the facts of the case were. The fox half opened his eyes just for one moment and went off to sleep again. The King was greatly offended and called upon the fox peremptorily to give his testimony on oath as to the point in issue. The fox stretched his limbs and yawned and then he said:" My lord, the sea caught fire last night and I had to pass a sleepless night in trying to put out the fire. Hence the drowsiness that is creeping on me in your royal presence." Said the king:-"What nonsense you are talking; it is impossible for the sea to be on fire." Indeed, Sire," said the fox; "but equally impossible is it for a piece of dry wood to bring forth a live ox." The man then got back his ΟΧ. 25. THE STORY OF A BRIDE. A young woman's marriage had been duly arranged and a day was appointed for the wedding. Her elder brother's wife told her to go into the jungle, and pluck leaves for the purpose of making plates and cups for the entertainment of the bridegroom's party, and the woman further suggested that she should deposit the leaves under different Roong creepers (the fibrous bark of which is used as ropes). The young woman did exactly as she was bidden, but her sister-in-law (Hili) nagged her about the small quantity of leaves she had collected and told her to go into the jungles again and fetch more leaves. The poor bride returned to the jungles to fetch more leaves although it was a late hour when it was unsafe for people to be alone in the wild country; and in the gloaming she encountered a huge tiger. The tiger thus addressed her:"What are you searching for, my dear grand-child ?" Said the young bride:-" Grand-papa, I have to go to my brothers in order to entertain them with my songs and earn my wages." The tiger pointed to his den and said :-"Well then, go over to my house and sit there until your brothers who have gone ahunting (sangar*) return home." She accordingly went and seated herself at the entrance to the great tiger's cave. When the tigers returned from their hunt the great one said to them:-" Here is your sister. What have you done about giving her a warm welcome ?" Mundari sendera. Thereupon some of them brought rice, some brought cookingpots while others brought salt, turmeric and dishes and then they asked her to cook the meat and rice. After they had all dined the great tiger sail to the maiden: "Come now my : grand-child and sing to your brothers." She then started sing ing this song: Bo'tedo itulad mitulad Kāṭā'tedo dārpil mārpil.” [NOTE-This is a sort of gibberish which appears to constitute a barbed innuendo referring to the disproportion in size between the large head (bo') and small lege (kāta') of a tiger.] The great tiger interrupted her and said :-" My dear granddaughter, you will offend your brothers by singing this song. Sing to them a better one." She then began to sing another song: "Rupā rupā noṛāgo noṛāgoḍ ko Tiri-riu tiri-riu koādo Lih salong lih sālong." [Translation (free):-There goes a handsome swain, playing a tune on a flute as he gambles along.] As soon as she commenced this song all the tigers joined hands: (each placing one foot on the shoulder of the tiger next to it) and began to dance. The tigers were greatly, delighted, and! gave her nice clothes, anklets (andu) anl bracelets. (säkom) to bedeck herself with. In this manner did she regale the tigers from day to day. After some time had elapsed the young woman thus addressed the great tiger:-"Dear grandfather, I am dying of ennui. Do let me go to my people for a change. I will come back again to you." Her prayer was readily granted. A basketful of rice, one jar full of Diang (rice-beer)· and a castrated goat were given to her to serve as viaticum and the great tiger deputed two of the tigers to see her home and parti cularly warned them to behave properly on the way. After going some distance her attendants asked her how far away hers home was; to which she replied :-" My home is in the kingdom of Tu-tu-goyakan." The two tigers. repeated their inquiry several times but each time she gave them the same answer. : When they arrived near the cultivated fields on the outskirts of her village she said :-" Run away, my brothers. My parents and relations are coming. They may kill you." "Thereupon the two tigers ran off for their lives. When she came home her sister-in-law took her up sharply about her long delay in returning home from the jungles. She said in reply that she had been earning her wages honestly by singing songs to the tigers. Said her sister-in-law Is it they who have given you all these valuable gifts-the cloth you are wearing and the anklets and bracelets ?" On being reassured on that score the woman said :-" Do tell me what song you sang to the tigers so that I may learn it and earn my wages just as you have been doing." Then the young woman taught her to sing the song"Bo'tedo itulad, etc." The wicked woman then went into the jungles and met the great tiger who asked her "What is it you are looking for, my grand-child?" She said :-" I have come to entertain my brothers with songs and thus to earn my wages." Then as in the case of the young bride, the tigers made her cook the dinner and then the great tiger called on her to sing her songs after the repast for the entertainment of her brothers. She then began to sing the song :-" Bo'tedo itulad, etc." The great tiger stopped her saying :--" No my grandchild you must not sing that song, for it will offend your brothers. Let us have a better song." song she repeated the same one with the result that the tigers were furious with rage. They tore off her scalp and covering her head up with a brass kutra (a large cup) they sent her back home. The young bride was first deceived by her sister-in-law and she thus had her revenge. As she knew no other 26.—THE STORY OF A POTTER'S CHILD. The story goes that a potter's wife, who was an expectant mother, went into a forest for the purpose of bringing in leaves, and was delivered of a son before she could return home. She *This is dérived from the Hindi katora. The word bela is also commonly used for katoras, abandoned the infant in the jungles and returned home. The child was found by a tigress who said to her mate :-"Look here, my dear; I have found a human infant." The tiger came and saw the child and proposed to eat it up. "No," said the tigress, "we will not eat it. Let us take it home and rear it". So they took over the child to their lair, and the tiger nursed it and brought it up. As the child grew into a little boy he was duly weaned and his feline foster-mother roasted meat for him to eat, and when he was a bit older he asked the tiger to make for him a bow and some arrows to shoot with. His wish was duly gratified and he went about every day with his bow and wooden darts and killed birds and rabbits which he brought home to his foster-parents. Said the tigress one day to her mate: "You wanted to kill the little child when I found it. You now see how useful he is to us and how he provides us with game for our daily food." The tiger acknowledged the wisdom and admired the foresight of his consort. Now, when the boy came of age he went anl said to the tiger:-"Father, I must have arrows shol with iron so that I may shoot big game." The tiger and his consort went out in search of a blacksmith and met one who was making charcoal in the jungle. The man ran off terror-stricken on seeing them, but they spoke to him gently and reassured him. They gave him an order for a good number of arrows with iron shafts and it was arranged that he would deliver the arrows by a certain date. If he failed to perform the contract it would be worse for him. realized the seriousness of the job and he sought the help of his craftsmen and managed to execute the commission in good time. The young potter was now able to shoot all kinds of big game and when his bag consisted of such large animals as bison, wild buffaloes or sambar which he could not carry home he went and informed his foster-parents who duly brought the game home. The time came when the feline couple thought that their ward should get married; and one day they set out in search of a bride. They came to a certain King's Bandh (an artificial lake) where the royal princesses were at The blacksmith. went home and their bath. The tiger picked out the eldest young lady who was very pretty and said to his consort:-"That one is to be our daughter-in-law (Kimin). Take her off." Therefore the tigress seized the princess and carried her off, while the peoplewho were about the place shouted themselves hoarse and bewailed the sad fate of the royal lady. The princess became the wife of the young potter. The royal lady was not quite happy in her strange surroundings; she was dainty of appetite and she could not endure the monotonous courses of roast meat. One day she told her husband that her usual meal at home consisted of rice, pulse and vegetables. The young man communicated her wishes to his foster-parents who proceeded to attack people on their way to and from the weekly hats (fairs) and robbed them of rice, dal (pulses) and vegetables. The princess cooked the rice, dal and vegetables and soon developed a better appetite than her husband's. Thus they lived happily together for some time. At last a sinister idea crossed the tiger's mind and he thus expressed himself to his consort :"We have now got two human beings in our possession. It would be well to invite all our kinsfolk and enjoy a hearty dinner on human flesh." Without waiting for an answer the tiger bounded off to invite his kinsfolk. to invite his kinsfolk. In the meantime the tigress went to the young couple and forewarned them about their impending doom. The princess bewailed her lot but her husband inspired her with hope and courage. Under her husband's advice she climbed high up a tree while he perched himself on a lower branch. Soon after one hundred ferocious tigers arrived and encircled the tree but the young potter, who was a crack shot, promptly disposed of them with his deadly shafts. Then there came a fresh band of one hundred tigers and they too met with the same fate. Having in this manner exterminated the entire brood of tigers the potter asked his wife to find her way to her village, for he had no knowledge of the world outside the forests. The princess indicated. a tall kadam tree which stood in her father's court-yard as a landmark which would guide them to the King's palace. They arrived |
