɔ khatna ərko sərdar thik kami sərdar thik yagɛ.
khɔnnɛn tɛmsumbɛaŋ khatmu kam cogumbɛ — the.
khɔmbhɛ taːndi khapmu uhi khapmuaŋ bərkhə bhəri yagigɛ.
yagigɛ yagigɛ taːndi khɔmbhɛ khapmu yammu bəhidar thiknu — rai bəhidar thik yagɛ.
khɔ rai bəhidar ɛnnu kɔ khesigɛ anchigɛ.
khesigɛ'llɛ kɔ "khɛnɛ nurik kam kɛndzoknɛn" mɛttaŋ.
khɔmbhɛllɛ "abhe phɛaŋ iŋga kam mɛdzokŋan?
əru bhənda iŋga kudopma kam cokŋaba.
khɛnɛ theaŋ kɛdɔnnaba? ɛmdaŋba coguŋlɔ pɔtŋa, theaŋ kɛbhɛkŋa?" pha mɛttuŋ iŋga. …
khɔmbhɛaŋ khɔmbha bəhidar lɛ tɔrigɛ tɔraŋ kam cokmasaŋ ekdəm adɔnbarɔt khɔllɛ.
?? adɔnbarɔt.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛllɛ adzum thiknu anchigɛ səllah cogusigɛ.
cogusigɛaŋ kɔ "khannɛn ləu ɛn bəhidar ɛn hipsu!
hipsuaŋ kɔ bəru anchi tələb aŋ maya mar coksuaŋ kɔ niŋsaŋ puksuaŋ kɔ pitchi!
bəru ərko ʈhaũ kam coksɛ pitchi!" phɛaŋ kɔ anchigɛ səllah cogusigɛ adzum thiknu.
khɔ adzummɛn kɔ khɔmbhɛaŋ adzummɛllɛ paːttu, "mɛːn, thikyaːn niyaːn səhə ba cokma, theaŋ allo sikkɛllɛ kɔ hirɔt co," lɔˀrɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ iŋga səhə ba coguŋ.
khɔmbhɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ chə sat din kuegaŋ kɔ yammu — yammu khesigɛ kha bəhidar nu.
khesigɛaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ mɛttuŋ, adzummɛn mɛttuŋ —
iŋga gɔ ɛmdaŋ kɔ jhyampwal the mɛndzo phəruwa therɔt cəluwə kɛdzokpa,
kha adzummɛn cəĩ gɔ mistri — alla naba paːn kɔ " mistri " mɛmɛttu.
ɛtnaba ani kɔ " kərmi " mɛmɛttu.
tərə khɔnnɛn mɛttuŋŋaŋ kɔ khallɛ kɔ abhe cogu phɛllɛ,
"alla ɛmbhɛ luŋŋɛn chino lɛ mɛghɔktu thɛk thɛklɛ mɛghɔktu.
mɛghɔktuaŋ khɔnnɛn kɔ khɔmlɔrik kam dzoknu yuŋɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ bahrə bəje poŋma cogɛ, khaja cama bela poksɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ cambɛ khaja the cambɛ waːttumbɛaŋ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ əru rɛ mɛdzo mɛsuru,
khɔmbhɛaŋ iŋga kɔ mɛndza mɛnchuttɛ wayaŋ.
caŋlɔ yuŋaŋ khaja .
khɔmbhɛllɛ kɔ ɔːktɛ bəhidar ɛn kɔ " ləu ləu ləu ləu poginnɛ poginnɛ!" lɔrik ɔːktɛ.
khɔmbhɛllɛ gɔ "mɛːn iŋga khaja cama khosuŋ khaja mɛndzaɛ waˀa," mɛttuŋ.
khɔmbhɛllɛ gɔ thɛktuk ɔːktɛrɔ y'yɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khaja ŋ mɛndzaɛ tyəttikəi khɔmbhɛ pogaŋŋaŋ kɔ pegaŋ tho.
pegaŋŋaŋ kɔ kam cogumbɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ akkho kha adzummɛnnu khan rajaollə nu kɔ khesi.
ɛmbhɔ luŋ khɔknu yuŋaba kha'llɛ kɔ mɛttu.
"khɛnɛ ci asennaŋ tho abhebhai kɛlɔˀ. tɛmbhuk kɛdzaiya" mɛttu.
khɔmbhɛrɔt mɛttuya.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khunɛ kɔ khesi besi kha adzummɛnnu kɔ.
khesiaŋ kɔ khunɛ kɔ bəhidar lɛ kɔ "hipnɛ" phɛaŋ kɔ tokkattɛllɛ ɛmbhɛ saːpsu.
saːpsu'llɛ kɔ khan adzummɛllɛ kɔ rajaollə 'llɛ kɔ thɛktuk kha luŋ thɔkma tɔktɔkya'llɛ kɔ ɛmdaŋb'ɛtmu bɛŋ ! mɛttu.
hiptu.
khɔmbhɛllɛ hiptu'llɛ kɔ iŋgaŋ phɛŋ! lɔˀ hiptuŋ.
khɔmbhɔ hoit lɔˀ loktaŋ.
ərko khan bəhidar ɛllɛ kudzummɛllɛ kɔ yammu ɛmbhɔ thaŋ ɖil ɛtmu uːŋŋasiŋ pegaŋŋɛllɛ khoca 'llɛ lɛm! mɛttaŋ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ mu ɔgaŋaŋ th'yaŋ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ adzummɛllɛ ərko nnaŋ bɛŋ! lɔˀ hiptu.
khɔmbhɛaŋ yammu bəhidar rɛ yammu hiptu.
hiptuaŋ akkho kɔ ɛtmu kaːndɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ tɛktuk makkhi phɔdɔŋdɔŋba makkhi lɔːndɛ.
makkhi lɔːndɛaŋ kɔ kumakkhin kɔ cɛtthiya'tmu khɔmbh'yarik mɛdaːktu mɛnɛssu.
mɛdaːktu mɛnɛssuaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ mɛdaːktu.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ "alla kheŋŋasigɛaŋ kɔ siŋtam thana 'tmu teˀasigɛ mɛmɛttigɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ anigɛ tələb aŋ yɔllik mɛyuŋɛn.
məhina thikpa ek səu pəccas saʈhi thik yuŋɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ anigɛ khan adzummɛn kɔ hoit lɔrik khɛtnasigɛaŋ kɔ pesigɛ.
pesigɛaŋ kɔ sɛndiksa hoit lɔrik pesigɛ,
anchigɛ tələb aŋ maya mar cogusigɛ.
cogusigɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ mu siŋtam lɔːndɛsigɛaŋ kɔ yammu bəs ɛtmu pesigɛ yo romphu pesigɛ.
romphu pesigɛaŋ kɔ khatmu tin din car din nɛssɛsigɛ.
khɔmbhɛ khatmu kam mɛŋghoba.
khɔmbhɛaŋ ?? darjiliŋ kɛrɛsigɛ.
darjiliŋ kɛrɛsigɛaŋ khatmu sɔpma wayɛsigɛ.
pəisa yɔllik mɛŋgɔppa.
car səi pãc səi thik pəisa kɔttusigɛ wayɛsigɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ ɛn darjiliŋ tak kɔndusigɛ the bepar thik cogusigɛ'llɛ uhi pəisa mɛgɛ.
pəisa mɛgɛaŋ kɔ thaŋɛsigɛ ɛttho.
yammu romphu thaŋɛsigɛaŋ kɔ romphu nu na pãc mail mɛmɛttuba thik nɛssɛ.
kumiŋŋɛnnaŋ nurik aniŋwa mɛyaknɛn.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khɔ pãc mail mɛmɛttub'ɛtmu pesigɛaŋ kɔ khatmu uhi lam dɔma yagɛsigɛ khatmu.
khatmu məhina thik kam cogusigɛ.
məhina thik kam cogusigɛaŋ kɔ khatmunu kɔ lammɛn pura cuːrɛ.
cuːrɛaŋ kɔ yammu tho phədamchin mɛtmunaba caina lɛ simana pər ba kɛdzokpa'tmu yagɛsigɛ tho.
hattho pesigɛ yagɛsigɛ.
khɔmbhɛllɛ khapmu tərə khan miliʈeri ɖipaʈ mɛmɛttu.
khɔn miliʈeri ɖipaʈ ɛn pesigɛaŋ kɔ phədamchiŋ ɛtmu yagɛsigɛ.
yagɛsigɛ taːndi məhina sumsi khapmu yagɛsigɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khallɛ kɔ khapmunuaŋ kɔ bahrə bəje tɔːk cam'naba —
khɔmbhɔrɔ bela tɔːk cambɛ. khɔmbhɛaŋ ni taːndi pegigɛaŋ tin məhina kɛrɛaŋ kɔ kɛrɛaŋ kɔ bahrə bəje tɔːk cam'naba bela blastiŋ mɛbhɔksuba.
alla na kɔ blastiŋ mɛmɛttu, ɛtna kɔ anigɛ kɔ — anigɛ kɔ top mɛmɛttu.
blastiŋ mɛbhɔksuaŋ kɔ mɛbhɔksu'llɛ bela iŋga tɔːk caŋlɔ yuŋaŋ bahrə bəje .
caŋlɔ yuŋaŋ khɔmbhɛllɛ abhedaŋba phɛllɛ khambekkɛtmu nɛma hop ɛmbha thaŋ ɛmbha khaʈ cokmaŋ kɔ siŋŋɛllɛ khaʈ cokma khɔtthaŋ nɛm'naba,
tərə adzumhaˀ cəĩ ərko ʈhaũ phukko'tmu mɛdziŋsiŋ, iŋga cəĩ mɛndziŋbasiŋ.
khan khaʈ ɛllɛmu kusikkɛtmu nɛssaŋŋaŋ ɛmbhɛ nɛssaŋŋaŋ kɔ tɔːkkɛn ɛmbha caŋlɔ nɛssaŋ.
khɔmbhɔrɔ khan blastiŋ ɛn phɔktɛ.
ɛnkhɛpmunu mail thik the phərak ɛtmu phɔktɛba blastiŋ ɛn.
phɔktɛllɛ kɔ tɛktuk ɛnyaːppa luŋŋɛn iːrɛ phɛrɛaŋ kɔ hoit lɔrik phɛrɛaŋ kɔ thaŋ təmbu alla ɛmbhɛllɛ — təmbu khiŋm'naŋ pɔt —
khan təmbu n pəɖyaŋ ! hɔŋsuaŋ gɔ khan təram ɛtmu khaʈ ɛtmu cuktɛaŋ kɔ khaʈ ɛn tərəp ! piːksɛaŋ kɔ aekkɛn lɛm! lɔˀ hiptu.
hiptuaŋ ɛtmu phiŋba thɔktuaŋ pɔtchɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ taːndi khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ ɛtyo həspiʈal mɛyuːraŋ həspiʈal kam cogaŋ — sidaˀ the mɛbɛraŋ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ taːndi cɛ wettaŋ begaŋ, mendzo aruhəru sallik kɛdukpa the cakar mɛttuŋsiŋ.
khɔmbha khɔmbhɛ lɔrik wayaŋlɔ taːndi kɔ amba ahɔŋsɛ phɛrɛ.
"pitchi!" lɔˀrɛ.
amba ahɔŋsɛ phɛrɛaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛ phɛri besigɛ.
phɛrɛsigɛ. khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ ɛtna bijənbari mɛmɛttub'ɛtmu kɛrɛsigɛaŋ kɔ khapmu anigɛ n'ya thik yuŋ.
bijənbari khɔmbhɛaŋ khatmu niyaːn the nɛssɛsigɛ.
khɔmbhɛaŋ hoit lɔrik phɛrɛ pesigɛ.
khɔmbhɛllɛ ɛtna sat din aʈh din lɔˀ himmu kɛrɛsigɛ.

Before when I was little — I was about 12 or 13 — my father took a contract on some orange groves.
He worked as a contractor.
He and a friend did it.
Then I really wanted to go — I wanted to go to Sikkim.
I was only thirteen.
I went — I ran away and went. My father didn't let me go.
He had set out two or three days before.
So I ran off after him and followed along.
We carried oranges — they only gave us two rupees per hundred, for the Namphak ones.
That was all they gave us for the Namphak ones.
They gave us three rupees per hundred for the Mangjing ones.
But from up there — how it was to get three rupees per hundred —
First in the morning, when it was still a bit dark, one had to go and pick oranges all day and make basket-loads and bring them halfway back down and sleep there.
Then in the morning you had to set out and go down to Singtam and dump them off.
I couldn't carry a lot.
I'd carry five hundred or so — sometimes 450, sometimes five hundred.
Delivering them from there sometimes I'd get six or seven rupees.
With that I'd buy rice — then rice was cheap — it was 1.25 a seer (900g)— I'd buy two seer.
We bought it and we bought meat.
We brought it up and stayed in our quarters.
At night, the paddy-dancers paddy danced — a lot.
The singers sang.
Those who just sat around sat around.
We had to stay until midnight.
They paddy-danced.
And they slept.
Then in the morning, when it was still night they got up and went to pick oranges.
They went up and picked and carried oranges, and again they stayed over halfway back.
We worked like that.
Then later my father came.
I ran off and couldn't carry oranges any more.
I went up, and up above Singtam someone called Meribung Maila from our village had taken a subcontract for digging a road.
He'd taken the subcontract, and later I got into road-digging there.
I stayed at it and later my father came back over here — back home.
I stayed a year.
We worked and worked, and finished digging the road.
We finished, and when it was time to get paid — we'd worked and built retaining walls, and what that subcontractor had built — what we had built — it collapsed.
It came down with a crash.
So they immediately stopped the money.
They stopped it and didn't give it to us.
Then we laborers started beating up that subcontractor Meribunge Maila.
"Give us the money for our work!
We won't work any more," we said.
Then he told the contractor that there was shouting and screaming, and they gave us half of our pay.
That was all they gave us, and we went back to work.
Two months' salary was owed us.
We did the work.
The wall — over there they say "dewal" —
here in our place — in Nepal — we say "lungdhakke" but in the language over there they say "dewal".
They finished the wall — we finished building it.
Then they paid us in full.
They paid us and we went on further.
We went to a place called ?Martam Road.
We stayed at Martam Road.
Over there there was a kami [blacksmith] contractor.
We latched on to him and worked.
We stayed all monsoon long.
We stayed on, and later, with a clerk — there was a Rai clerk.
We quarreled with that Rai.
He told me, "You don't work properly."
"How can you say I don't work properly!
I'm working harder than the others.
Why do you scold me? I'm working like this — why do you scold me?" I said. [break in recording]
That clerk scolded us — he scolded me, even though we worked, he just kept scolding us.
He just kept scolding us.
So we talked it over, me and a friend.
"OK, let's beat that clerk up!
Let's beat him up — we'll forget our salary, let's just forget about it and leave!
Let's go work somewhere else instead!" we said, me and my friend.
Then my friend said, "No, we'll put up with it for a day or two. Because if one gets angry one only eats shit later."
So I bore with it.
Then six or seven days afterwards we quarreled again with that clerk.
Then I told him — I told my friend — [??]
I was just an ordinary laborer, using a crowbar,
but that friend of mine was a mason — in the language over there they say "mistri".
Over here we say "karmi".
But I was saying [??], what he did was —
they were cutting stone with chisels, "thek-thek".
They were cutting stone and he was doing that kind of work.
It got to be noon, it was time for a snack.
We were eating some snack and the others had finished eating.
I hadn't finished eating.
I was still eating.
Then the clerk shouted. "OK, OK, get up, get up!" he shouted.
"No, I get to eat my snack, I haven't eaten," I said.
He came down shouting violently.
So without eating I got up immediately and went up.
I went up and we went to work.
Then later my friend and the master mason quarreled.
I was cutting stone.
"You've been acting up for some time now. You might get a beating" he said.
That's all he said.
Then he quarreled with my friend.
The clerk said "I'll beat you," and raised his cane.
He raised it and my friend took the mason's rock-hammer and gave him a blow "bung!" like this [indicating a blow to the head].
He hit him.
I hit him too.
Then I ran away.
But when I was pulling myself up the slope one of that clerk's friends hit me with a stake.
I lost my hold and fell down.
My friend struck the other one too.
Then the clerk hit him [i.e. the narrator's friend].
He hit him and later he had a wound here [indicating his head].
Blood came gushing out.
They collected his blood in a bowl.
They collected it.
"Now we'll tie you up and take you to the police station in Singtam," they told us.
We didn't have much pay outstanding.
There was one month's pay — about one hundred fifty or sixty.
So we ran away right then.
We went, even though it was night.
We kissed goodbye to our pay.
We came out down in Singtam and went by bus to Romphu.
We stayed there three or four days.
There was no work there.
Then we went over to Darjeeling.
When we reached Darjeeling we stayed a short while.
We didn't have much money.
We had four or five hundred.
We toured around Darjeeling and did a little business and our money ran out.
So we came up here.
We came back up to Romphu — there was a place called "Five Mile".
I don't remember its name properly.
At that place called Five Mile we got into that same road-digging work.
We worked for a month there.
After we'd worked a month, the road was completed.
After that we stayed up at a place called Phodomchin, next to the Chinese border.
We stayed up there.
They call it "Military Depot".
We went to that Military Depot and stayed in Phodamchin.
We stayed there three months.
Up there it was lunch at noon —
We ate lunch at noon. After about three months, at lunch time they set off explosives.
Over there they say "blasting", here in our place they say "top" [cannon].
When they set off the explosives I was eating my meal — at noon.
How I was eating — now there one doesn't sleep on the ground — they make beds out of wood and they lie down on those.
My friends had hidden in another place, in a cave, but I wasn't hidden.
I was under the bed eating my meal.
Then the explosives went off.
It went off about a mile away, the explosive.
When it went off, rocks this big came spinning over the tent — there were tents set up.
It pierced the tent and landed on the bed and one of the slats came out and hit my back.
It made a black and blue mark.
Later they took me down to the hospital and the hospital treated me — they gave me some medicine.
Later I got a bit better and I took a little care of the others who were seriously ill.
While I was there like that, later my father came to look for me.
"Let's go!" he said.
My father came to look for me and we came back.
Then when we got over here to a place called Bijanbari, there's a maternal aunt of ours there.
We stayed two days or so in Bijanbari.
We came quickly away from there.
After seven or eight days we reached home.

S1

pəhile uhile iŋga cuːktaŋŋɛllɛ akkhɛn bahrə tehrə bərsə yoraŋ khɔmbhɛllɛ kɔ amba sintola bəgan lɛptɛ.

Before when I was little — I was about 12 or 13 — my father took a contract on some orange groves.

pəhile

first

uhile

before

iŋga

1SG

cuːkt-aŋ-ɛllɛ

be.small-1SG.SO.PA-SUB

akkhɛn

how.many

bahrə

12

tehrə

13

bərsə

year

yor-aŋ

suffice.S2-1SG.SO.PA

khɔmbhɛllɛ

then

kɔ

TOP

a-pa

1SG-father

sintola

tangerine

bəgan

garden

lɛpt-ɛ

contract-PA

S2

sərdar kam cogɛ.

He worked as a contractor.

sərdar

contractor

kam

work

cog-ɛ

do.S2-PA

S3

kudzum thiknu dzogusi.

He and a friend did it.

S4

khɔmbhɛllɛ iŋga pekŋa phɛaŋ kɔ a rəhər thaŋɛ — asira thaŋɛ sikkim pekŋa phɛaŋ kɔ.

Then I really wanted to go — I wanted to go to Sikkim.

S5

khɔmbhɛ tehrə bərsə rɔt yoraŋ khɔmbhɛllɛ.

I was only thirteen.

S6

pegaŋŋaŋ kɔ pegaŋ khɛtnasiŋŋaŋ pegaŋ. ambarɛ mɛbaŋsaŋŋɛn.

I went — I ran away and went. My father didn't let me go.

S7

niyaːn sumyaːn pəhile khunɛ thasiŋ pe.

He had set out two or three days before.

S8

khɔmbhɛaŋ kuegaŋnu khɛtnasiŋŋaŋ pegaŋŋaŋ timduŋ teˀruŋŋaŋ kɔ.

So I ran off after him and followed along.

S9

sintola kuyumbɛ səikəɖa səi rɛ akkhɛn dui rupiya thiklɔt mɛbɛrigɛ nambhakp'ɛn.

We carried oranges — they only gave us two rupees per hundred, for the Namphak ones.

S10

nambhakpa khɔmbharɔt mɛbɛrigɛ.

That was all they gave us for the Namphak ones.

S11

tho maŋdziŋŋɛn cəĩ tin rupiya səikəɖa mɛbɛrigɛ,

They gave us three rupees per hundred for the Mangjing ones.

S12

tərə khɔtthonu cəĩ tin rupiya səikəɖa ɛtmu abhedaŋba phɛllɛ

But from up there — how it was to get three rupees per hundred —

S13

cɛːtcik alla yusik ɛmbhɛrɛ anda bihan dik pekma sintola n tupma nam thadha tupma waːtmaŋ kɔ kɔk cokma ɖoko 'tmu kɔk cokma waːtmaŋ ɛtyo — ɛtyo adhi lam yumaŋ kɔ khatyo nɛma poŋ.

First in the morning, when it was still a bit dark, one had to go and pick oranges all day and make basket-loads and bring them halfway back down and sleep there.

S14

khɔmbhɛ bihan dik thamasiŋ pekmaŋ kɔ yo siŋtam huŋmunaba.

Then in the morning you had to set out and go down to Singtam and dump them off.

S15

khɔmbhɛllɛ iŋga kɔ yɔllik kuma mɛnchukpa.

I couldn't carry a lot.

S16

tehi pãc səi pãc səi thik kəhile car səi pəccas kəhile pãc səi thik kuyuŋba.

I'd carry five hundred or so — sometimes 450, sometimes five hundred.

S17

tərə khɔtmunu yammu khɔmbhɛ huŋuŋba kəhile chə rupiya sat rupiya thik taːktuŋba.

Delivering them from there sometimes I'd get six or seven rupees.

S18

khɔllɛ yaˀs'yaˀ — khɔmbhɛllɛ yaˀs'yaˀ səsto nɛssɛ — the — ser rɛ — pãc suka ser rɔt nɛssɛ — dui ser yaˀs'yaˀ iŋuŋ.

With that I'd buy rice — then rice was cheap — it was 1.25 a seer (900g)— I'd buy two seer.

S19

iŋumbɛaŋ khɔmbhɛ sa iŋumbɛ.

We bought it and we bought meat.

S20

sa iŋumbɛaŋ ɛttho anigɛ ɖera 'tmu yammu thaŋigɛaŋ nɛssigɛ.

We brought it up and stayed in our quarters.

S21

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ sɛndik yaˀ kɛlaːkp'ɛn yaˀ mɛlaːk besəri .

At night, the paddy-dancers paddy danced — a lot.

S22

sam kɛlob'ɛn sam mɛlo.

The singers sang.

S23

kɛwaˀ — kɛyuŋb'ɛn mɛyuŋ.

Those who just sat around sat around.

S24

khɔmbhɛaŋ adharat thɛllik yuŋma poŋ.

We had to stay until midnight.

S25

khɔmbhɛllɛ khɔmbhɛ yaˀ mɛlaːk.

They paddy-danced.

S26

khɔmbhɛ mɛim.

And they slept.

S27

khɔmbhɛaŋ bihan dik yammu sɛndik mɛbokkaŋ kɔ pekmunaba pokmunaŋ kɔ sintola tupsɛ.

Then in the morning, when it was still night they got up and went to pick oranges.

S28

pekmuna pekmuna tho ɛtna sintola kuma tupma waːtmaŋ kɔ. yammu uhi kubhɛrɛk lam yuŋmunaba.

They went up and picked and carried oranges, and again they stayed over halfway back.

S29

tərə khɔmbhɛ kam cogigɛ taːndi.

We worked like that.

S30

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ amba thasiŋŋaŋ phɛrɛ pe taːndi kɔ.

Then later my father came.

S31

iŋga kɔ khɛtnasiŋŋaŋ kɔ yammu sintola kuma mɛnchukpa.

I ran off and couldn't carry oranges any more.

S32

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ tho pegaŋ ɛtmu anigɛ'tmu meribuŋ e mahila mɛmɛttub'ɛllɛ meribuŋge mahila rɛ tho lam tɔma siŋtam kudhuŋdaŋ lam tɔma peʈi sərdar khunɛ lie ba coguaŋ nɛssɛ.

I went up, and up above Singtam someone called Meribung Maila from our village had taken a subcontract for digging a road.

S33

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ lie ba coguaŋ nɛssɛ khɔmbhɛ taːndi ni khɔtmu lam tɔm'ɛtmu lasaŋ.

He'd taken the subcontract, and later I got into road-digging there.

S34

lasaŋ yagaŋ — yagaŋ taːndi khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ amba phɛrɛ be ɛtna himna.

I stayed at it and later my father came back over here — back home.

S35

iŋga yagaŋ yagaŋ taːndi tɔŋbe thik the yagaŋ.

I stayed a year.

S36

khɔmbhɛ kam cogumbɛ. khɔmbhɛaŋ cogumbɛ cogumbɛ khɔmbha lam tɔmaŋ surumbɛ.

We worked and worked, and finished digging the road.

S37

surumbɛaŋ kɔ pemen tələb taːkma bela 'llɛ kɔ na kam cogumbɛ ɛmbhɔ luŋdhakke mɛsɛttub'ɛn khɔnnɛn khan peʈi sərdar lɛ lie ba cogub'ɛn anigɛ cogumbɛb'ɛn kam ɛn kɔ thubɛ khɛrɛ.

We finished, and when it was time to get paid — we'd worked and built retaining walls, and what that subcontractor had built — what we had built — it collapsed.

S38

thubɛ khɛrɛaŋ kɔ bəŋ ! lɔˀ thubɛ khɛrɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ taːndi kɔ —

It came down with a crash.

S39

taːndi kɔ hoit lɔrik yammu pəisa rokuwa mɛdzogu.

So they immediately stopped the money.

S40

pəisa rokuwa mɛdzoguaŋ kɔ yapmi mɛmbɛrɛn.

They stopped it and didn't give it to us.

S41

khɔmbhɛaŋ khan peʈi sərdar ɛn mɛtmunaba meribuŋge mahila aŋ anigɛ kɔ kulli 'llɛ hektumbɛ,

Then we laborers started beating up that subcontractor Meribunge Maila.

S42

"anigɛ kam cogumbɛba pəisa n abɛrɛ!"

"Give us the money for our work!

S43

" ləu anigɛ yammu cəĩ yammu cəĩ anigɛ mɛdzogumbɛn," mɛttumbɛ, mɛːnni?

We won't work any more," we said.

S44

mɛttumbɛaŋ kɔ taːndi hɔmbhɛaŋ ɔːktɛ phiːktɛ phɛaŋ kɔ khunɛ sərdar ɛn mɛttuaŋ kɔ kubhɛrɛk kubhɛrɛk thiklɔt pəisa mɛbɛrigɛ anigɛ tələb ɛn kɔ.

Then he told the contractor that there was shouting and screaming, and they gave us half of our pay.

S45

khɔmbharɔt mɛbɛrigɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ taːndi ni khɔmbhɛ yammu kam dzogumbɛ.

That was all they gave us, and we went back to work.

S46

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ dui məhina ba anigɛ tələb yuŋɛ bãki .

Two months' salary was owed us.

S47

yuŋɛaŋ kɔ khɔnnɛn yuŋɛaŋ kɔ taːndi dzogumbɛ.

We did the work.

S48

khɔmbhɛaŋ kha luŋdhakke yammu alla naba kɔ dewəl mɛmɛttu —

The wall — over there they say "dewal" —

S49

aniɛtmu ani nepal ɛtmu kɔ luŋdhakke amɛttum tərə naba paːn dewəl mɛmɛttu.

here in our place — in Nepal — we say "lungdhakke" but in the language over there they say "dewal".

S50

khan dewəl ɛn pura mɛdzogu — dzogum surumbɛ.

They finished the wall — we finished building it.

S51

khɔmbhɛaŋ khatmunu pemen mɛbirigɛ pura .

Then they paid us in full.

S52

mɛbirigɛaŋ kɔ pegigɛ yammu na.

They paid us and we went on further.

S53

martam roɖ mɛmɛttub'ɛtmu pegigɛ.

We went to a place called ?Martam Road.

S54

əbə martam roɖ ɛtmu hatmu yagigɛ.

We stayed at Martam Road.

S55

yagigɛaŋ kɔ khatna ərko sərdar thik kami sərdar thik yagɛ.

Over there there was a kami [blacksmith] contractor.

S56

khɔnnɛn tɛmsumbɛaŋ khatmu kam cogumbɛ — the.

We latched on to him and worked.

S57

khɔmbhɛ taːndi khapmu uhi khapmuaŋ bərkhə bhəri yagigɛ.

We stayed all monsoon long.

S58

yagigɛ yagigɛ taːndi khɔmbhɛ khapmu yammu bəhidar thiknu — rai bəhidar thik yagɛ.

We stayed on, and later, with a clerk — there was a Rai clerk.

S59

khɔ rai bəhidar ɛnnu kɔ khesigɛ anchigɛ.

We quarreled with that Rai.

S60

khesigɛ'llɛ kɔ "khɛnɛ nurik kam kɛndzoknɛn" mɛttaŋ.

He told me, "You don't work properly."

S61

khɔmbhɛllɛ "abhe phɛaŋ iŋga kam mɛdzokŋan?

"How can you say I don't work properly!

S62

əru bhənda iŋga kudopma kam cokŋaba.

I'm working harder than the others.

S63

khɛnɛ theaŋ kɛdɔnnaba? ɛmdaŋba coguŋlɔ pɔtŋa, theaŋ kɛbhɛkŋa?" pha mɛttuŋ iŋga. …

Why do you scold me? I'm working like this — why do you scold me?" I said. [break in recording]

S64

khɔmbhɛaŋ khɔmbha bəhidar lɛ tɔrigɛ tɔraŋ kam cokmasaŋ ekdəm adɔnbarɔt khɔllɛ.

That clerk scolded us — he scolded me, even though we worked, he just kept scolding us.

S65

?? adɔnbarɔt.

He just kept scolding us.

S66

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛllɛ adzum thiknu anchigɛ səllah cogusigɛ.

So we talked it over, me and a friend.

S67

cogusigɛaŋ kɔ "khannɛn ləu ɛn bəhidar ɛn hipsu!

"OK, let's beat that clerk up!

S68

hipsuaŋ kɔ bəru anchi tələb aŋ maya mar coksuaŋ kɔ niŋsaŋ puksuaŋ kɔ pitchi!

Let's beat him up — we'll forget our salary, let's just forget about it and leave!

S69

bəru ərko ʈhaũ kam coksɛ pitchi!" phɛaŋ kɔ anchigɛ səllah cogusigɛ adzum thiknu.

Let's go work somewhere else instead!" we said, me and my friend.

S70

khɔ adzummɛn kɔ khɔmbhɛaŋ adzummɛllɛ paːttu, "mɛːn, thikyaːn niyaːn səhə ba cokma, theaŋ allo sikkɛllɛ kɔ hirɔt co," lɔˀrɛ.

Then my friend said, "No, we'll put up with it for a day or two. Because if one gets angry one only eats shit later."

S71

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ iŋga səhə ba coguŋ.

So I bore with it.

S72

khɔmbhɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ chə sat din kuegaŋ kɔ yammu — yammu khesigɛ kha bəhidar nu.

Then six or seven days afterwards we quarreled again with that clerk.

S73

khesigɛaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ mɛttuŋ, adzummɛn mɛttuŋ —

Then I told him — I told my friend — [??]

S74

iŋga gɔ ɛmdaŋ kɔ jhyampwal the mɛndzo phəruwa therɔt cəluwə kɛdzokpa,

I was just an ordinary laborer, using a crowbar,

S75

kha adzummɛn cəĩ gɔ mistri — alla naba paːn kɔ " mistri " mɛmɛttu.

but that friend of mine was a mason — in the language over there they say "mistri".

S76

ɛtnaba ani kɔ " kərmi " mɛmɛttu.

Over here we say "karmi".

S77

tərə khɔnnɛn mɛttuŋŋaŋ kɔ khallɛ kɔ abhe cogu phɛllɛ,

But I was saying [??], what he did was —

S78

"alla ɛmbhɛ luŋŋɛn chino lɛ mɛghɔktu thɛk thɛklɛ mɛghɔktu.

they were cutting stone with chisels, "thek-thek".

S79

mɛghɔktuaŋ khɔnnɛn kɔ khɔmlɔrik kam dzoknu yuŋɛ.

They were cutting stone and he was doing that kind of work.

S80

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ bahrə bəje poŋma cogɛ, khaja cama bela poksɛ.

It got to be noon, it was time for a snack.

S81

khɔmbhɛaŋ cambɛ khaja the cambɛ waːttumbɛaŋ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ əru rɛ mɛdzo mɛsuru,

We were eating some snack and the others had finished eating.

S82

khɔmbhɛaŋ iŋga kɔ mɛndza mɛnchuttɛ wayaŋ.

I hadn't finished eating.

S83

caŋlɔ yuŋaŋ khaja .

I was still eating.

S84

khɔmbhɛllɛ kɔ ɔːktɛ bəhidar ɛn kɔ " ləu ləu ləu ləu poginnɛ poginnɛ!" lɔrik ɔːktɛ.

Then the clerk shouted. "OK, OK, get up, get up!" he shouted.

S85

khɔmbhɛllɛ gɔ "mɛːn iŋga khaja cama khosuŋ khaja mɛndzaɛ waˀa," mɛttuŋ.

"No, I get to eat my snack, I haven't eaten," I said.

S86

khɔmbhɛllɛ gɔ thɛktuk ɔːktɛrɔ y'yɛ.

He came down shouting violently.

S87

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khaja ŋ mɛndzaɛ tyəttikəi khɔmbhɛ pogaŋŋaŋ kɔ pegaŋ tho.

So without eating I got up immediately and went up.

S88

pegaŋŋaŋ kɔ kam cogumbɛ.

I went up and we went to work.

S89

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ akkho kha adzummɛnnu khan rajaollə nu kɔ khesi.

Then later my friend and the master mason quarreled.

S90

ɛmbhɔ luŋ khɔknu yuŋaba kha'llɛ kɔ mɛttu.

I was cutting stone.

S91

"khɛnɛ ci asennaŋ tho abhebhai kɛlɔˀ. tɛmbhuk kɛdzaiya" mɛttu.

"You've been acting up for some time now. You might get a beating" he said.

S92

khɔmbhɛrɔt mɛttuya.

That's all he said.

S93

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khunɛ kɔ khesi besi kha adzummɛnnu kɔ.

Then he quarreled with my friend.

S94

khesiaŋ kɔ khunɛ kɔ bəhidar lɛ kɔ "hipnɛ" phɛaŋ kɔ tokkattɛllɛ ɛmbhɛ saːpsu.

The clerk said "I'll beat you," and raised his cane.

S95

saːpsu'llɛ kɔ khan adzummɛllɛ kɔ rajaollə 'llɛ kɔ thɛktuk kha luŋ thɔkma tɔktɔkya'llɛ kɔ ɛmdaŋb'ɛtmu bɛŋ ! mɛttu.

He raised it and my friend took the mason's rock-hammer and gave him a blow "bung!" like this [indicating a blow to the head].

S96

hiptu.

He hit him.

S97

khɔmbhɛllɛ hiptu'llɛ kɔ iŋgaŋ phɛŋ! lɔˀ hiptuŋ.

I hit him too.

S98

khɔmbhɔ hoit lɔˀ loktaŋ.

Then I ran away.

S99

ərko khan bəhidar ɛllɛ kudzummɛllɛ kɔ yammu ɛmbhɔ thaŋ ɖil ɛtmu uːŋŋasiŋ pegaŋŋɛllɛ khoca 'llɛ lɛm! mɛttaŋ.

But when I was pulling myself up the slope one of that clerk's friends hit me with a stake.

S100

khɔmbhɛaŋ mu ɔgaŋaŋ th'yaŋ.

I lost my hold and fell down.

S101

khɔmbhɛaŋ adzummɛllɛ ərko nnaŋ bɛŋ! lɔˀ hiptu.

My friend struck the other one too.

S102

khɔmbhɛaŋ yammu bəhidar rɛ yammu hiptu.

Then the clerk hit him [i.e. the narrator's friend].

S103

hiptuaŋ akkho kɔ ɛtmu kaːndɛ.

He hit him and later he had a wound here [indicating his head].

S104

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ tɛktuk makkhi phɔdɔŋdɔŋba makkhi lɔːndɛ.

Blood came gushing out.

S105

makkhi lɔːndɛaŋ kɔ kumakkhin kɔ cɛtthiya'tmu khɔmbh'yarik mɛdaːktu mɛnɛssu.

They collected his blood in a bowl.

S106

mɛdaːktu mɛnɛssuaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ mɛdaːktu.

They collected it.

S107

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ "alla kheŋŋasigɛaŋ kɔ siŋtam thana 'tmu teˀasigɛ mɛmɛttigɛ.

"Now we'll tie you up and take you to the police station in Singtam," they told us.

S108

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ anigɛ tələb aŋ yɔllik mɛyuŋɛn.

We didn't have much pay outstanding.

S109

məhina thikpa ek səu pəccas saʈhi thik yuŋɛ.

There was one month's pay — about one hundred fifty or sixty.

S110

khɔmbhɛaŋ anigɛ khan adzummɛn kɔ hoit lɔrik khɛtnasigɛaŋ kɔ pesigɛ.

So we ran away right then.

S111

pesigɛaŋ kɔ sɛndiksa hoit lɔrik pesigɛ,

We went, even though it was night.

S112

anchigɛ tələb aŋ maya mar cogusigɛ.

We kissed goodbye to our pay.

S113

cogusigɛ khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ mu siŋtam lɔːndɛsigɛaŋ kɔ yammu bəs ɛtmu pesigɛ yo romphu pesigɛ.

We came out down in Singtam and went by bus to Romphu.

S114

romphu pesigɛaŋ kɔ khatmu tin din car din nɛssɛsigɛ.

We stayed there three or four days.

S115

khɔmbhɛ khatmu kam mɛŋghoba.

There was no work there.

S116

khɔmbhɛaŋ ?? darjiliŋ kɛrɛsigɛ.

Then we went over to Darjeeling.

S117

darjiliŋ kɛrɛsigɛaŋ khatmu sɔpma wayɛsigɛ.

When we reached Darjeeling we stayed a short while.

S118

pəisa yɔllik mɛŋgɔppa.

We didn't have much money.

S119

car səi pãc səi thik pəisa kɔttusigɛ wayɛsigɛ.

We had four or five hundred.

S120

khɔmbhɛaŋ ɛn darjiliŋ tak kɔndusigɛ the bepar thik cogusigɛ'llɛ uhi pəisa mɛgɛ.

We toured around Darjeeling and did a little business and our money ran out.

S121

pəisa mɛgɛaŋ kɔ thaŋɛsigɛ ɛttho.

So we came up here.

S122

yammu romphu thaŋɛsigɛaŋ kɔ romphu nu na pãc mail mɛmɛttuba thik nɛssɛ.

We came back up to Romphu — there was a place called "Five Mile".

S123

kumiŋŋɛnnaŋ nurik aniŋwa mɛyaknɛn.

I don't remember its name properly.

S124

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khɔ pãc mail mɛmɛttub'ɛtmu pesigɛaŋ kɔ khatmu uhi lam dɔma yagɛsigɛ khatmu.

At that place called Five Mile we got into that same road-digging work.

S125

khatmu məhina thik kam cogusigɛ.

We worked for a month there.

S126

məhina thik kam cogusigɛaŋ kɔ khatmunu kɔ lammɛn pura cuːrɛ.

After we'd worked a month, the road was completed.

S127

cuːrɛaŋ kɔ yammu tho phədamchin mɛtmunaba caina lɛ simana pər ba kɛdzokpa'tmu yagɛsigɛ tho.

After that we stayed up at a place called Phodomchin, next to the Chinese border.

S128

hattho pesigɛ yagɛsigɛ.

We stayed up there.

S129

khɔmbhɛllɛ khapmu tərə khan miliʈeri ɖipaʈ mɛmɛttu.

They call it "Military Depot".

S130

khɔn miliʈeri ɖipaʈ ɛn pesigɛaŋ kɔ phədamchiŋ ɛtmu yagɛsigɛ.

We went to that Military Depot and stayed in Phodamchin.

S131

yagɛsigɛ taːndi məhina sumsi khapmu yagɛsigɛ.

We stayed there three months.

S132

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ khallɛ kɔ khapmunuaŋ kɔ bahrə bəje tɔːk cam'naba —

Up there it was lunch at noon —

S133

khɔmbhɔrɔ bela tɔːk cambɛ. khɔmbhɛaŋ ni taːndi pegigɛaŋ tin məhina kɛrɛaŋ kɔ kɛrɛaŋ kɔ bahrə bəje tɔːk cam'naba bela blastiŋ mɛbhɔksuba.

We ate lunch at noon. After about three months, at lunch time they set off explosives.

S134

alla na kɔ blastiŋ mɛmɛttu, ɛtna kɔ anigɛ kɔ — anigɛ kɔ top mɛmɛttu.

Over there they say "blasting", here in our place they say "top" [cannon].

S135

blastiŋ mɛbhɔksuaŋ kɔ mɛbhɔksu'llɛ bela iŋga tɔːk caŋlɔ yuŋaŋ bahrə bəje .

When they set off the explosives I was eating my meal — at noon.

S136

caŋlɔ yuŋaŋ khɔmbhɛllɛ abhedaŋba phɛllɛ khambekkɛtmu nɛma hop ɛmbha thaŋ ɛmbha khaʈ cokmaŋ kɔ siŋŋɛllɛ khaʈ cokma khɔtthaŋ nɛm'naba,

How I was eating — now there one doesn't sleep on the ground — they make beds out of wood and they lie down on those.

S137

tərə adzumhaˀ cəĩ ərko ʈhaũ phukko'tmu mɛdziŋsiŋ, iŋga cəĩ mɛndziŋbasiŋ.

My friends had hidden in another place, in a cave, but I wasn't hidden.

S138

khan khaʈ ɛllɛmu kusikkɛtmu nɛssaŋŋaŋ ɛmbhɛ nɛssaŋŋaŋ kɔ tɔːkkɛn ɛmbha caŋlɔ nɛssaŋ.

I was under the bed eating my meal.

S139

khɔmbhɔrɔ khan blastiŋ ɛn phɔktɛ.

Then the explosives went off.

S140

ɛnkhɛpmunu mail thik the phərak ɛtmu phɔktɛba blastiŋ ɛn.

It went off about a mile away, the explosive.

S141

phɔktɛllɛ kɔ tɛktuk ɛnyaːppa luŋŋɛn iːrɛ phɛrɛaŋ kɔ hoit lɔrik phɛrɛaŋ kɔ thaŋ təmbu alla ɛmbhɛllɛ — təmbu khiŋm'naŋ pɔt —

When it went off, rocks this big came spinning over the tent — there were tents set up.

S142

khan təmbu n pəɖyaŋ ! hɔŋsuaŋ gɔ khan təram ɛtmu khaʈ ɛtmu cuktɛaŋ kɔ khaʈ ɛn tərəp ! piːksɛaŋ kɔ aekkɛn lɛm! lɔˀ hiptu.

It pierced the tent and landed on the bed and one of the slats came out and hit my back.

S143

hiptuaŋ ɛtmu phiŋba thɔktuaŋ pɔtchɛ.

It made a black and blue mark.

S144

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ taːndi khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ ɛtyo həspiʈal mɛyuːraŋ həspiʈal kam cogaŋ — sidaˀ the mɛbɛraŋ.

Later they took me down to the hospital and the hospital treated me — they gave me some medicine.

S145

khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ taːndi cɛ wettaŋ begaŋ, mendzo aruhəru sallik kɛdukpa the cakar mɛttuŋsiŋ.

Later I got a bit better and I took a little care of the others who were seriously ill.

S146

khɔmbha khɔmbhɛ lɔrik wayaŋlɔ taːndi kɔ amba ahɔŋsɛ phɛrɛ.

While I was there like that, later my father came to look for me.

S147

"pitchi!" lɔˀrɛ.

"Let's go!" he said.

S148

amba ahɔŋsɛ phɛrɛaŋ kɔ khɔmbhɛ phɛri besigɛ.

My father came to look for me and we came back.

S149

phɛrɛsigɛ. khɔmbhɛaŋ kɔ ɛtna bijənbari mɛmɛttub'ɛtmu kɛrɛsigɛaŋ kɔ khapmu anigɛ n'ya thik yuŋ.

Then when we got over here to a place called Bijanbari, there's a maternal aunt of ours there.

S150

bijənbari khɔmbhɛaŋ khatmu niyaːn the nɛssɛsigɛ.

We stayed two days or so in Bijanbari.

S151

khɔmbhɛaŋ hoit lɔrik phɛrɛ pesigɛ.

We came quickly away from there.

S152

khɔmbhɛllɛ ɛtna sat din aʈh din lɔˀ himmu kɛrɛsigɛ.

After seven or eight days we reached home.

On the Road Langue : Limbu(lif) Chercheur(s) : Mazaudon, Martine; Michailovsky, Boyd Locuteur(s) : Phembasong, Narad Bahadur

On the Road
Langue : Limbu(lif)

Chercheur(s) : Mazaudon, Martine; Michailovsky, Boyd Locuteur(s) : Phembasong, Narad Bahadur