Part 8

Then the other one, having arisen very quietly, when he looks for the box of things, the box of things is not there. When he sought and looked about for it, he did not meet with it. [But] when he tasted [with the tip of his tongue], and looked at the body (skin) of that person who is sleeping, until the time when he comes [upward] near the hip there is salt taste.

Now then, that one thought, "He will have hidden it in the water, waist deep in the sea." Having gone on account of the thought, when he looked in the water to the extent of a round [of the top] of the cloth (pili-watak, waist-deep) a tree was near. [The other man] having placed it near the tree he met with it [there].

As soon as he met with it, taking the box of things and having come to his village, he says to his wife and children, "Having sought me, should a man come here, say, 'He died yesternight. There is delay in going to bury him, until the time when his relatives assemble.'" Well then, they are lamenting falsely.

Well, Gampolaya [having come there] says, "We, indeed, called Gampolaya and Raehigamaya, walked about and committed robbery at [each] city in turn. Now then, don't you be grieved that he died; I am more troubled in my mind than you. The agreement of us two indeed is that should I die first, he having come,--that kind of creeper called Habalossa; it is an extremely bad sort of thorn, [72]--having put [some] of the creepers on the neck there is a promise to go dragging me until the time when he goes to the edge of the grave. Should he die first the promise is [that I should act] in that very manner."

Well then, having brought a Habalossa creeper, and put it round the neck of the person who was dead, when he prepared (lit., made) to drag him the person who was dead laughed. Having laughed, he says, "Friend, I did not bring the box of things on account of stealing it, [but] to look if you are a clever person."

Well then, these two correctly divided in two the articles in the box of things. The two persons [afterwards] dwelt in happiness.

North-western Province.

In The Orientalist, vol. i, p. 234, Mr. C. J. R. Le Mesurier gave a story in which five beggars agreed that each should put a handful of rice into a pot of boiling water, to make their common meal. When the time came to eat the meal the pot was found to contain only water, each one having placed an empty hand inside it, as though depositing rice.

In Folk-Tales of Bengal (L. Behari Day), p. 165, when two thieves were digging, the younger one came on a jar full of gold muhrs (each worth about thirty shillings), and at once said it was only a large stone. While the younger man slept the elder thief returned to the spot, found there two jars of the coins, buried them in the mud of an adjoining tank, returned, and fell asleep near the other. When the younger thief awoke and found that the coins had been removed, he noticed mud on his comrade's legs, made a search at the tank, got the two jars, and went off with them, loaded on a cow. At dawn the other man missed his partner and the money, and went in pursuit, and by the slipper trick [73] got the cow and its load, and went home. When the younger man came up they divided the money except an odd coin, which was to be changed in the morning. In the morning the elder man who had charge of it pretended to be dead. His friend affected to pity the wife, made a straw rope, and dragged the body to the burning ground, but having no fire he climbed up a tree. The two afterwards frightened some robbers there, and got their booty.

In Indian Nights' Entertainment (Swynnerton), p. 45, some of the Sinhalese incidents occur in an account of the doings of two merchants. One of them buried in the mud a brass plate which he stole from the other's house. The owner found and removed it, and the thief searched in vain for it. They cheated other people, and acquired forty thousand rupees with which one of them made off; the other recovered it by the slipper trick, buried it, pretended to be dead, and at the cemetery the two men frightened some robbers, got their booty, and made an equal division of all.

In Folk-Tales of the Telugus (G. R. Subramiah Pantulu), p. 63, a man set out with a packet containing a quart of sand; a man of a different village was journeying with a packet containing a lump of cow-dung. They met in the evening, and halted at the same rest-house. Each wanted to get the other's packet, thinking it contained food. The second man said he had a packet of food (apparently cooked) but was not hungry, and asked the other what he had brought. The first one replied that he had uncooked rice with him, and felt very hungry. They exchanged packets, went off at once to avoid recriminations, and discovered that they were mutually cheated.

In The Indian Antiquary, vol. xxv, p. 21, in a Tamil story by Natesa Sastri, a man of Tanjore who was carrying a large ball of clay entirely hidden under cooked rice grains which his wife had stuck on it met with a man of Trichinopoly who had a brass pot full of sand covered with raw rice a quarter of an inch deep. Each wanted the other's rice. The first man stated that not being very well he was afraid to eat the cold rice he had brought, and would like to cook some raw rice. The second man made an exchange with him. After discovering that they were mutually cheated they became friendly, and had other experiences of each other's roguery (see the variant given after No. 248).

In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 109, a foolish man, in order to avoid sharing with a friend some tasty food which his wife was cooking, pretended to be dead. The friend lamented loudly, neighbours came, they made a pyre at the burning ground, put the body on it and burnt it, the man having determined to die rather than give a share of the food.

In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 299, when two thieves had stolen some treasure from a caravan, one of them by means of the slipper trick got the whole, hurried home, and the pretended death and adventure with the robbers followed.

In Folk-Tales from Tibet (O'Connor), p. 131, when two thieves by a fraud had secured a heavy bag of gold, one of them absconded with it. The other recovered the money by the boot-trick.

In Cinq Cents Contes et Apologues (Chavannes), vol. ii, p. 316, a Brahmana who had some peas which were so old that it was impossible to cook them, took them to the market, and exchanged them for an ass which would never move when a load was put on its back, each of the barterers thinking he had got the best of the bargain.

In the Sierra Leone stories, Cunnie Rabbit, etc. (Cronise and Ward), p. 300, there is a variant of the latter part of the Sinhalese tale in an account of two greedy men who lived in the east and west. The eastern man came to the western man's house carrying a box, and would not leave, intending to share in the rice that had been cooked. The owner of the house at last lay down, and told his wife to say he had died. The visitor remained all night, supplied clothes for the corpse, made a coffin, dug the grave, and had nearly covered the body when it requested to be taken out. In the end, the visitor got a share of their food.

NO. 95

THE STORY OF THE TWO LIARS

There are two Liars called the Eastern Liar and the Western Liar, it is said. The Eastern Liar was minded to go to seek the Western Liar, it is said. [74] Should you say, "What was that for?" it was for telling lies in competition (i.e., a lying match), it is said.

Tying up the packet of cooked rice from one and a half amunas [75] of uncooked rice, and the flesh of twelve goats, and bringing it for the [mid] day food, he went to the house of the Western Liar. At the time when he was going there, the Liar was not at home; a daughter of his was there. He gave her the packet of cooked rice to put away. She took the packet of cooked rice with the point of the needle with which she was sewing and sewing, and put it away.

The Eastern Liar [asked] the female child, "Where is thy father? In the forest?"

Thereupon the child [said], "Our father [in order] to cover up the thundering went to skin a mosquito, and come back."

Thereupon this very Liar, having become afraid, thinks, "At the time when this very child told lies to this degree, when her father has come to what extent will he tell lies?" Thinking it, and asking for the packet of cooked rice again, he went off back again. Because it was not yet day [76] [enough] for eating in the daytime, [76] having hung the bundle of cooked rice on a large Banyan tree he went to sleep.

After that, at the time when the Western Liar, cutting sticks and creepers for a house and placing them under his armpits, was coming, the little female child who was at the house having gone in front [of him], says, "A man came to seek you," she said.

Thereupon the man asked, "Where?"

"Look; he went there," she said.

Thereupon this very person, taking those sticks and creepers, and turning to the same quarter, went in chase of him. [77]

At that time the Eastern Liar had gone to sleep. Having heard the sound of the coming of the Western Liar, he arose. That person having become frightened at the sound of his (the Western Liar's) coming, to take the packet of cooked rice seized the branch on which is the packet of cooked rice. Thereupon the tree, being completely uprooted, came into his hand. Taking also the tree itself, the same person having got in front ran away. This very person (the Western Liar), for [the purpose of] looking who it is, began to drive this very person backwards.

Having heard this very sound, and having said, "Something is coming to happen in the country," an elephant-keeper who looked after a hundred tusk elephants, having sent off the elephants to their food and having become afraid, was looking about. Through that very despondency [which he felt] that some danger was coming to arrive at this very village, he said, "I must go to some other quarter"; and folding up the cloth in which he was dragging (= carrying) them, and in which were the whole hundred tusk elephants, he bolted.

Then having gone to an outer open place, and having unfastened the cloth, when he looked [inside it], only the two white lice called Gourd and Ash-pumpkin were [there], having eaten the whole hundred tusk elephants.

North-western Province.

Nonsense stories such as this are rather unusual in the East. There is one in No. 29, vol. i, and an Indian one is quoted after it. No. 130 in this vol. is another Sinhalese variant, and No. 263 in vol. iii, is also a tale of this type.

NO. 96

THE THREE HETTIYAS

In a certain country there were three persons, Big Hettiya, Middle Hettiya, and Little Hettiya. During the time while they were there, the three persons having gone to dig [for] gems, dug [for] gems until the money of the parties was finished. They did not meet with even one gem.

Because they did not, having come again to the village, certain acquaintances of those people were there. Taking (that is, borrowing) a little money from those parties, the whole three persons dug [for] gems again in partnership until the money was finished. They met with only one gem.

It was in the mind of Big Hettiya to get it into a big box. It was in the mind of Middle Hettiya to get it into a middle [sized] box. It was in the mind of Little Hettiya to get it into a little box.

Well then, the three persons having quarrelled about it, Little Hettiya made a little box, Middle Hettiya made a box larger than that, Big Hettiya made a box still larger than that.

Having made them, they placed the gem in the little box of Little Hettiya, that box they placed inside Middle Hettiya's box, and having put it in they placed that box inside Big Hettiya's box. [Each one kept the key of his own box.]

Having put it away in that manner, those three still borrowing a little money from suitable persons of the neighbourhood, went again to dig [for] gems.

During the time while they were staying in that way, Little Hettiya, having made two false keys for Big Hettiya's box and Middle Hettiya's box, and opened both the boxes, taking out his own box and opening that box with the key he had, took the gem and hid it. This one, having thrown away both the false keys, remained like a man who had not committed theft.

Not a long time after that, the men who lent the money came to ask for the money. Until the time when the money was finished they dug [for] gems; from it also they obtained nothing.

After that, these three persons spoke to the creditors, "Having sold the gem which we have, let us give the money to these people."

Having said so, the whole three having come, Big Hettiya, with the key that he had, opened the big box; Middle Hettiya, with the key that he had, opened [his]; Little Hettiya, with the key that he had, opened [his]. When they looked there was no gem.

After that, the three keys being in the hands of the three persons, having said, "Who opened [the boxes]?" the three persons struck each other.

[After] striking, they went near the King for a law suit. Having gone, the whole three persons said, "O Lord, Your Majesty, we three had a gem. Having put the gem into a little box, and put that into a still larger box, and put that into a still larger box, we three persons kept in our hands the three keys. Thereafter, when we three persons came together and looked [for it], it was not [there]. Because of it, Sir, somehow or other you must clear up this for us."

After that, the King made much effort to sift the law suit. He being unable to explain the case, began to postpone it.

The King's Queen having seen that the three Hettiyas are coming every day in this manner to the court of justice, one day asked the King, "O Lord, Your Majesty, three Hettiyas come every day to the court of justice. Why?" she asked.

The King said, "The three Hettiyas having dug [for] gems, there was one gem. Little Hettiya having made a box and put it in, locked it and kept the key near him. Middle Hettiya having made a larger box than that, and placed that Little Hettiya's little box inside it, locked it and kept that key. Big Hettiya having made a large box, taking both those boxes placed them inside that box, and having locked it, he kept that key. Leaving the keys in the hands of the three persons, the gem was missing. I have been unable to explain the case. Because of it I postpone it every day," he said.

After that, the Queen said, "If you will give me the sovereignty I will clear up the case."

Thereupon he said, "It is good. Until you have heard the action I will give [you] the sovereignty."

Having said, "It is good," the Queen went away and informed the Ministers, and told them to bring three bundles of cord and a whip. These people came bringing them.

After that, the Queen having placed Big Hettiya on a support, told them to tie him. Having tied him, taking the whip and having said, "Will you give the gem? Will you give the gem?" she told them to flog him well. They flogged the Hettiya until blood came. Even after that he said, "No, indeed (naema)."

Having also tied Middle Hettiya in that manner, they flogged him; that Hettiya said, "No, indeed."

Having seized and tied up Little Hettiya also, they flogged him in that very way. When they had been striking four or five blows, he said, "I will give the gem." After that, she told him to bring the gem.

That Little Hettiya having gone running, when he came [after] taking it from the dung-hill where he had buried and kept it, she told Big Hettiya and Middle Hettiya to divide [the value of] it. She gave nothing to Little Hettiya.

Big Hettiya and Middle Hettiya divided [the value of] it between them.

North-central Province.

NO. 97

CONCERNING TWO FRIENDS

At a certain time there were two men, friends. Of them, one person not having [food] to eat, was very poor. The other man had amply to eat and drink. At that time the man who had not [food] to eat, in order to get an assistance went near the friend who had [food] to eat. Then at the time when he went to the friend's house, having amply given him food and drink, the friend asked, "What have you come for?"

Thereupon the man said, "Ane! Dear friend, not having to eat and to wear I came near you in order to get an assistance."

Then the man having gone calling him to the bread shop, taking bread for ten shillings gave it to him, and said, "Here, friend, selling these things get a living. I am unable to give an assistance for more than ten shillings."

Thereupon the man having said, "It is good," at the time when he was bounding about taking the bread box having walked until it was becoming black, did not sell [anything]. Through anger that he did not sell it, this man sat down near a tree, and said, "This day on which I got the evil-looking (musala) bread is not good; I will eat these things."

At that time, the Devatawa who was in the tree, having become afraid, said, "Ane! O Lord, don't eat me; I will give you a good article," and gave him a plate.

The man, taking the plate, asked, "With this plate what shall I do?"

The Devatawa said, "Having taken away the plate, and well polished it, and spread a white cloth, place it upon the table. Then you will receive tasty food [from it]." So the man, taking the plate, came to the Hettiya's shop.

The Hettiya asked, "Appuhami, have you met with anything even to-day?"

The man said, "To-day, indeed, I met with a plate." [He gave the Hettiya an account of its good properties.]

Thereupon, the Hettiya, having made the man drink arrack (spirit distilled from palm-juice), and made him drunk, and allowed him to sleep on the bed, took the plate. Taking it, he put another plate into the man's bread box.

Then the man having become conscious, and gone home, told the man's wife, "Don't cook; we shall receive food." Having well polished the plate, and spread a white cloth, placing it upon the table he waited.

Having ascertained that cooked rice did not descend, the man's wife came, and taking the plate threw it away, and having cooked, ate.

On the following day, also, the man having walked without selling bread, came near that tree, and said in the former way, "I will eat. I will eat." [78]

Thereupon, the Yaka [79] on that day gave him a ring, and said, "Having sold the ring, when you are going ten fathoms away the ring will come and place itself again in your hand."

On that day, also, the Hettiya asked [what he had met with]. The man, just as in the former manner, said, "I obtained a ring," [and told him its property]. So the Hettiya on that day, also, made the man drunk, and taking the ring and having caused another ring to be made, put it on the man's hand.

The man having become conscious, and gone away taking the ring, sold it. Having sold it, he went ten fathoms, and looked. That, also, did not come.

Then the man on the following day also came without having sold the bread, and having come near that tree, said on that day, also, just as in the former manner.

At that time the Devatawa gave him a cow which drops gold. "Having taken away this cow, take good care of it, and tie it up and keep it," he said.

Thereupon the man, taking also the cow, just as before went away near that Hettiya's house. The Hettiya that day also asked, "What is it, Appuhami, that you have obtained to-day?"

The man said, "To-day, indeed, I obtained, Hettirala, a cow which drops gold."

So the Hettiya, that day also having given the man arrack to drink, and made him drunk, and allowed him to sleep on the bed, brought the Hettiya's old cow, and having tied it there the Hettiya took the cow which drops gold.

Then that man having become conscious, and having gone away taking that cow also, washed the cow-dung which the cow dropped. Excepting cow-dung, there was no gold.

Thereupon the man on the following day, also, having gone for bread-selling did not sell [any]. That day, also, he went near that tree, and said, "Thou son of a courtesan, when I told thee to provide me with a living thou cheatedst me. On account of it, to-day I shall eat thee indeed," and he began to chase the Yaka on the path.

Then the Yaka said, "O Lord, do not chase me on the path." The Devatawa well knows about the theft of the articles. Having said, "The things that I give to this man yet [another] man takes," he gave him a cudgel.

The man asked, "With this cudgel what shall I do?"

The Yaka said, "Should anyone ask, 'What is this?' say 'Allan Bostan.' [80] Having said it, say, 'Stop, Bostan,' [in order to stop it]."

Then the man, taking the cudgel, went just as before to the Hettiya's house. At that time the Hettiya, in the very same way as before, asked [what he had received].

The man said, "To-day I obtained a cudgel."

Then the Hettiya asked, "What is the name of the cudgel?"

The man said, "That, indeed, is Allan Bostan." Then the cudgel went and began to beat the Hettiya.

Thereupon the Hettiya said, "Lord, don't beat me. I will give you all the things I took."

So the man said, "Stop, Bostan." Then the cudgel stopped the beating. After that [the Hettiya] gave him that stolen plate and ring, and the cow that dropped gold, these very three things. After that, the man having become wealthy, remained so.

North-central Province.

In The Story of Madana Kama Raja (Natesa Sastri), p. 130, a Prince stole the articles left by a dying Sannyasi,--a cup which supplied food, a bag which yielded everything desired, sandals that transported their wearer where he wished to go, and a cudgel which thrashed all enemies but is not mentioned again. By means of the bag he obtained a palace, but two dancing women cheated him and stole all his magical articles; he recovered them by the aid of some miraculous fruits.

In Folk-Tales of Bengal (L. Behari Day), p. 53, an indigent Brahmana received from the goddess Durga an earthen pot out of which food fell when it was reversed. At an inn it was changed for a common one, and he was driven away. Durga gave him another pot out of which when reversed a number of demons issued and beat him, returning to it when it was set mouth upwards. When he was bathing the innkeeper reversed the pot, was thrashed by the demons, and the Brahmana regained the pot formerly stolen.

In Folklore of the Santal Parganas (collected by Dr. Bodding), p. 83, an indigent Prince received a magic cow that granted everything desired, from a jackal whose protection he craved. It was afterwards changed by a man at whose house he lodged for the night, but by the help of the jackal he recovered it.

In Old Deccan Days (M. Frere), p. 182, a Brahmana who had seven daughters married the eldest to a jackal who was in reality a Raja in disguise and a magician. He gave the Brahmana a melon to plant; the fruits, which were ripe next day, contained precious stones, but, unaware of it, the man sold some and was cheated out of the others. The jackal gave him a pot which contained food when required, a Raja took it, and the man then received from his son-in-law another pot containing a stick and rope which would tie and beat people when ordered. When the Raja, hearing he had got a better pot than before, came to take it, the man caused him and his attendants to be beaten until he got back the former pot. In the same way he recovered all the precious stones.