ASIA CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library GR 305.K73 Folk-tales of Kashmir. 3 1924 024 159 554 The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http ://www. arch i ve . o rg/detai Is/cu31 9240241 59554 TRUBNER'8 ORIENTAL SERIES, " A knowledge of the commonplace, at least, of Oriental literature, philo- sophy, and religion is as necessary to the general reader of the present day as an acquaintance with the Latin and Greek classics was a generation or so ago. 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THE FOLLOWING WORKS HAVE ALREADY APPEARED:— Third Edition, post 8vo, cloth, pp. xvL— 428, price i6s. ESSAYS OW THE SACEED LANGUAGE, WRITINGS, AND RELIGION OF THE PARSIS. Bt MAETIN HAUG, Ph.D., Lute of the UniTersities of Tubingen, Gottingen, and Bonn ; Superintendent of Sanskrit Studies, and Professor of Sanskrit in the Poona College. Edited and EkiAEGEO et Db. B. W. WEST. To which is added a Biographical Memoir of the late Dr. Haug by Prof. E. P. Evans. I. History of the Researches into the Sacred "Writings and Religion of the Parsis, from the Earliest Times down to the Present. 11. Languages of the Parsi Scriptures. III. The Zend-Avesta, or the Scripture of the Parsis. IV. The Zoroastrian Religion', as to its Origin .".nd Development. *' ' Essays on the Sacred Language, Writings, and Religion of the Parsis,' by the late Dr. Martin Haug, edited by Dr. E. W. West. The author intended, on his return from India, to expand the materials contained in this work into a comprehensive account of the Zoroastrian religion, but the design was frustrated by his untimely deiith. We have, however, in a concise and readable form, a history of the researches into the sacred writings and religion of the Parsis from the earliest times down to tile present — a dissertation on the lani^uages of the Parsi Scriptures, a translation of the Zend-Avesta, or the Scripture of the Parsis, and a dissertation on the Zoroas- triivn religion, with especial reference to its origin and development." — Times. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. viii — 176, price 7s. 6d. TEXTS FROM THE BUDDHIST CANON COMMONLY KNOWN AS " DHAMMAPADA." With Accompanying Narratives. Translated from the Chinese by S. BEAL, B.A., Professor of Chinese, University College, London. The Dhammapada, as hitherto known by the Pali Text Edition, as edited by Fausbbll, by Max Miiller's English, and Albrecht Weber's German translations, consists only of twenty-six chapters or sections, whilst the Chinese version, or rather recension, as now translated by Mr. Beal, con- sists of thirty-nine sections. The students of Pali who possess Fausboll's text, or either of the above-named translations, will therefore needs want Mr. Beal's English rendering of the Chinese version; the thirteen above- named additional sections not being accessible to them in any other form ; for, even if they understand Chinese, the Chinese original would be un- obtainable by them. ' ' Mr. Beal's rendering of the Chinese translation is a most valuable aid to the critical study of the work. It contains authentic texts gathered from ancient canonical books, and generally connected with some incident in the history of Buddha. Their great interest, however, consists in the light which they throw upon everyday life in India at the remote period at which they were written, and upon the method of teaching adopted by the founder of the religion. The method employed was principally parable, and the simplicity of the tales and tlte excellence of the morals inculcated, as well as the strange hold which they have retained upon the minds of millions of people, make them a very remarkable study." — Timei. " Mr. Beal, by making it accessible in an English dress, has added to the great ser- vices he has already rendered to the comparative study of reUgious history." — Academy. 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It passes under review a vast number of languages, and it gives, or professes to give, in every case the sum and substance of the opinions and judgments of the best-informed writers." — Saturday Review. Second Corrected Edition, post 8vo, pp. xii. — 116, cloth, price THE BIRTH OF THE WAR-GOD. A Poem. By KALID^SA. Translated from the Sanskrit into English Verse by Ralph T. H. Gbifpith, M.A. " A very spirited rendering of the Kumdrasambhava, which was first published twenty-six years ago, and which we are glad to see made once more accessible." — Times. " Mr. Grif&th's very spirited rendering is well known to most who are at all interested in Indian literature, or enjoy the tenderness of feeling and rich creative imagination of its author." — Indian Antiquary. " We are very glad to welcome a second edition of Professor GrifBth's .'idmiraolti translation. Few translations desei-ve a second edition better." — AiJienxeum. TRUBNER'S ORIENTAL SERIES, Post 8vOj pp. 432, cloth, price i6a. 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METRICAL TRANSLATIONS FROM SANSKRIT WRITERS. With an Introduction, many Prose Versions, and Parallel Passages from Classical Authors. By J. MUIR, CLE., D.O.L., LL.D., Ph.D. ** . . . An agreeable introduction to Hindu poetrv." — Times. "... A volume which may be taken as a fair illustration alike of the religious and moral sentiments and of the legendary lore of the best Sanskrit writers." — Edinburgh Daily Review. TRUBNER'S ORIENTAL SERIES. Second Edition, post 8vo, pp. xxvi. — 244, cloth, price los. 6d. THE aULISTAN; Ob, rose garden OF SHEKH MUSHLIU'r>-DIN SADI OF SHIRAZ. Translated for the First Time into Prose and Verse, with an Introductory Preface, and a Life of the Author, from the Atish Kadah, By EDWARD B. EASTWICK, C.B., M.A., F.R.S., M.R.A.S. " It is a very fair rendering' of the original." — Times. "■' The new edition has long been desired, and will he welcomed by all who take any interest in Oriental poetry. The Qulistan is a typical Persian verse-book of the highest order. 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Grammatical Analysis of the VAyu Language. The Vdyu Grammar. —IV. Analysis of the B4hing Dialect of the Kiranti language. The B^ing Gram- mar.— V. On the V4yu or HAyu Tribe of the Central Himalaya.- VI. On the Kirinti Tribe of the Central Himalaya. CONTENTS OF VOL. II. Section III. — On the Aborigines of North-Bastern India. Comparative Vocabulary of the Tibetan, B6d6, and Gar6 Tongues. Section IV.— Aborigines of the North-Eastern Frontier. Section V. — Aborigines of the Eastern Frontier. Section VI. — The Indo-Chinese Borderers, and their connection with the Hima- layans and Tibetans. Comparative Vocabulary of Indo-Chinese Borderers in Arakan. Comparative Vocabulary of Indo-Chinese Borderers in Tenasserim. Section VII. — The Mongolian Affinities of the Caucasians.— Comparison and Ana- lysis of Caucasian and Mongolian Words. Section VIII. — Physical Type of Tibetans. Section IX.— The Aborigines of Central India.— Comparative Vocabulary of the Aboriginal Languages of Central India.— Aborigines of the Eastern Ghats.— Vocabu- lary of some of the Dialects of the HiU and Wandering Tribes in the N6rthei-n Sircars. — Aborigines of the Nilgiris, with Remark? on their Affinities.— Supplement to the Nilgirian Vocabularies.— The Aborigines of Southern India and Ceylon. Section X.— Route of Nepalese Mission to Pekin, with Remarks on the Water- Shed and Plateau of Tibet. Section XI.— Route from Kdthmiindii, the Capital of NepS.1, to Darjeeling in Sikim. — Memorandum relative to the Seven Cosis of Nep41. Section XII.— Some Accounts of the Systems of Law and Police as recognised in the State of NepW. Section XIII.— The Native Method of making the Paper denominated Hindustan, Nepalese. Seotios XIV.— Pre-eminence of the Vernaculars; or, the Anglicists Answered ; Being Letters on the Education of the People of India. " For the study of the less-known races of India Mr. Brian Hodgson's ' Miscellane- ous Essays ' will be found very valuable both to the philologist and the ethnologist. TRUBNBR'S ORIENTAL SERIES. Third Edition, Two Vols., post 8to, pp. viii.-^268 and viii.— 326, cloth, J price 21S. THE LIFE OR LEGEND OP GAUDAMA, THE BUDDHA OF THE BURMESE. -With Annotations. The Ways to Neibban, and Notice on the Phongyies or Burmese Monks. By the Eight Bev. P. BIGANDET, Bishop of Eamatha, Vicar-Apostolic of Ava and Pegu. "The work is furnislied. with copious notes, which not only illustrate the subject- matter, but form a perfect encyclopgedia of Buddhist lore." — Times. * ' A wOrk which will furnish European students of Buddhism with a most valuable help in the prosecution of their investigations." — Editihurgh Daily R&view. *' Bishop Bigandet's invaluable work." — Indian Antiquary. 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The result of thirty-five years of inquiry, reflection, and speculation, and that on subjects as full of fascination as of food for thought." — Tablet. " Exhibit such a thorough acquaintance with the history and antiquities of India as to entitle him to speak as one having authority." — Edinburgh Daily Review. " The author speaks with the authority of personal experience It is this constant' association with the country and the people which gives such a vividness to many of the patjes." — Atkenceum, TRUBNER'S ORIENTAL SERIES^ Post 8vo, pp. civ.— 348, olotb, price i8s. BUDDHIST BIETH STORIES; or, Jataka Tales. The Oldest Collection of Folk-lore Exfcaut : BEING THE JATAKATTHAVANNANA, For the first time Edited in the original Pali. Bt V. FAUSBOLL ; And Translated by T. "W. Rhys Davids. Translation. Volume I. *' These are tales supposed to have heen told by the Buddha of what he had seen and heard in his previous births. They are probably the nearest representatives of the original Aryan stories from which sprang the folk-lore of Europe as well as India. The introduction contains a most interesting disquisition on the migrations of these fables, tracing their reappearance in the various groups of folk-lore legends. Among other old friends, we meet with a version of the Judgment of Solomon. " — Tim&s. "It is now some years since Mr. Bhys Davids asserted his pght to be heard on this subject by his able article on Buddhism in the new edition of the * Encyclopaedia Britannica.*" — Leeds Mercwy. " All who are interested in Buddhist literature ought to feel deeply indebted to Mr. Rhys Davids. His well-established reputation as a Pali scholar is a sufficient guarantee for the fidelity of his version, and the stylo of his translations is desei-ving of bigh praise." — Academy. " No more competent expositor of Buddhism could be found than Mr. Khys Davids. In the Jataka book we ha^e, then, a priceless record of the earliest imaginative literature of our race ; and ... it presents to us a nearly complete picture of the social life and customs and popular beliefs of the common people of Aryan tribes, closely related to ourselves, just as they were passing through the first stages of civihsation." — St. James's Gazette. f Post 8vo, pp. xxviii. — 362, cloth, price 14B. A TALMUDIC MISCELLANY; Ok, A THOUSAND AND ONE EXTEACTS FROM THE TALMUD, THE MIDEASHIM, AND THE KABBALAH. Compiled and Translated by PAUL ISAAC HEESHON, Author of " Genesis According to the Talmud," &c. With Notes and Copious Indexes. *' To obtain in so concise and handy a form as this volume a general idea of the Talmud is a boon to Christians at least." — Times. " Its peculiar and popular character will make it attractive to general readers. Mr. Hershon is a very competent scbolar. . . , Contains samples of the good, bad, and indifferent, and especially extracts that throw hght upon the Scriptures." — British Quarterly Review. " WiU convey to English, readers a more complete and truthful notion of the Talmud than any other work that has yet appeared." — Daily News. "Without overlooking in the slightest the several attractions of the previous volumes of the ' Oriental Series,' we have no hesitation in saying that this surpasses them all in interest." — Edinburgh Daily Review. " Mr. Hershon has . . . thus given English readers what is, we believe, a fair set of specimens which they can test for themselves." — The Record, " This book is by far the best fitted in the present state of knowledge to enable the gen-'.ral reader to gain a fair and unbiassed conception of the multifarious contents of the wonderful miscellany which can only be truly understood— so Jewish pride asserts— by the life-long devotion of scholars of the Chosen People."— /ngwirer. ' ' The value and importance of this volume consist in the fact that scarcely a single extract is given in its pages but throws some light, direct or refracted, upon those Scriptures which are the common heritage of Jew and Christian alike."— /oAn Bull. " It is a capital specimen of Hebrew scholarship ; a monument of leai-ned, loving lierht-ffiving labour," — Jewish Herald. TRUBNER'S ORIENTAL SERIES. Post 8vo, jjp. xii. — 228, cloth, price 7s. 6d. THE CLASSICAL POETRY OF THE JAPANESE. By BASIL HALL CHAMBERLAIN, Author of " Yeigo Hefikaku Shirafi." " A very curious volume. The author has manifestly devoted much lahour to the task of studying the poetical literatura of the Japanese, and rendering characteristic specimens into English verse." — Daily Ne%os. " Mr. Chamberlain's volume is, so far as "we are aware, the first attempt which has been made to interpret the literature of the Japanese to the Western world. It is to the classical poetry of Old Japan that we must turn for indigenous Japanese thought, and in the volume before us we have a selection from that poetry rendered into graceful English verse." — Tablet. "It is undoubtedly one of the beat translations of lyric literature which has appeared during the close of the last year." — Celestial Empire. "Mr. Chamberlain set himself a difiBcult task when he undertook to reproduce Japanese poetry in an English form. But he has evidently laboiured con amore, and his efforts are successful to a degree." — lA>ndon and China Express. Post 8vo, pp. xiL — 164, cloth, price los. 6d. THE HISTORY OF ESARHADDON (Son of Sennacherib), KING OF ASSYRIA, B.C. 681-668. Translated from the Cuneiform Inscriptions upon Cylinders and Tablets in the British Museum Collection; together with a Grammatical Analysis of each Word, Explanations of the Ideographs by Extracts from the Bi-Lingual Syllabaries, and List of Eponyms, &c. By ERNEST A. BUDGE, B.A., M.R.A.S., Assyrian Exhibitioner, Christ's College, Cambridge. "Students of scriptural archaeology will also appreciate the 'History of Esar- haddon.' " — Times. "There is much to attract the scholar in this volume. It does not pretend to popularise studies which are yet in their infancy. 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Translated, and the Poetry Versified, in English, Bt JAMES "W. REDHOUSE, M.R.A.S,, &c. " A complete treasury of occult Oriental lore." — Saturday Review, ' ' This hook will be a very valuable help to the reader ignorant of Persia, who is desirous of obtaining an inaieht into a very important department of the literature extant in that lantjuaere."— Taft^^/. TRUBNER'S ORIENTAL SERIES. Post 8vo, pp. xvi.— 280, cloth, price 6s. EASTERN PROVERBS AND EMBLEMS Illustrating Old Truths. By Rev. J. LONG, Member of the Bengal Asiatic Society, F.R.G.S, " We regard the book as valuable, and wish for it a wide circulation and attentive reading. " — Record. " Altogether, it is quite a feast of good things."— fi'Zo&e. " It is full of interestijig matter." — Antiquary. Post 8vo, pp. viii, — 270, cloth, price 7s. 6d. INDIAN POETRY; Containing a New Edition of the "Indian Song of Songs," from the Sanscrit of the "Gita Govinda" of Jayadeva ; Two Books from "The Iliad of India" (Mahabharata), ''Proverbial Wisdom " from the Shlokas of .the Hitopadesa, and other Oriental Poems. By EDWIN ARNOLD, C.S.L, Author of "The Light of Asia." " In this new volume of Messrs. Triibner's Oriental Series, Mr. Edwin Arnold does •good service by illustrating, through the medium of his musical Bnglisb melodies, the power of Indian poetry to stir European emotions. The * Indian Song of Songs ' is not unknown to sdiolars. Mr. Arnold will have introduced it among popular English poems. Nothing could be more graceful and delicate than the shades by which Krishna is portrayed in the gradual process of being weaned by the love of * Beautiful Badha, jasmine-bosomed Radha,' from the allurements of the forest nymphs, in wbom the five senses are typified." — Times. " No other English poet has ever thrown his genius and his art so thoroughly into the work of translating Eastern ideas as Mr. Arnold has done in his splendid para- phrases of language contained in these mighty epics."— Daiiy Telegraph. " The poem abounds with imagery of Eastern luxuriousness and sensuousness ; the air seems laden with the spicy odours of the tropics, and the verse has a richness and a melody sufficient to captivate the senses of the dullest." — Standard. " The translator, while producing a very enjoyable poem, has adhered with toler- able fidelity to the original tej^t."— Overland Mail. "We certainly wish Mr. Arnold success in his attempt 'to popularise Indian classics,' that being, as his preface tells us, the goal towards which he bends his efforts." — Allen's Indian Mail. Post 8vo, pp. xvi. — 296, cloth, price los. 6d. THE MIND OF MENCIUS ; Ok, POLITICAL ECONOMY FOUNDED UPON MOEAL PHILOSOPHY. A Systematic Digest op the Doctrines op the Chinese Philosopheb Menoius. Translated from the Original Text and Classified, with Comments and Explanations, By the Rev. ERNST FABER, Rhenish Mission Society. Translated from the German, with Additional Notes, By the Rev. A. B. HUTCHINSON, C.M.S., Church Mission, Hong Kong. " Mr. Faber is already well known in the field of Chinese studies by his digest of the doctrines of Confucius. The value of this work will be perceived when it is remembered that at no time since relations commenced between China and the West has the former been so powerful — we had almost said aggressive— as now. For those who will give it careful study, Mr. Faber's work is one of the most valuable of the excellent series to which it belongs." — Nature. A 2 TRUBNER'S ORIENTAL SERIES. Post 8vo, pp. 336, cloth, price i6s. THE RELIGIONS OP INDIA. By a. BARTH. Translated from the French with the authority and assistance of the Author. The author has, at the request of the publishers, considerably enlarged the work for the translator, and has added the literature of the subject to date ; the translation may, therefore, be looked upon as an equivalent of a new and improved edition of the original. " Is not only a valuable manual of the religions of India, which marks a distinct step in the treatment of the subject, but also a useful work of reference." — Academy. "This Tolume is a reproduction, with corrections and additions, of an article contributed by the learned author two years ago to the * Encyclopedic des Sciences Religieuses.' It attracted much notice when it first appeared, and is generally admitted to present the best summary extant of the vast subject with which it deals." — Tablet. " This is not only on the whole the best but the only manual of the religions of India, apart from Buddhism, which we have in English. 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LONDON: TRUBNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL. 1888. \^All rights reserved. ] ® BALI.ANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. EDINBURGH AND LONDON PREFACE. Kashmir as a field of Folk-lore literature is, perhaps, not surpassed in fertility by any other country in the world ; and yet, while every year witnesses the publication of books on the subject from Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Pan- jab, and other parts ; and while each successive number of The Indian Antiquary, Indian Notes and Queries, and latterly The Christian College Magazine and The Indian Uvangelical Review, presents to us articles more or less relevant, this field, ripe for the harvest, has remained almost ungleaned. No doubt its isolated position and the difficulty of its language have had something to do with this apparent neglect. I am the more glad, therefore, to have availed myself of the opportunities afforded me through a four years' residence in the valley. The vocation of a missionary brings one into close and constant " touch " with the people, from whom, as I glide along in the boat, or walk by the way, or squat in the hut, or teach in the school, I have learnt many things. My primary object in collecting these tales was to obtain some knowledge of Kashmiri, which is a purely colloquial language ; my secondary object was to ascertain something of the thoughts and ways of the people. Lately I have been contributing some of these tales to the pages of an Indian journal ; and now, prompted by the advice of those whose advice I especially value, I venture to publish the vi PREFACE. whole collection in a book, and thus save them from the clutches of oblivion, to which they would otherwise have been consigned. Many of these tales are, probably, purely Kashmiri in origin, while others are undoubtedly variants of popular tales current in India and other parts, which have been adapted and modified to suit the language, style of thought, and social usages of the country. To European Folk-tales, also, several of these stories will be found to have a great resemblance — notably the story of " The Two Brothers," to its counterpart, " St. George and the Dragon ; " while many of the little stories mixed up in the tales, and quoted generally to explain the situation of the hero or heroine, will be recognised at once as variants of tales extant in France, Germany, Greece, Eussia, England, and other countries. It is not my intention here to attempt to trace the home of any of these stories. Whether they originated in the East or in the West I leave to more expert and learned minds to declare. " There can be no doubt that many Eastern stories were introduced into Europe by the Hans in the time of Genghis Khan. Many of these stories were translated into Persian, and thence into Syriac and Arabic." It is probable that the Arabs carried some of them into Europe, and that European invaders, like the Crusaders, imported fragmentary portions into their coun- tries. These stories, as we know, became very popular in the West during the Middle Ages, when instruction through the medium of fables, so popular in the East in ancient times, was largely adopted by Western monks and other religious teachers for the sake of the impression thus made on the minds of illiterate hearers. "An apposite or well-told story would arouse attention where logical argument or abstract reasoning would fail to pro- duce the > slightest effect." These fictitious narratives, with their moral and religious applications, had a very considerable influence upon the literature of those days. PREFACE. -vii But, as Mr. Ealston remarks, it does not, of course, follow that, because a story is found both in Asia and Europe, therefore the Western yersion has been borrowed from the East. Europe has doubtless lent a fancy to Asia. One or two books of Western stories have been published in India. Greek fables are supposed to have exercised an influence on the Indian mind. European officials, missionaries, and others may have rendered a legend or story current in their districts. These and many other important facts have to be taken into consideration. The fields of philology and other sciences, too, have yet to be more thoroughly traversed before we can decide the origin of many tales. Eolk-lorists must wait a while for the accumulation of more facts. From a disregard of this true and wise way many an absurd conclusion has been published, that threatens to bring the cause of Folk-lore into contempt in some quarters. It was only a little time ago that I read a most interesting article, wherein a cer- tain professor's literary criticism fairly suggested that the J&,taka form of a tale was older in point of time than the European version. I was almost convinced, till just after- wards I came across a paper in the Oontemporary Beview by another equally learned professor, who showed that the Chinese alphabet was derived from the Phoenician, and therefore the former professor's inference was evidently fallacious. And if it is not my intention, even if it were within my power, to endeavour to trace the origin of any of these tales, much less shall I attempt to decide whether or not the root of any cycle to which these stories may belong is of a mythological nature, and also as to what was in either case its primal form and significance. Some Folk-lorists do not appear to hesitate a moment about the matter. *' It is the story of the Sun and Dawn," says one; " Cinder- ella, grey and dark and dull, is all neglected when she is away from the Sun, obscured by the envious Clouds, her sisters, and by her stepmother, the Night. So she vni PREFACE. is Aurora, the Dawn, and the Fairy Prince is the Morning Sun, ever pursuing her to claim her for his bride." " It is the story of the Spring being released from the bonds of Winter, the Sun being rescued from the darkness of the Night, the Dawn being brought back from the West, the Waters being set free from the prison of the Clouds," some would say concerning the release of the fair Princess mentioned in the first tale of this collec- tion. Not long ago a writer in the Westminster Review startled us by duly appropriating Eaja Easalii, who has been called the King Arthur of the Panjab, as a solar myth. Concerning this same Easalii, Captain Temple says: — " I venture to submit that it is capable of historical proof that this man was a popular leader, on to whose name has been hung, as a .convenient peg, much of the floating folk-lore of the Panjab. At any. rate, I hope to show that the parti&ular tales, which went to prove beyond doubt in the mind of our Comparative Mythologist that Easalii was a solar myth, are by no means confined to that hero, but are the general property of the heroes of India, told of this one or that as occasion arises. They are, moreover, as regards Easalii himself, to a great extent only one local version out of many of his story." Truly many of the writers on popular Polk-tales seem to forget that this is a subject which requires the most dainty treat- ment and the most careful analysis. However, I hope the reader will not consider that I suppose the science of Polk-lore should not include Comparative Mythology. On the contrary, I firmly believe that several tales must be attributed to a mytho- logical origin. But I am also as firmly convinced that many tales must be attributed to a historical origin. " What seems to be demanded from every interpreter of old tradition, every explorer of the dark field of popular fiction, is a wariness that will not allow itself to be hood- winked by any prejudice in favour of this or that par- ticular theory. Every piece of evidence ought to be PREFACE. ix carefully tested and fairly weighed, whether it confirms the examiner's own opinion or not. If this be done, he will probably find that different classes of legends must be explained in divers manners. The more he becomes acquainted with popular tales, the less he will be inclined to seek for any single method of solving all their manifold problems." * I would draw the attention of the Folk-lorist to the notes in connection with these difi'erent stories. They have been gathered and arranged with some care, in the hope that they may help the reader to turn up readily to variants of the tale, or of difi'erent incidents in the tale. All Kashmfrf or Hindustani words have been f uUy explained — if they are special words, at the end of the page on which they occur ; and if they are ordinary, in the Glossary at the end of the book. In nearly every case, too, the name and address of the narrator have been given. From these it will be seen that all classes of people have contributed to this collection — the officiating governor, the poor farmer, the learned Pandit, the ignorant Musalman, the physician, the barber, the day-labourer, the old man grey-headed, and the dirty little boy, all and every one of whom I can say, they were entirely free from European influence. ITo apology will be needed for the presentation of this book to the public. The great interest and importance attaching to the Folk-tales of any people is manifest from the great attention devoted to them by many learned writers and others. Concerning the style and manner of the book, however, I would ask my readers to be lenient with me. I have sought not so much to present these tales in a purely literary form as to give them in a fair translation, and most of the work was done by lamp-light after an ordi- nary amount of missionary work during the day. However, such as it is, I sincerely hope it will prove a real con- tribution towards that increasing stock of Folk-lore which is doing so much to clear away the clouds that envelop * Ralston. X PREFACE. much of the practices, ideas, and beliefs which make up the daily life of the natives of our great dependen- cies, control their feelings, and underlie many of their actions. Several other short Folk-Tales of "The Happy Valley" are to be found in my Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings. J. HINTON KNOWLES. Kashmir, 28th April 1887. COIirTEJ^TS. PAGE Peeface y_^ The Seven-Legged Beast ... . . . . i The Cat who became a IQueen g Good King HXtam . , i, Metempsychosis ,6 The Chaemed King 20 The Ceow-Giel 29 A Lach op Kupees foe a Bit of Advice .... 32 The Ogeess-Queen 42 The Goldsmith and his Friends 51 The Tale of a Peincess . . . .' . . . .57 The Peince who was Changed into a Ram ... 65 Saiyid and Said 75 The Ceuel Meechant ... .... 98 The Man feom SatRAz loi Shabeang, Peince and Thief 104 The Teoublesome Feiend 124 The Wicked Stepmothee 127 Teue FkieNdship 130 Theee Blind Men . . . . . . 139 All foe a PAnsa 144 Peide Abased 1^4 The Two Beothees 166 The Base Feiend 174 Haya Band and Zuhea Khotan 177 The Clevee Jackal 186 A Stupid Boy 189 FouE Peinces Turned into Stones 191 The Beave Peincess 197 Theee Peinces . . .• 203 The Diligent King . . 209 xu CONTENTS. PAGE The Ivory City and its Fairy Pbincess . . . .211 A Strange Request . 227 The Unjust King and Wicked Goldsmith . . . 229 The Philosopher's Stone 233 How THE Wicked Sons were Duped 241 A Stupid Husband and his Clever Wife . . . -243 The Prayerful Faqir 248 Unity is Strength . 250 The Pi'r of Phattapur 253 The Sagacious Governor 254 Their only Ruby 258 The Jackal-King 260 The Black and White Beards 262 The Story of a Weaver 265 The Bobbers Robbed 267 The Young Gambling Merchant .... . 272 The Day- Thief and the Night-Thief 297 The Cunning Goldsmith 303 How the Princess Found her Husband .... 306 The Clever Parrot 312 The Malecontent Cured 321 The Stupid Peasant 322 Karm yX Dharm 326 Four Wicked Sons and their Luck 331 Sharaf the Thief 338 A King and his Treacherous Wazie • .... 353 The Shipwrecked Prince 355 Gagar Wol and his Servant Ratun 393 The Wicked Queens 397 The Four Princes 415 The JoGf's Daughter 442 GullAljC ShAh 449 Why the Fish Laughed 484 Nageay and HImAl 491 Glossary 505 Index 507 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIE. THE SEVEN -LEGGED BEAST} A CERTAIN king, who took especial pride in his troops and spent an enormous amount of money on them, wished to know thoroughly how strong and able they were. Accordingly he ordered the general in command to as- semble the men in battle array on a large maiddn without the city. On the day of review His Majesty, attended by his wazirs and diwdns, visited the place, and while they were watching the manoeuvres, a beast having seven legs ^ suddenly appeared and prowled around near them. On notiding it the king was much astonished and wished to kUl it ; but the beast got away. The king rode after it as hard as his swift horse could carry him, and when he had thus pursued it for about two miles, the beast stopped, shook itself, and changing into a great and terrible jinn, turned round on His Majesty, slew him, and ate him. The wazirs caused earnest search to be made for the king for eight days, and then, no tidings of him having been received, they fetched his son and proclaimed him king in his father's stead. One day the young king was seized with an irrepres- sible desire to know the cause of his father's death. He forced the wazirs to tell him, and when he had heard everything he commanded another grand review of the 1 Narrator's name, Shiva Bayik, Eenawdri, Srinagar. 2 Satah-zung haiwdn. 2 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. whole army to be held in the same place where the re- view in his father's time had been held. On the ap- pointed day he and all the court attended to watch the proceedings. They had not been present very long before the seven-legged beast came again, and growling fiercely at them, walked away. When the chief wazir saw this he laughed aloud. " What is the matter 1 " asked the king. " I laughed," replied the wazir, " because this is none ' other than the beast that allured your late father from our midst.'' '' Is it so ? Then I must slay it, for I shall not have any peace till this enemy is killed." Saying this, the king whipped his horse and rushed after it. The beast led him on and on for some distance, as it did his father, and then stopping, shook itself, resumed its original shape, and prepared to spring. In his distress the king called ear- nestly on the great God to save him; and God sent an angel to direct him how to fight with the jinn. " This is a most powerful /mw," said the angel. " Should a drop of his blood fall to the ground, while life is in him, another jinn will be quickly formed therefrom, and spring up and slay you.p But fear not. Take this double-headed arrow and pierce the two eyes of the monster, so that he fall down and die." Then the angel departed. Thus strengthened, the king dashed forward. He fought with the jinn for forty minutes. At last he plunged the double-headed arrow into both of his eyes, and thus slew him. When he saw that his enemy was dead the king drew his sword and cut off his head, and fixing it on his arrow, took it with him to the palace, where, he placed it in one of the twelve thousand rooms of that building ; and gave his mother the keys, bidding her not to open the doors thereof. But as he did not tell his mother what he had so care- 3 Of. Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. 85, ing powers of iblood," in Wide-Awake 253 ; Indian Fairy Tales, p. 187 ; also Stories, p. 418. a note on ijhe "revivifying and heal- THE SEVEN-LEGGED BEAST. 3 fully locked up in the room, she supposed that it was some special treasure, and being very inquisitive, one morning went to the room and unlocked the door. Nothing, how- ever, was to be seen, for the king had thrown the head into a corner ; but a laugh was heard, and then a voice, saying, "Your son is a Jinn. Beware of him. He is a jinn. Some time he will kill you, as he killed me, your husband. Get him out of the palace, if you wish to live." "Whence comes this voice? What say you?" asked the king's mother. "Pretend to be unwell, and beg your son to get the milk of a tigress.* Bid him to go himself and try to get this," said the head. The next morning, with a sad and heavy heart, the king might have been seen wending his steps in the direction of a certain jungle, wherein tigers and other wild beasts were known to roam. He soon saw a tigress, with her two cubs basking in the sunshine. He climbed a tree and ' aimed at one of the teats of the beast.' This teat chanced to be one in which she had suffered much pain for several days, owing to the presence of a nasty abscess near the place. The king's arrow broke the abscess, and the pain was at once relieved. Grateful for this relief, the tigress looked up and entreated the king to descend and ask whatever he would like her to get for him. His Majesty told her that he wanted nothing but a little of her milk for his sick mother, who had taken a strange fancy for it. The tigress readily filled the cup that the king had brought with him, and also gave him a tuft of her fur, saying, " Whenever you are in any difficulty show this to the sun, and I will at once come to your aid." ^ Taking » Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, p. 178; pp. 32, 271 ; Legends of the Punjab, Indian Antiquary, Part cxc. p. 367 ; vol. i. pp. 42, 43 ; Indian Notes and Bilochi Stories, p. 27 ; and the story Qiieries, vol. iv. p. 49 ; and Folk-Lore of the " Ogress-Qaeen " in this col- Journal, -vol. ii. 104, re charms placed lection. in the fire ; Eussiah tale of " Naznai- ^ A favourite device for summoning ko " in Afanasief 's collection (vii. No. the absent. Notice tha,t these things lo) ; also tale of " Good King H&tam " have generally to be shown to the sun in this collection. Vide also " Survey or to the fire. Cf . Wide-Awake Stones, Of Incidents in Modern Indian Folk- 4 FOLK-TALES OF KASBMIR: the milk and the bit of fur, the king returned to his palace. ' "When his mother received the milk of the tigress she felt quite sure that her son was a jinn, and determined more than before to have him kUled. She went to the room where the head was, and informed the speaker of eyerything, and heard again a voice saying, " Be assured thereby that this man is a Jinn. None but a jinn could obtain mUk from a tigress. Have him killed as soon as possible." " But how can I get rid of him ? " she asked. The voice replied, " When your son visits you and in- quires after your health, tell him that you still feel very weak and sick. The tigress's milk did not do you any good. But you have heard of a princess who lives alone in a castle on a certain high hill. If she could come and touch you, you would become well. Your son will go to this terrible castle, and be certainly killed on the way." In the evening the king went to see his mother. " Are you better ? " he asked. " No," she said. " The tigress' milk has not benefited me in the least. But I saw in a dream a princess who lives in a certain castle, and heard that if' she would come and touch me all would be well. Until she comes I shall never get strong." "Be comforted, mother. I will fetch this woman for you, or forfeit rny kingdom." Early the following morning the king started on his perilous journey. He had not forgotten the bit of charmed fur. As soon as the sun appeared he showed the fur to it, and immediately the tigress and her two cubs came run- ning towards him. " What is the matter ? " asked the tigress. Tales" in Wide-Awa!ce Stories, pp. perties in Indian Faij-y Tales pp 413, 414. There are some interesting 268-270. ' notes on Hair and its wonderful pro- THE SEVEN-LEGGED BEAST. s " I have to go and fetch the princess who resides in yonder castle." " Fetch her ! You cannot do it. Several people have tried, for the princess is very beautiful ; but nobody ever Succeeded in getting near her." "I will try, though I lose my life in the attempt." Saying this the king left. The tigress could not bear to have her benefactor thus leave her. So she ran after him with her two cubs, and begged him to ride on her.^ They soon reached the castle. " In this place," said the tigress, " there are three big doors, through which it is necessary to pass before a person can get to the princess. Near the first door is an immense block of iron, which must be broken by a wooden axe, or the door will not open. At the second door is an imitation cow, surrounded by real jinns. If any person can milk the cow, he will pass through ; if not, he will be devoured by the Jinns. By the third door sits the prin- cess herself. If she is pleased with you, she will receive you ; but if not, she will accomplish your death. " On hearing these words the king became very fright- ened, and begged the tigress ^ to help him. " Very well," she said. "By a charm which I possess I will enter the block of iron, and when you strike with the wooden axe, I will cause it to divide into two pieces ; and then the doorkeeper will think that you cleft the iron, and allow you to enter through the first door." " And I," said one of the young tigers, " will cause the statue of the cow to give milk, and will keep the jinns who stand round it from hindering you in milking. Thufe will you be able to pass through the second door." » Cf . The Orientalist, vol. i. p. 27 ; 180 ; Wide-Awake Stories, p. 6 ; Ma- Indian Evangelical Review, vol. xiii. danakamdrdjankadai (The Dravidian p. 232; also tale of the "Wicked Nights), Tenth Story; The Oriental- Queens " in this collection. ist, pp. 181, 182, 250 ; also the Pan- "' Apparently a very grateful beast, cha-tantra (Appendix to Book I. Story Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 65, 156, 2). 6 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " And I," said the other young tiger, " will put a charm into the eyes of the princess, so th'at when she looks on you she may think you to be bright and beautiful as the sun, and be so fascinated with the sight, that she will open the third door and do anything else you may ask her." Faithfully they all three performed their promises. The king safely reached the princess, and she, overcome by his beauty and immense power, professed her great affection for him, and entreated him to make her his wife. Then the tigress and her two cubs returned to their lair. In a few days the king took the princess home with him to his palace. "Mother," he said, "I have brought the princess. Oh! what a fearful place it was, and how difficult and dan- gerous the" way to it ! I should have perished on the way if a tigress and her two little cubs had not helped me. Praise be to God that I am here safe and well ! " Some other conversation leading up to it, he told her also about the head of the-jinn — how it had first appeared to him as a seven-legged beast, and led him away to a certain place where it changed itself back into its real character, a great and terrible jinn, and prepared to jump on him ; and how he would have been slain and eaten up, as his father had been, if God had not sent His angel and helped him. His mother was much surprised to hear this. " My son," she said, " I have been deceived. On the evening of the day when you borrowed the keys of the palace from me I went round several of the rooms, till I came to the one in which I heard the sound of laughing. On my in- quiring the reason of this a voice said, ' Take heed lest your son, who is a jinn, slay you. I am the head of your husband. He killed me. Get rid of him, or he will kill you also.' My son, I believed the voice, and at its advice I sent you to fetch me the milk of a tigress, hoping you would be slain in the attempt. And I begged you to go and call the princess, knowing that the way to her abode was full of terrible dangers. But God has been with you, and He, who sent the angel to direct you, has also caused THE. SEVEN-LEGGED beast: 7 the tigress and young tigers to be your helpers. Praise be to His name ! " Then she embraced her son, and wept bitterly. Within a short time of these things the king married the princess, and spent the rest of his life in peace and prosperity.^ 5 Cf. article, "The Forbidden Cham- this prohibition ; also en passant, toI. her," in Folk-iioreJournjal, vol. iii. pp. iv. p. 65 of the same journal. 193-242, for other stories presenting ( 8 ) THE CAT WHO BECAME A QUEEN. ^ " Ah me ! ah me ! What availeth my marriage with all these women ? Never a son has the Deity vouchsafed me. Must I die, and my name be altogether forgotten in the land ? " Thus soliloquised one of the greatest monarchs that ever reigned in Kashmir, and then went to his zaridjia, and threatened his numerous wives with banishment if they did not bear him a son within the next year. The women prayed most earnestly to the god Shiva to help them to fulfil the king's desire, and waited most anxi- ously for several months, hoping against hope, till at last they knew that it was all in vain, and that they must dissemble matters if they wished to remain in the royal household. Accordingly, on an appointed time, word was sent to the king that one of his wives was encicnte, and a little while afterwards the news was spread abroad that a little princess was born. But this, as we have said, was not so. Nothing of the kind had happened. The truth was, that a cat had given birth to a lot of kittens, one of which had been appropriated by the king's wives. When His Majesty heard the news he was exceedingly glad, and ordered the child to be brought to him — a very natural re- quest, which the king's wives had anticipated, and there- fore were quite prepared with a reply. " Go and tell the king," said they to the messenger, " that the Brahmans have declared that the child must not be seen by her father until she is married." Thus the matter was hushed for a time. Constantly did the king inquire after his 1 Narrator's name, Efi,zi', a pan- by Pandit Anand Kol of Zainah ditdni, living in Srinagar. Collected Kadal, Srinagar. THE CAT WHO BECAME A QUEEN. 9 daughter, and received wonderful accounts of her beauty and cleverness ; so that his joy was great. Of course he would like to have had a son, but since the Deity had not condescended to fulfil his desire, he comforted himself with the thought of marrying his daughter to some person worthy of her, and capable of ruling the country after him. Accordingly, at the proper time he commissioned his counsellors to find a suitable match for his daughter. A clever, good, and handsome prince was soon found, and arrangements for the marriage were quickly concluded. What were the king's wives to do now ? It was of no use for them to attempt to carry on their deceit any longer. The bridegroom would come and would wish to see his wife, and the king, too, would expect to see her. " Better," said they, " that we send for this prince and reveal everything to him, and take our chance of the rest. Never mind the king. Some answer can be made to satisfy him for a while." So they sent for the prince and told him everything, having previously made him swear that he would keep "the secret, and not reveal it even to his father or mother. The marriage was celebrated in grand style, as became such great and wealthy kings, and the king was easily prevailed on to allow the palanquin containing the bride to leave the palace without looking at her. The cat only was in the palanquin, which reached the prince's country in safety. The prince took great care of the animal, which he kept locked up in his own private room, and would not allow any one, not even his mother, to enter it. One day, however, while the prince was away, his mother thought that she would go and speak to her daughter-in-law from outside the door. " daughter-in- law," she cried, " I am very sorry that you are shut up in this room and not permitted to see anybody. It must be very dull for you. However, I am going out to-day ; so you can leave the room without fear of seeing any one. "Will you come out ? " lo FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The cat understood eveiything, and wept much, just like a human being. Oh, those bitter tears! They pierced the mother's heart, so that she determined to speak very strictly to her son on the matter as soon as he should return. They also reached the ears of Parvati, who at once went to her lord and entreated him to have mercy on the poor helpless cat. " Tell her," said Shiva, "to rub some oil over her fur, and she will become a beautiful woman. She will find the oil in the room where she now is." Parvati lost no time in disclosing this glad news to the cat, who quickly rubbed the oil over its body, and was changed into the most lovely woman that ever lived.^ But she left a little spot on one of her shoulders, which remained covered with cat's fur, lest her husband should suspect some trickery and deny her. In the evening the prince returned and saw his beauti- ful wife, and was delighted. Then all anxiety as to what he should reply to his mother's earnest solicitations fled. She had only to see the happy, smiling, beautiful bride to know that her fears were altogether needless. In a few weeks the prince, accompanied by his wife, visited hi? father-in-law, who, of course, believed the princess to be his own daughter, and was glad beyond measure. His wives too rejoiced, because their prayer had been heard and their lives saved. In due time the king settled his country on the prince, who eventually- ruled over both countries, his father's and his father-in- law's, and thus became the most illustrious and wealthy monarch in the world.^ - Cf. Tales of the West Highlands, s Ttncloubtedly belongs to the "For- vol. ii. p. :i74— a variant of story No. bidden Chamber " cycle. Cf . note at 41 in the same collection, to which the end of story of " The Seven-legged also refer (p. 265). Beast " in this collection. ( II GOOD KING HAT AM} There was once a poor man, who used to earn a few pdiisas by cutting and selling wood. It was a hard struggle to support himself and wife and seven daughters. Never a bit of meat touched his lips, never a shoe covered his feet, and only a rag covered his backi One day, when not feeling very well, he lay down under a tree to rest. The lucky-bird Huma ^ happened to be flying about the place at the time, and, noticing the man's poverty and sickness, pitied him. So it flew down beside him and deposited' a golden egg by his bundle of wood. In a little while the woodcutter awoke, and seeing the egg, picked it up and wrapped it in his Jcamar- hand? He then took 'up his load and went to the woni, who generally bought it. He also sold him the egg for a trifle. He did not know what a wonderful egg it was ; but the wmxi knew, and asked him to go and get the bird, that laid it, and he would give him a ' rupee as a gift. The man promised, and on the following day went to the jungle as usual to prepare his load of wood. On the way back he sat down to rest under the tree where he had found the egg, and pretended to sleep. The bird Humd came again, and noticing that he was still as poor and as ill-looking as before, thought that he had not seen the egg, and therefore went alnd laid another close by him, in such ^ Narrator's name, Qadir, a barber a crown. The Arabs call it 'anqd, living by Aroird Kadal, Srinagar. and tbe Persians slmurgh (lit. of the 2 A. fabulous bird of happy omen size of thirty birds), peculiar to the East., It haunts the ^ Called also hul and lungi, a long mountain Q4f. It is supposed that piece of cotton stuif worn round the every head it overshadows will wear waist over the outer garment. 12 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. a spot that he could not possibly miss seeing it ; where- upon the woodcutter caught the bird, and rose up to carry it to the woni. " Oh ! what are you going to do with me ? Do not kill me. Do not imprison me ; but set me free," cried the bird. "You shall not fail of a reward. Pluck one of my feathers and show it to the fire, and you shall at once arrive at my country, Koh-i-Qdf,^ where my parents will reward you. They will give you a necklace of pearls, the price of which no king on earth could give." But the poor ignorant woodcutter would not listen to the bird's pleadings. His mind was too much occupied with the thought of the rupee that he felt certain of get- ting, and therefore he fastened the bird in his wrap, and ran off to the woni as fast as his load would permit. Alas ! however, the bird died on the way from suffocation. " What shall I do now ? " thought the woodcutter. " The woni will not give me a rupee for a dead bird. Ha ! ha ! I will show one of its feathers to the fire. Perhaps the bird being dead will not make any difference." Accord- ingly he did so, and immediately found himself on the Koh-i-QAf, where he sought out the parents of the bird and told them all that had happened. Oh, how the parents and other birds wept when they saw the dead body of their beloved relative ! Attracted by the noise, a strange bird that happened to be passing at the time came in and inquired what was the matter. This bird carried a piece of grass in its beak, with which it could raise the dead. " Why do you weep ? " it said to the sorrowful company. "Because our relative is dead; we shall never speak to it again," they replied. * Another name is Koh-i-Akhzar, of emerald gives an azure hne to the another Koh ■ i - Zamurrad (lit. the sky. Hence in Persian az qdf td qdf green or emerald mountain). The means the whole world. The name Muhammadans believe that these is also used for Mount Caucasus. Cf . mountains encircle the world, and also Wide-Awake Stories, pp. 34, 37, that they are inhabited by demons. 316. They think that this mountaitt range GOOD KING HAT AM. 13 "Weep not," said the strange bird. "Your relative shall live again." Whereupon it placed the piece of •grass in the mouth of the corpse, and it revived. When the bird Hwmd, revived and saw the woodcutter, it severely upbraided him for his faithlessness and careless- ness. " I could have made 'you great and happy," it said " but now get you back to your burden of wood and humble home." On this the poor man found himself back again in the jungle, and standing by the load of wood that he had prepared before he was transported to Koh-i-Qdf. He sold his wood, and then went home in a very sad frame of mind to his wife and daughters. He never saw the bird HuTnd again. It has been mentioned that this woodcutter had seven daughters. Thes.e girls grew up to be big, and had to be married. But how was the woodcutter to arrange for their marriages ? He barely earned money sufficient for their food; and nobody would be allied to such a poverty- stricken house as his. In the hour of his difficulty he sought the advice of a friend, who told him to go to Hatam, the noble-minded generous king; and ask for help. 'Sow in those days Hatam had become very poor, and was obliged to pound rice for a living. But although he was so reduced in circumstances, that there was scarcely a poorer man than he in the whole country, yet he had the same generous heart and was as desirous as ever of bet- tering others. When the woodcutter reached his country and happened to meet with him, we have a beautiful in- stance of his generous spirit. The woodcutter, not know- ing who he was, related to him all his sad tale, and begged to be directed to King Hatam the IvToble.. The poor king advised him to stay there for the night and continue his journey on the morrow; to which the woodcutter con- sented, and walked with him to his house. That night Hatam fasted, in order to give something to his guest, and in the mo-rning he informed him of the truth. " friend," said he, " I am he whom you seek ; but behold ! I am as 14 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. poor as yourself. Alas ! I cannot help you. I cannot even give you another meal. But if you will accept my only daughter, you are welcome. You may be able to sell her, and thus get some money to marry your own daughters. Go, and God be with you." "0 king," replied the woodcutter, "your generosity melts iny heart. I cannot thank you sufficiently for your kindness to me. May God reward you. Farewell ! " The woodcutter and the princess then left. On the way they had to pass through a very wild place, where they met a prince, who was hunting. The prince chanced to catch sight of the girl, and at once fell in love with her, and begged the woodcutter to accept him as a son-in-law. Of course the man agreed, and the marriage was cele- brated. Henceforth money without stint flowed into the woodcutter's hands, so that he was able to resign his call- ing, to build for himself a beautiful house, and to marry his seven daughters into good and respectable families. Meanwhile the prince was living, very happily with his beautiful wife, under the idea that she was the wood- cutter's daughter. One day, however, he discovered the truth of the matter. He had given an alms to a poor man in the presence of his wife, when she casually re- marked that he had done a hdtami, meaning a generous act, a Hatam-like act ; ^ whereupon the prince asked her how she knew anything about Hatam, and she told him everything — how the woodcutter had applied to her father for help, and how her father, not having anything else, gave her to him as a slave. , The prince theri sent for the woodcutter, and heard from him the same words, and all about the Humd's egg and the man's visit to Koh-i-Qdf. He was intensely surprised when he heard all these things. He immediately sent to King Hatam, begging, him to come and rule the country in his stead, because 5 Saiam^ (Persian), boundless libe- was a man celebrated, among the rallty. Of. aHhii/at hdtamiya^ libe- Arabs for his liberality). H&tam is rality equal to that of H&tam (who a popular proper name in the valley. GOOD KING HAT AM. 15 he was too young and inexperienced to manage it pro- perly. The retired woodcutter received a large pension in land ; but the cunning woni was ordered to gire up the golden egg to the king.® ^ Compare whole story of "The Faithful Prince" in Wide-A^vake Sto- ries. The story of the charitable mon- arch, whose goodness and generosity are tried ad extremum, occurs in seve- ral tales. Kashmiris have a' legend concerning Wainadat, an old king of the country, who gave up everything and worked himself, that he might not be chargeable to any person. Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 67, 85 ; Bud- dhist Birth Stories, p. 33 ; Kathd SarU Sdgara (Tawney's), vol. i. p. 244 ; Kings of Kashmird, pp. 34, 51, 82 ; and the Tamil drama translated by the late Sir Mutri CoomS,ra Swamy, Arichandrd, or the Ma/rtyr of Truth. ( 16 ) METEMPSYCHOSIS} -Once upon a time a young man left his home and country, and went to a wild' desert place to meditate on religious subjects. He spent twelve years thus, during which he neither ate nor drank. When he thought he had perfected himself in religious matters and had discovered the end of things, he conceived a desire to visit a city about five miles distant. On the way he sat down under a tree to rest, and while he rested a crow came and perched on a branch just above him and let fall some lime on his head. He was very much annoyed at this, and turned towards the bird ; and the bird died. When he had sufficiently rested, the holy man resumed his jour- ney, and, reached the city, where he entered the court- yard of a certain house, and begged for some food. A woman called to him from a window, and bade him to come in and wait till her husband arrived, when she promised to give him something to eat. The holy man was very angry at this reply, and was going to curse her, when she interrupted him by saying " I am not a crow, that you can burn me with your angry looks.^ You had better come in and wait for my husband's return." The man did so, but he wondered how ever the woman had got to know of the crow incident. In a little while the master of the house appeared ; whereupon the woman brought some warm water and washed his feet, and after that some food and 1 Narrator's name, N4r4yan Kol of to holy men (Musalm^ns and Hindus Fateli Kadel, Srinagar. alike). Shiva is said to have reduced 2 Slaying, burning, or paralysing K&madeva to ashes by fire from his with a look is a power often attributed central eye. METEMPSYCHOSIS. 17 gave him to eat,. Then she placed some food before their guest and gave him also to eat. When he had eaten as much as he wished, she ate her own dinner. Afterwards she prepared her husband's bed, and while he was reclining on it she shampooed his feet. Truly, she was a pattern' wife ! So thought the holy man, who . observed everything, but said nothing. " Tell us a tale," she said to her husband, while sham- pooing his feet ; to which the man agreed, and began as follows : — " In days gone by there lived a Brahman, who for many years was praying to know something of the state of the departed. At last the ,gods complied with his request. Early one morning, while bathing according to custom,* his spirit left him, and went into the body of an infant, the child of a cobbler.* The child grew up, learnt his father's business, married, and became the father of a numerous family, when suddenly he was made aware of his high caste, and abandoning all went to another country. Now just as he reached that country the king died, and as there was no person to put upon the throne, i the wazirs and others in authority had to resort to the popular custom of sending an elephant and a hawk round the place to elect a successor for them. Whomsoever the elephant and hawk acknowledged, the people also acknowledged. There was no alternative. Well, wonderful to relate, the • stranger was chosen for this high office. The elephant bowed down before him, and the hawk perched on his right hand, and thus proclaimed him king in the presence of all the people. In the course of a few years his wife got to know of his whereabouts and went to join him. Then it ' In the early morning, both sum- by the influence of the three Gunas — mer and winter, the religious Hindii Sattoa, Eajas, and Tamas ; and that is to be seen performing his ceremo- for sins of act a man takes a vegetable nial bathings in the river. or mineral form ; for sins of word, the * Manu declares that the triple or- form of a bird or beast ; for sins of der of the passage of the soul through thought, that of a man of the lowest the highest, middle, andlowest stages caste. — Monier Williams, Hinduism, of existence results from good or bad p. 69. acts, words, and thoughts produced B i8 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. someliow became known that he was a cobbler, and that his wife, also, was of that low caste. The people were in great consternation about it. Some fled, some subjected theinselves to great penance, and others burnt themselves, lest they should be excommunicated. The king, too, burnt himself, when he heard what was -happening, and his spirit went and reoccupied the corpse of the Brah- man, that remained by the river-side, and went home. ' How quickly you have performed your ablutions this morning ! ' said his wife ; but the Brahman answered nothing. He only looked very much surprised. ' Can this be the future state ? ' thought he. ' Have I really seen it ? or was it only a dream ? ' " About a week after this a man came into the Brahman's courtyard, and begged for some bread, saying that he had not eaten anything for five days, during which he had been running away from his country as fast as he could, because a cobbler had been appointed to the throne. All the people, he said, were running away or burning them- selves to escape the consequences of such an evil. The Brahman jgave the man some food, but said nothing. ' How can these things be ? ' thought he. ' I have been a cobbler for several years. I have reigned as a king for several years, — and this man confirms the truth of my thoughts; yet my wife declares that I have not been absent from this house more than the usual time ; and I believe her, for she does not look any older, nor is the place changed in any way.' " Thus ends my story, whereof the explanation is this : The soul passes through various stages of existence accord- ing to a man's thoughts, words, and acts, and in the great Hereafter a day is equal to a yug ^ and a yug is equal to a day." On the conclusion of the story, the woman, wishing to sleep, turned to the stranger and inquired if he wanted anything more. He replied, " Only happiness." 5 A yug or yuga is an age of the world or a great period. METEMPSYCHOSIS. 19 " Then go and seek it in your own home," she said. " Go, return to your parents, who have wept themselves blind because of you. Go and put your hands on their eyes, and tell them that their son has returned ; and they will see again.® Then shall you be? happy. Happiness is to be sought for in the path of duty — in obedience to those whom the gods have set over us. It is the duty of a wife to seek the pleasure of her husband. It is the duty of a child to seek the pleasure of his parents. It is the duty of a citizen to seek the pleasure of his king. It is the duty of us all to seek the pleasure of the gods." * For the recovery of sight by plao- of Rupees for a Bit of Advice " in this ing hand on eyes, cf. story " A Lach collection. ( 20 ) THE CHARMED RING} A MEECHANT Started his son in life with three hundred rupees, and bade him go to another country and try his luck in trade. The son took the money and departed. He had not gone far hefore he came across some herdsmen quarrelling over a dog, that some of them wished to kill. " Please do not kill the dog," pleaded the young tender- hearted adventurer ; " I will give you one hundred rupees for it." Then and there, of course, the bargain was con- cluded, and the fool took the dog, and continued his journey. He next met with some people fighting about a cat. Some of them wanted to kill it, but others not. " Oh ! please do not kill the animal," said he ; "I will give you one hundred rupees for it." Of course they at once gave him the cat and took the money. He then went on till he reached a village, where some folk were quarrelling over a snake that had just been caught. Some of them wished to kill it, but others did not. " Please do not kill the snake," said he. "I will give you one hundred rupees." Of course the people agreed, and were highly delighted. What a fool the fellow was ! What would he do now that all his money was gone ? What could he do except return to his father ? Accordingly he went home. " You fool ! You scamp ! " exclaimed his father when he had heard how his son had wasted all the money that had been given to him. " Go and live in the stables and repent of your folly. You shall never again enter my house." 1 Narrator's name.'Q^dir, a barber, living by AmlrS Kadal, Srlnagar. THE CHARMED RING. 21 So the young man went and lived in the stables. His bed was the grass spread for the cattle, and his com- panions were the dog, the cat, and the snake, which he had purchased so dearly. These creatures got very fond of him, and would follow him about during the day, and sleep by him at night'; the cat used to sleep at his feet, the dog at his head, and the snake over his body, with its head hanging on one side and its tail on the other. One day the snake in course of conversation said to its master, "I am the son of Indrasharaja. One day, when I had come out of the ground to drink the air, some people seized me, and would have slain me had you n(Tt most opportunely arrived to my rescue. I do not know how I shall ever be able to repay you for your great kindness to me. "Would that you knew my father ! How glad he would be to see his son's preserver ! " "Where does he live? I should like to see him, if possible," said the young man. " Well said ! " continued the snake, " Do you see yonder mountain ? At the bottom of that mountain there is a sacred spring. If you will come with me and dive into that spring, we shall both reach my father's country. Oh ! how glad he will be to see you ! He will wish to reward you, too. But how can he do that? However, you may be pleased to accept something at his hand. If he asks you what you would like, you would, perhaps, do well to reply, ' The ring on your right hand, and the famous pot and spoon which you possess.' With these in your possession, you would never need anything, for the ring is such that a man has only to speak to it, and immediately a beautiful, furnished mansion, and a charm- ing, lovely woman, ■<7ill be provided for him, while the pot and the spoon will supply him with all manner of the rarest and most delicious foods." ^ 2 Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 34, story in Young Ceylon, of June 1850, 156 ; Folk-tales of Bengal, pp. 32, 34, which tale also exists in Tamil ; the SS, 282 ; Old Deocan Days, 174; Wide- tale of "The Table, Ass, and Stick," Awake /Stories, 199, 216 ; Portuguese in Orimm's Household Stories ; 22 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Attended by his three companions the man walked to the well and prepared to jump in, according to the snake's ■ directions. "0 master!" exclaimed the cat and dog, when they saw what he was going to do. " What shall we do ? Where shall we go ? " " Wait for me here," he replied. " I am not going far. I shall not be long away." On saying this, he dived into the water and was lost to sight. " Now what shall we do ? " said the dog to the cat. "We must remain here," replied. the cat, "as our master ordered. Do not be anxious about food. I will go to the people's houses and get plenty of food for both of us." And so the cat did, and they both lived very comfortably till their master came again and joined them. The young man and tiiie snake reached their destination * in safety;* and information of their arrival was sent to the rdjd. His Highness commanded his son and the stranger to appear before him. But the snake refused, saying, that it could not go to its father till it was released' from this stranger, who had saved it from a most terrible death, and whose slave it therefore was. Then the rdjd went and embraced his son, and saluting the stranger welcomed him to his dominions. The young man stayed there a few days, during which he received the rdjd's right-hand ring, and the pot and spoon, in recognition of His Highness's gratitude to him for having delivered his son. He then returned. On reaching the top of the spring he found his friends, the dog and the cat, waiting for him. They told one another all they had experienced since they Makanahamdrdjankadai {Srcmdicm be found in the Buddhist J4taka Nights), pp. 132, 154 ; the " Lad who Book, Dadhiv&hana J4taka (No. i86, went to North Wind," in Daaent's FausboU, also 291), vide Buddhist Norse Tales, which tale also appears Birth Stories, pp. xvi.-xxi. in Italian Popular Tales (Crane) ; * Ndga (Sanskrit), a snake. The Brentano Fairy Tales, the story of race of Ndgas is said to have sprung "Ninny Noddy." Compare also from Kadru, the wife of Kaahyapa, for Maha-BhS,rata, xii. 1769 ; Wolf, Beit- the purpose of peopling Pdtdla, or rage zv,r Deutschen Mythologie, i. p. the regions below the earth, where TZ ; Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs, they reign in great splendour. Cf. pp. 179, 180. But, perhaps, the most en passant, Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. ancient example of these tales is to 20, 21. THE CHARMED RING. 23 had last seen each other, and were all very glad. After- wards they walked together to the river side, where it was decided to try the powers of the charmed ring * and pot and spoon. The merchant's son spoke to the ring, and immediately a beautiful house and a lovely woman with golden hair appeared. He spoke to the pot and spoon, also, and the most delicious dishes of food were provided for them. As will be imagined, life went on very happily under these conditions for several years, until one morn- ing the woman, while arranging her toilet, put the loose hairs into a hollow bit of reed and threw them into the river that flowed along under the window. The reed floated on the water for many miles, and was eventually picked up by the prince of that country, who curiously opened it and saw the golden hair.^ On finding it the prince rushed off to the palace, locked himself up in his room, and would not leave it. He had fallen desperately in love with the woman, whose hair he had picked up, and refused to eat, or drink, or sleep, or move, till she was brought to him. The king, his father, was in great dis- tress about the matter, and did not know what to do. He feared lest his son should die and leave him without an heir. At last he determined to seek the counsel of his . aunt, who was an ogress. The old woman consented to help him and bade him not to be anxious, as she felt cer- tain that She , would succeed in getting the beautiful woman for his son's wife. She assumed the shape of a bee and went along buzzing.^ Her keen sense of smell soon brought her to the woman, to whom she appeared as an old hag, holding in one hand a stick by way of support. She introduced herself to the beautiful woman as her i GtMadanakamdrdjankadai, ^.27; the Egyptian tale of "The Two the tale of ' ' Aladdin, or the Wonder- Brothers ; " also Wide-Awake Stories, ful Lamp," in The Arabian Nights ; pp. 60, 413. Wide-Awalce Stories, p. 198 ; and the « cf. Kings of Kdshmird, p. 5S ; story of " The Eobher and his Sons," Indian Notes and Queries, vol. iv. p. irx Grimm's Household Stories. 64; Folk-Tales of Bengal, p. 186; 5 Cf. Evangelical Review, " Santal Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 56, 141 ; and Folk-Tales," vol. xiii. No. 51, p. Indian Antiquary, vol. xvi. p. 212. 333 ; Madanakamdrdjankadai, p. 32 ; 24 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. aunt/ and said that she had seen nothing of her before, because she had left the country just after her birth. She also embraced and kissed the ■woman by way of adding force to her words. The beautiful woman was thoroughly deceived. She returned the ogress's embrace, and invited her to come ^nd stay in the house as long as she could, and treated her with such honour and attention, that the ogress thought to herself, " I shall soon accomplish my errand." When she had been in the house three days, she mooted the subject of the charmed ring, and advised her to keep it instead of her husband, because the latter was constantly out shooting and on other suchlike expeditions, and might lose it. Accordingly th,e beautiful woman asked her husband for the ring, and he readily gave it to her. The ogress waited another day before she asked to see the precious thing. Doubting nothing the beautiful woman complied, when the ogress seized the ring, and re- assuming the form of a bee flew away with it to the palace, where the prince was lying in a very critical condition. " Eise up. Be glad. Mourn no more," she said to him. " The woman for whom you yearn will appear at your summons. See, here is the charm, whereby you may bring her before you." The prince was almost mad with joy when he heard these words, and was so desirous of seeing the beautiful woman, that he immediately spoke to the ring, and the house with its fair occupant descended in the midst of the palace-garden.* He at once entered the building, and telling the beautiful woman of his in- tense love, entreated her to be his wife. Seeing no escape from the difficulty she consented on the condition that he would wait one month for her. Meanwhile the merchant's son had returned from hunt- ing and was terribly distressed not to find his house and wife. There was the place only, just as he knew it be- ' Of. Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 260, xiii. No. s°, P- 226 ; also story of 262 ; Orientalist, vol. ii. pp. 94, 232. "Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp," ^ a. Indian Antiqiiary, vol. iv. p. in Arabian Nights; and story of 371 ; Indian Evangelical Review, vol. " True Friendship " in this collection. THE CHARMED RING. 25 fore he had tried the charmed ring, which Indrasharaja had given him. He sat down and determined to put an end to himself. Presently the cat and dog came up. They had gone away and hidden themselves, when they saw the house and everything disappear. " master ! " they said, " stay your hand. Your trial is great, but it is not irremediable. Give us one month, and we will go and try to recover your wife and house." " Go," said he, " and may the great God aid your efforts. Bring back my wife, and I shall live." So the cat and dog started off at a run, and did not stop till they reached the place whither their mistress and the house had been taken. "We may have some dif&culty here," said the cat. "Look, the king has taken our master's wife and house for himself. You stay here. I will go to the house and try to see her." So the dog sat down, and the cat climbed up to the window of the room, wherein the beautiful woman was sitting, and entered. The woman recognised the animal, and informed it of all that had happened to her since she had left them. " But is there no way of escape from the hands of these people 1 " she asked. " Yes," replied the cat, " if you can tell me where the charmed ring is." " The ring is in the stomach of the ogress," she said. "All right," said the cat; "I will recover it. If we once get it, everything is ours." Then the cat descended the wall of the house, and went and laid down by a rat's hole and pretended she was dead. 'Now at that time a great wedding chanced to be going on among the rat com- munity of that place, and all the rats of the neighbourhood were assembled in that one particular mine by which the cat had lain down.^ The eldest son of the king of the rats was about to be married. The cat got to know of this, and at once conceived the idea of seizing the bridegroom and making him render the necessary help. Consequently, ' Kata have wedtliugs, cf. Wide-Awake Stories, pp. 17-26. 26 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. •when the procession poured forth from the hole squealing and jumping in honour of the occasion, it immediately- spotted the bridegroom and pounced down on him. " Oh ! let me' go, let me go," cried the terrified rat. " Oh ! let him go," squealed all the company. " It is his wedding day." " No, no," replied the cat. " Not unless you do some- thing for me. Listen. The ogress, who lives in that house with the prince and his wife, has swallowed a ring, which I very much want. If you will procure it for me, I will allow the rat to depart unharmed. If you do not, then your prince dies under my feet." " Very well, we agree," said they all. " Nay, if we do not get the ring for you, devour us all." This was rather a bold reply. However, they accom- plished the thing. At midnight, when the ogress was sound asleep, one of the rats went to her bedside, climbed up on her face, and inserted its tail into her throat ; where- upon the ogress coughed and urged violently, so that the ring came out and rolled on to the floor.^" The rat imme- diately seized the precious thing and ran off with it to its king, who was very glad and went at once to the cat and released its son. As soon as the cat received the ring, she started back with the dog to go and tell their master the good tidings. All seemed safe how. They had only to give the ring to him, and he would speak to it, and the house and beauti- ful woman would again be with them, and everything would go on as happily as before. " How glad their master would be !" they thought, and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. On the way they had to cross a stream. The dog swam, and the cat sat on its back. Taking, advantage of the occasion the dog asked for the ring, and threatened to throw the cat into the water if it did not 1° Of. Madanakamdrdjankadai, pp. dainty' drop. A military gentleman 40, 41. I have known rats to insert told me the story of a rat who got at their tails into native inkstands in his wine in the same way. the hope of thus drawing up some THE CHARMED RING. 27 comply; -whereupon the cat gave up the ring. Sorry moment, for the dog at once dropped it, and a fish swallowed it. " Oh ! what shall I do ? what shall I do ? " said the dog. "What is done is done," replied the cat. "We must try to recover it, and if we do not succeed we had better drown ourselves in this stream. I have a plan. You go and kill a small lamb, and bring it here to me." " All right," said the dog, and at once ran off. He soon came back with a dead lamb, and gave it to the cat. The cat tore open the stomach of the beast, and took out the bowels, and then went inside and laid down, telling the dog to go away a little distance and keep quiet. Not long after this a nadhar}^ a bird whose look even breaks the bones of a fish, came -and hovered over the corpse, and eventually pounced down on it to carry it away. On this the cat came out and jumped on to the bird, and threatened to kill it if it did not recover the lost ring. This was most readily promised by the nadhar, who immediately flew off to the king of the fishes, and ordered it to make inquiries and to restore the ring. The king of the fishes did so, and the ring was found and carried back to the cat. " Come along now, I have got the ring," said the cat to the dog. " No, I will not," said the dog, " unless you let me have the ring. I can carry it as well as you. Let me have it, or I will kill you." So the cat was obliged to give up the ring. The careless dog very soon dropped it again. This time it was picked up and carried off by a kite. " See, see, there it goes — away to that big tree," the cat exclaimed. " Oh ! oh ! what have I done ! " cried the dog. 11 Tfadhar is a, cormorojit (7). Kash- valley, which closely resembles the mlris have a saying Nadharani nai, cormorant in appearance. 1 A skin of Nadhar's fright, which they quote on one of these was procured by the late occasions of any special fear. There Dr. Henderson, after whom it has is a small species of pelican in the been named. 28 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " You foolish thing, I knew it would be so," said the cat. " But stop your barking, or you will frighten away the bird to some place where we shall not be able to trace it." The cat waited till it was quite dark, and then climbed the tree, killed the kite, and recovered the ring. " Come along," it said to the dog when it reached the ground. "We must make haste now. We have been delayed. Our master will die from grief and suspense. Come on." The dog, now thoroughly ashamed of itself, begged the cat's pardon for all the trouble it had given. It was afraid to ask for the ring the third time, so they both reached their sorrowing master in safety and gave him the precious charm. In a moment his sorrow was turned into joy; He spoke to the ring, and his beautiful wife and house reappeared, and he and everybody were as happy as ever they were.^^ ^2 Cf. whole of the second story of ^ajafeSioWes, pp. 196-206, and /radian MadanaJcamdrdjankadai ; also Wide- Antiquary, vol. x. p. 347 et seq. ( 29 ) THE CROW -GIRL} One day two potters' wives went to the jungle to get a special kind of soU, which their husbands wanted for making some pots. They carried their little infant children with them a-straddle on their hips. When they reached the place where this earth was to be found, they put down their children, a little boy and a little girl, to .play together, whUe they filled their baskets. A kite and a crow noticed what was going on, and swooped down upon the children and carried them off, The kite killed the boy, but the crow flew away with the girl to the hollow trunk of a tree in a distant part of the jungle, and there • dropped her. Instead of crying the child thought it. was great fun, and so laughed and played with the bird ; and the bird got very fond of her, and brought her nuts and fruit, and scraps of bread and meat sometimes, whenever it could get them. The little girl grew up and became very beautiful. One day a carpenter chanced to visit that part of the jungle for cutting wood. "Saldm," said the girl to him. "I wish you would make me a spinning-wheel. I am here all alone, and I wish to do something." " Why are you here ? Where is your home ? Have you no more clothes than the rag you are wearing ? " asked the carpenter. ',' You must not ask me any questions," replied the gjrl. "But please make me a spinning-wheel, and I shall be quite happy." . 1 Naxrator's name, 141 Chand of The story ia known in the valley by Khunamuh in the Wulai pargana. the name oi Kdvah-EHr. 3° FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The carpenter did so ; and the crow stole a spindle and some cotton for the girl. So she had everything complete. Kot long after this the king of that part of the world was out a- hunting in the jungle, and as he passed by that way, his ear caught the sound of somebody spinning. " Who resides in this solitary place ? " he said to one of his attendants. " I hear the sound of a person spinning. Go and see who it can be." After a long search the men discovered the girl sitting by her wheel in the hollow of a tree, and brought her before the king. His Majesty inquired everything about her ; and was so interested in her story, and fascinated by her beauty, that he begged her to accompany him to the palace, and to stay there with him as his wife. The king had six other wives. This crow-girl was the seventh. Each of the wives had a separate apartment and special attendants. One day His Majesty, wishing to- try their skill and taste, ordered all of them to decorate their rooms as nicely as they could. The six wives went ' to work in the ordinary way ; they bought several orna- ments and pictures, and had the walls of their -rooms washed with ottar of roses ; but the seventh wife sought ah interview with her beloved crow and asked his advice on the matter. " Don't be anxious," said the bird, and imme- diately flew off and brought back in its bill an herb, which it gave her, saying, " Take this herb and rub it all over the walls of your room, and they will shine like burnished gold." The girl obeyed, and her room shone so with gold — real gold, that one could scarcely look at it. When the other wives of the king heard of this, they were very jealous. Notwithstanding they had washed their rooms with ottar of roses, and decorated them with the richest carpets and the most magnificent vases, yet they looked not one hundredth part as beautiful as the crow-girl's apartment. "What have you done to your room to make- it so lovely ? " they asked. But the crow- girl did not tell them. THE CROW-GIRL. 31 When the king inspected the rooms of the six wives, he was much pleased with them, but when he came to the crow-girl's room he was overcome with astonishment and delight. Henceforth he made her his chief r&ni, and seemed to forget all the rest. This special notice from the king increased the hatred and jealousy of the other wives. They were wicked enough before ; but now, maddened by the king's pre- ference for the seventh wife, they plotted to bring about her speedy death. They soon found opportunity for accomplishing their wickedness. One day they were all going to the river to bathe, when it was decided to push the crow-girl queen into the water, and to inform the king that she had been accidentally drowned. Accord- ingly, when they reached a deep part 'of the river, they shoved the woman off the bank into the water. The king's grief was intense when he heard the sad news. For a long time he gave up all business, shut himself in his room, and would not see any one. Fate, however, had not decreed the death of the rdni. She was not drowned, as everybody thought. Near to the part of the river where she fell, there happened io be a large tree growing out of an invisible island. She had floated to this island and climbed to the top of the tree, where she was constantly fed by her kind friend the crow. One day some weeks afterwards. His Majesty chanced to go for an airing in his boat by the way of this tree. The crow-girl saw him, and shouting the words, "The king unjustly exposed me to danger.^ Come, beloved, come here," she discovered herself to him. On seeing his beloved rdni again, the king's joy knew no bounds. He immediately took her into the boat and carried her to the palace. There she told him all that had occurred, and when His Majesty heard the truth of the matter, he at once gave orders for the execution of the other wives.^ 2 "The king unjustly bound me ' Compare variant in Old Deccan in a net," literally. Oays, pp. 79-93- ( 32 ) A LACH OF RUPEES FOR A BIT OF ADVICE.^ A POOR blind Brahman and his wife were dependent on their son for their subsistence. Every day the young fellow used to go out and get what he could by begging. This continued for some time, till at last he became quite tired of such a wretched despicable manner of life, and determined to go and try his luck in another country. He informed his wife of his intention, and ordered her to manage somehow or other for the old people during the few months that he would be absent. He adjured her to be very diligent, lest his parents should be angry and curse him. One morning he started with some food iu a bundle, and walked on day after day, till he reached the chief city of the neighbouring country. Here he went and sat down by a merchant's shop and aslced alms. The merchant inquired whence he had come, why he had come, and what was his caste, to which he replied that he was a Brahman, and was wandering hither and thither begging a livelihood for himself and wife and parents. Moved with pity for the man, the merchant advised him to visit the kind and generous king of that country, and offered to accompany him to the court. Now at that time it happened that the king was seeking for a Brahman to look after a golden temple which he had just had built. His Majesty was very glad, therefore, when he saw the Brahman and heard that he was good and honest. He at once deputed him to the charge of this temple, and 1 Narrator's name. Pandit Chadh Eain of Habah Kadal, Srinagar. A LACH OF RUPEES FOR A BIT OF ADVICE. 33 ordered fifty kharwdrs of rice and one hundred rupees to be paid to him every year as wages. Two months after this, the Brahman's wife, not having heard any news of her husband, left the house and went in quest of him. By a happy fate she arrived at the very place that he had reached, where she heard that every morning at the golden temple a golden rupee was given in the king's name to any hond fide beggar who chose to go for it. Accordingly on the following morning she attended at the place, and met her husband. " Why have you come hfere ? " he asked. " Why have you left my parents ? Care you not whether they curse me and I die? Go back immediately, and a,wait my return." " No, no,'' said the woman. " I cannot go back to starve and see your old father and mother die. There is not a grain of rice left in the house." " Bhagawant ! " exclaimed the Brahman. " Here, take this," he continued, scribbling a few lines on some paper, and then handing it to her, " and give it to the king. It may be that he wUl give you a lack of rupees for it." Thus saying he dismissed her, and the woman left. On this scrap of paper were written four pieces of advice — (i.) If a person is travelling and reaches any strange place at night, let him be careful where he puts up, and not close his eyes in sleep, lest he close them in death. (2.) If a man is in need, let him test his friends ; but if he is not in need, then let not his friends try him. (3.) If a man has a married sister, and visits' her in great pomp, she will receive him for the sake of what she can obtain from him; but if he comes to her in poverty, she will frown on him and disown him. (4.) If a man has to do any work, he must do it himself, and do it with might and without fear.^ On reaching her home the brahmani told her parents of her meeting with her husband, and what a valuable piece 2 Of. tale of "Three Maxima " in the Gesta Somanorum. C 34 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. of paper he had giveu her ; but not liking to go before the king herself, she sent one of her relations. The king read the paper, and ordering the man to be flogged, dis- missed him. The next morning the brahmani took the paper, and while she was going along the road to the dwrhdr reading it, the king's son met her, and asked what she was reading, whereupon she replied that she held in her hands a paper containing certain bits of advice, for which she wanted a lack of rupees. The prince asked her to show it to him, and when he had read it gave her a par- wdna for the amount, and rode on. The poor brahmani was very thankful. That day she laid in a great store of provisions, sufficient to last them all for a long time. In the evening the prince related to his father the meet- ing with the woman, and the purchase of the piece of paper. He thought his father. would applaud the act. But it was not so. The king was more angry than before, and banished his son from the country. Alas ! alas ! how sad was the royal household when they heard of the king's cruel order ! for the prince was a great favourite, and a young man of much promise, and, moreover, was heir to the throne. However, the king's order was urgent. So the prince bade adieu to his mother and relations and friends, and rode off oh his horse, whither he did not know. At nightfall he arrived at some place, where a man met him, and invited him to lodge at his house. The prince accepted the invitation, and was treated like a prince. Matting was spread for him to squat on, the best of provisions set before him, and at night the host's daughter attended him. " Ah ! " thought he, as he lay down to rest, " I perceive the reason of the first piece of advice that the brahmani gave me. I will not sleep to-night." It was well that he thus resolved, for in the middle of the night the man's daughter rose up, and taking a sword in her hand,, rushed to the prince with the intention of killing him. The prince, however, averted the blow, and t; A LACH OF RUPEES FOR A BIT OF ADVICE. 35 seizing the sword, said, " Why do you wish to slay me ? Have I wronged you in any matter ? Do I wish to wrong you? Put up the sword again, lest you bring sorrow on yourself, like that king who killed a favourite parrot by mistake." " "What king ? " asked the girl. " Listen," said the prince : — " Once upon a time there lived a king who had a very beautiful parrot, which was very precious to him. This parrot lived in the royal haram, and the king always talked to it first before speaking to his wives. One day the parrot asked for one month's leave of absence to go and marry his son, which leave the king granted. The bird went, and the marriage was celebrated, and then the bird prepared to return. It brought back for the king the cuttings of two trees, one of which possessed the virtue of making a young man old, and the other of making an old man young. The cuttings were planted, and in due time flourished and bore fruit. But just as they were begin- ning to ripen a great storm passed over that country, and blew down the trees, and a monster serpent that was, car- ried along by the waters took refuge in them, and covered their branches with its poison, This, however, was not noticed by any one. When the storm had subsided the gardener went and replanted the two trees and attended them with such care that they flourished again and bore fruit; and some of their fruit was taken to the king. Wishing to test it on an animal first. His Majesty threw some of the fruit of one of the trees to a dog. The animal ate it, and died immediately. On seeing this the king be- came very angry, and thin'king that the parrot had been playing jokes with him, he ordered it to be killed. The following year the trees bore fruit again, by which time all the poison had exuded from their branches. One morning, when passing, an old man, being hungry, put out his hand and plucked one of the fruits and ate it, and immediately became voung again. The report of this strange occur- 36 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. rence reached the king, who ordered some of the fruit to be brought to him. He gave some of the youth-restoring fruit to his old wazir, who ate it, and was at once changed into a strong young man, as people remembered him half a century before.* When the king saw this he was very sorry, and grieved much for the favourite parrot that he had so crueUy killed. " Surely you would not do the same to me ? " said the prince. " No," she replied. By the time the prince had concluded this story it was morning, and the other inmates of the house were about. Thus was the prince saved. Of course he wished to depart, and would have immediately started, but the master of the house would not hear of it. He prevailed on him to stay that day also, arid promised to allow him to go on the morrow. The prince was waited on with every attention, and fed in the same sumptuous manner , as before, and at night was shown to the same room, whither the host's daughter also came to do his bidding. That night, too, the prince would not close his eyes in sleep. He was afraid what the girl might do to him. At midnight she arose, and taking a sword in her hand, was going to kill him, when he, rose up and spoke. " Do not slay me," he said. " What profit would you get from my death ? If you killed me you would be sorry afterwards, like that man who killed his dog." " What man ? What dog ? " she asked. " 1 will tell you," said the prince, " if you wiU give me that sword." So she gave him the sword, and the prince began his second story : — " Once upon a time there lived a wealthy merchant who had a pet dog. By some unforeseen circumstance this merchant was suddenly reduced to poverty, and obliged 3 Of. Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. 154-158; Indian Antijuar!/,'y6l xiv. p. 109 ; Orientalist, vol. ii. p. 54. A LACH OF RUPEES FOR A BIT OF ADVICE. 37 to part with his dog. He got a loan of five thousand rupees on the animal from a brother merchant, and with the money commenced business afresh. Not long after this the other merchant's shop was broken into by thieves and completely sacked. There was hardly ten rupees' worth left in the place. The faithful dog, how- ever, knew what was going on, and went and followed the thieves, and saw where they deposited the things, and then returned. ' " In the morning there was great weeping and lamen- tation in the merchant's house when it was known what had happened. The merchant himself nearly went mad. Meanwhile the dog kept on running to the door, and pull- ing at his master's shirt and pdijdmas, as though wishing him to go outside. At last a friend suggest^ed that, per- haps, the dog knew something of the whereabouts of the things, and advised the merchant to follow its leadings. The merchant consented, and went after the dog right up to the very place where the thieves had hidden the goods. Here the animal scraped and barked, and showed in various ways that the things were underneath. So the merchant and his friends dug about the place, and soon came upon all the stolen property. Nothing was missing. There was everything just as the thieves had taken them. "The merchant was very glad. On returning to his house, he at once sent the dog back to its old master with a letter rolled up in its ear, wherein he had written concern- ing the sagacity of the beast, and begged his friend to forget the loan and to accept another five thousand rupees as a present. When this merchant saw his dog coming back again, he thought, ' Alas ! my friend is wanting the money. How can I pay him ? I have not had sufficient time to recover myself from my recent losses. I will slay the dog ere he reaches the threshold, and say that another must have slain it. Thus there will be an end of my debt., No dog, no loan.' Accordingly he ran out and killed the poor dog, when the letter fell out of its right 38 FOLK-TALES OP KASHMIR. ' ear. The merchant picked it up and read it. How great "was his grief and disappointment when he knew the facts of the case ! "Beware," continued the prince, "lest you do that which afterwards you would give your life not to have done." By the time the prince had concluded this story it was nearly morning. " Alas ! alq,s ! " said the girl, " what shall I do ? Another hour and it will be day. My father strictly charged me to slay you before this, threatening to kill me if I did not do so. What shall I do ? I am in your power." " Show me the way out of this accursed place, and come with me," replied the prince ; " we shall easily find a horse outside, and then we can ride off quickly without fear of pursuit. Come along." Within an hour, when the other inmates of the house awoke from their sleep, the prince and the robber's daughter were several miles • distant.* On, on they rode, till they came to some place, where one of the prince's friends lived, who gave him a hearty welcome, and made him stay in his house, and treated him in every way as his own brother for six months ; and when he expressed a wish to leave, gave him jewels, and money, and horses, and servants, and every necessary for the way. The prince then visited the country belonging to his brother-in-law. He disguised himself as &jogi, and sitting down by a tree near the palace, pretended to be absorbed in worship. News of the man and of his wonderful piety reached the ears of the king. He felt interested in him, as his wife was very ill ; and he had sought for hakims to cure her, but in vain. He thought that, perhaps, this holy man could do something for her. So he sent to him. But the jogi refused to tread the halls of a king, saying that his dwelling was the open air, and that if His Majesty wished' to see him he must come himself and • Cf. tale of " Two Brothers " in this collection. A LACH OF RUPEES fOR A BIT OF ADVICE. 39 bring his wife to the place. Then the king took his wife and introduced her to the Jog-i. The holy man bade her prostrate herself before him, and when she had remained in this position for about three hours, he told her to rise and go, for she was cured. In the evening there was great consternation in the palace, because the queen had lost her pearl rosary, and nobody knew anything about it. At length some one went to the jogi, and found it on the ground by the place where the queen had prostrated herself. When the king heard this he was very angry, and ordered the jogi to be executed. This stern order, however, was not carried out, as the prince bribed the men and escaped from the country. / Clad in his own clothes, the prince was walking along one day when he saw a potter crying and laughing alter- nately with his wife and children. " fool," said he, " what is the matter ? If you laugh, why do you weep ? If you weep, why do you laugh ? " "Do not, bother me," said the potter. "What does it matter to you ? " " Pardon me," said the prince, " but I should like to know the reason." " The reason is this, then," said the potter. " The king of this country has a daughter whom he is obliged to marry every day, because all her husbands die the first night of their stay with her. N"early all the young men of the place have thus perished, and our son will be called on soon. We laugh at the absurdity of the things— a potter's son marrying a princess, and we cry at the terrible consequence of -the marriage.^ What can we do 1 " " Truly a matter for laughing and weeping. But weep no more," said the prince. " I will exchange places with your son, and will be married to the princess instead of him. Only give me suitable garments, and prepare me for the occasion." 5 Cf. end of tale No. XIII. in Saital PacUsi. 40 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. So the potter gave him beautiful raiment and orna- ments, and the prince went to the palace. At night he was conducted to the apartment of the princess. " Dread hour ! " thought he ; " am I to die like the scores of young men before me ? " He clenched his sword with firm grip, and lay down on his bed, intending to keep awake all the night and see what would happen. In the middle of the night he saw two shdhmdrs come out from the nostrils of the princess.^ They stole over towards him, intending to kill him, like the others who had been before him ; but he was ready for them. He laid hold of his sword, and when the snakes reached his bed he struck at them and killed them. In the morning the king came as usual to inquire, and was surprised to hear his daughter and the prince talking gaily together. >' Surely," said he, " this man must be her husband, as he only can live with her." " Where do you come from ? Who are you ? " asked the king, entering the room. " king ! " replied the prince, " I am the son of a king who rules over such-and-such a country." When he heard this the king was very glad, and bade the prince to abide in his palace, and appointed him his successor to the throne. The prince remained at the palace for more than a year, and then asked permission to visit his own country, which was granted. The king gave him elephants, horses, jewels, and' abundance of money for the expenses of the way and as presents for his father, and the prince started. On the way he had to pass through the country belong- ing to his brother-in-law, whom we have already men- tioned. Eeport of his arrival reached the ears of the king, who came with rope-tied hands and haltered neck to do him homage. He most humbly begged him to stay at his palace, and to accept what little hospitality could be provided. While the prince was staying at the palace he saw his sister, who greeted him with smiles and kisses. 6 Cf. Folk-Tales of Bengal, p. loo. A LACH OF RUPEES FOR A BIT OF ADVICE, 41 On leaving he told her how she and her husband had treated him at his first visit, and how he had escaped ; and then gave them two elephants, two beautiful horses, fifteen soldiers, and ten lacks rupees' worth of jewels. Thence he went to see his old friend who had treated him so generously. He pitched his encampment not far from his house, and then sent word to him to come and see him ; but the friend would not go. On being asked the reason, he replied that the prince did not need his help. Accordingly the prince went and called on him at his house, and thanked him much for all his, kindness in time of need. Afterwards he went to his own home and informed his mother and father of his arrival. Alas ! his parents had both become blind from weeping about the loss of their son. " Let him come in," said the king, " and put his hands upon our eyes, and we shall see again." So the prince entered, and was most affectionately greeted by his old parents ; and he laid his hands on their eyes, and they saw again. Then the prince told his father all that had happened to him, and how he had been saved several times by at- tending to the advice that he had purchased from the brahmani. Whereupon the king expressed his sorrow for having sent him awaj/, and all was joy and peace again. ( 42 ) THE OGRESS-QUEEN} People tell of a king who had seven wives that were all childless. When he married the first he thought that she would certainly bear him a son. He hoped the same of the second, the third, and the others ; but no son was born to gladden his days and to sit on the throne after him. This was a terrible overwhelming grief to him. One day he was walking in a neighbouring wood, and bemoaning his lot, when he saw a most beautiful fairy. " Where are you going to ? " she asked. " I am very very miserable," he replied. " Although I have seven wives, I have no son to call my own and to make my heir. I came to this wood to-day, hoping to meet some holy man, who would intercede for me." " And do you expect to find such a person in this lonely place ? " she asked, laughing. " Only I live here. But I can help you. What will you give me if I grant you the desire of your heart ? " " Give me a son and you shall have half of my country." " I will take none of your gold or your country. Marry me, and you shall have a son and heir." The king agreed, took the fairy to his palace, and very quickly made her his eighth wife. A short while afterwards all the other wives of the king became pregnant. However, the king's joy was not for long. The beautiful fairy whom he had married was none other than a rdJcshasi, who had appeared to His Majesty as a fairy in order to deceive him and work mis- ' Narrator's name, Pandit Anand Earn of Sunah Mashid, Srinagar. THE OGRESS-QUEEN. 43 chief in ^the palace. Every night, when the rest of the royal household were fast asleep, she arose, and going to the stables and outhouses, ate an elephant, or two or three horses, or some sheep, or a camel ; and then having satis- fied her bloodthirsty appetite, returned to her room, and came forth in the morning as if nothing had happened. At first the king's servants feared, to inform him of these things ; but when they found that animals were being taken every night, they were obliged to go to him. Strict orders were at once given for the protection of the palace buildings, and guards were appointed to every room ; but it was all in vain. Day by day the animals disappeared, and nobody could tell how. One night, while the king was pacing his room puzzled to know what to do, the supposed fairy, his wife, said, " What will you give me if I discover the thief ? " " Anything — everything," the king replied. " Very well. Eest, and by the morning I will show you the cause of these things." His Majesty was soon sound asleep, and the wicked queen left the room. She went to the sheep-pens, and taking one of the sheep, killed it, and filled an earthen vessel with its blood. Then she returned to the palace, and went to the several rooms of the other wives of the kino-, and stained their mouths and clothes with the blood that she had brought. Afterwards she went and lay down in the room while the king was still sleeping. As soon as the day dawned she woke him, and said to him, " I find that your other wives have taken and eat'en the animals. They are not human beings ; they are rdkshasis. If you wish to preserve your life, you will beware of them. Go and see if I am not speaking the truth." The king did so, and when he saw the blood-stained mouths and garments of his other wives he was terribly enraged. He ordered that their eyes should be put out, and that they shduld be thrown into a big dry well which was outside the city ; and this was done. 44 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The very next day one of them gave birth to a son, who was eaten by them for food. The day after that another had a son, and he was likewise eaten. On the third day another was confined ; on the fourth day another ; on the fifth day another ;, and on the sixth day another : each had a son, who was eaten up in his turn. The seventh wife, whose time had not arrived, did not eat her portions of the other wives' children, but kept them till her own son was born, when she begged them not to kill him, and to take the portions which they had given her instead. Thus this child was spared, and through him in the future the lives of the seven queens were miraculously preserved. The baby grew and became a strong and beautiful boy. When he was six years old the seven women thought they would try to show him a little of the outer world. But how were they to do this ? The well was deep, and its sides were perpendicular. At last they thought of stand- ing on each other's heads ; and the one who stood on the top of all took the boy and put him on the bank at the well's mouth. Away the little fellow ran to the palace, entered the king's kitchen, and begged for some food. He got a lot of scraps, of which he ate a little, and carried the rest to the well for his mother and the king's other wives. This continued for some time, when one morning the cook asked him to stay and prepare some dishes for the king, saying that his mother had just died, and he was obliged to go and arrange for the cremation of the body. The boy promised to do his best, and the cook left. That day the king was especially pleased with his meals. Everything was rightly cooked, nicely flavoured, and well served up. In the evening the cook returned. The king sent for him, and complimenting him on the exceedingly good food he had prepared that day, ordered him always to cook as well in the future. The cook honestly confessed that he had been absent the greater part of the day owing to his mother's death, and that a boy whom he had hired for the occasion had cooked the food. When he heard this THE OGRESS-QUEEN. 45 the king was niueh surprised, and commanded the cook to give the boy regular employment in the kitchen. Thence- forth there was a great difference in the way the king's meals were served up, and His Majesty was more and more pleased with the boy, and constantly gave him presents. All these presents and all the food that the boy could gather he took daily to the well for his mother and the king's other wives. On the way to the weU. he had every day to pass a faqir, who, always blessed him and asked for alms, and generally received something. In this way some years had passed, and the boy had developed into a still more .beautiful youth, when by chance one day the wicked queen saw him. Struck with his beauty, she asked him who he was and whence he came. Nothing doubting, and not knowing the real character of the queen, he told her everything about himself and his mother and the other women ; and from that hour the queen plotted against his life. She feigned sickness, and calling in a hakim, bribed him to persuade the king that she was very ill, and that nothing except the milk of a tigress would cure heT. " My beloved, what is this I hear ? " said the king when he went to sge his wife in the evening. "The hakim says that you are ill, and that the milk of a tigress is required. But how can we get it ? Who is there that will dare to attempt this ? " " The lad who serves here' as cook. He is brave and faithful, and will do anything for you out of gratitude for all that you have done for him. Besides him I know of no other whom you could send." " I will send for him and se6." The lad readily promised, and next day started on his perilous journey. On the way he passed his friend the faqir, who said to him, " Whither are you going ? " He told him of the king's order, and how desirous he was of pleasing His Majesty, who had been so kind to him. "Don't go," said the faqw. "Who are you to dare to 46 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. presume to do such a thing?" But the lad was resolute, and valued not his life in the matter. Then said the fa^ir, " If you will not be dissuaded, follow my advice, and you will succeed and be preserved. When you meet a tigress aim an arrow at one of her teats. The arrow will strike her, and the tigress will speak and ask you why you shot her. Then you must say that you did not intend to kill her, but simply thought that she would be glad if she could feed her cubs more quickly than before, and therefore pierced a hole in her teats through which the milk would flow easily. You must also say that you pitied her cubs, who looked very weak and sickly, as though they required more nourishment." Then, blessing him, the faqir sent him on his journey.^ Thus encouraged, the lad walked on with a glad heart. He soon saw a tigress with cubs, aimed an arrow at one of her teats, and struck it. When the tigress angrily asked him to explain his action, he replied as thefaqir had instructed him, and added that the queen was seriously ill, and was in need of tigress' milk. " The queen ! " said the tigress. " Do not you know that she is a rdkshasi ? Keep her at a distance, lest she kill and eat you ! " " I fear no harm," said the lad. " Her Majesty enter- tains no enmity against me." "Very well. I will certainly give you some of my milk, but beware of the queen. Look here," said the tigress, taking him to an immense block of rock that had separated from the hill ; " I will let a drop of my milk fall on this rock." She did so, and the rock split into a million pieces ! " You see the power of my milk. Well, if the queen were to drink the whole of what I have just given you, it would not have the slightest effect on her. She is a rdkshasi, and cannot be harmed by such things as this. However, if you will not believe me, go and see for yourself." 2 Another reason is given in the story of " The Seyen-Legged Beast " iq this collection. THE OGRBSS-QUEEN, ia The lad returned and gave the milk to the king, who took it to his wife ; and she drank the whole of it, and professed to have been cured. The king was much pleased with the boy, and advanced him to a higher posi- tion among the servants of the palace ; but the queen was determined to have him killed, and debated in her mind as to how she could accomplish this without offending the king. After some days she again pretended to be ill, and calling the king, said to him, " I am getting ill again, but do not be anxious about me. My grandfather, who lives in the jungle whence the tigress' milk was brought, has a special medicine that I think would cure me, if you could please send for it. The lad that fetched the milk might go." Accordingly the lad went. The way led past the faqir, who again said to him, " Whither are you going 1 " and the lad told him. " Don't go," said he ; " this man is a rdkshasa, and will certainly kill you." But the lad was determined as before. *' You will go ? Then go, but attend to my advice. When you see the rdksliasa c&W him 'grandfather.'^ He will ask you to scratch his back, which you must do — and do it very roughly.'' The lad promised, and went. The jungle was big and dense, and he thought that he would never reach the rdk- shasa's house. At last he saw him, and cried out, " my grandfather, I, your daughter's son, have come to say that my mother is ill, and cannot recover. tiU she takes some medicine, which she says you have, and has sent me for it." " All right," replied the rdkshasa ; I will give it you ; but first come and scratch my back — it's itching ter- ribly." The rdhfihasa had lied, for his back did not itch. He only wanted to see whether the lad was the true son of a rdkshasa or not. When the lad dug his nails into the old- rdkshasa' s flesh, as though he wanted to scratch off 3 Of. Indian Fairy Tales, pp. z6o, Lewis before , Ceylon Branch of the z6z- The Orientalist, vol. ii. pp.94. Eoyal Asiatic Society in 1884, bnt not Z32 ; Thorpe's Northern Mythology, yet printed ; and Clodd's Myths and vol. ii. p. 83 ; also a paper by Mr. Dreams, p. IS9- 48 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. some of it, the rdJcshasa bade him desist, and giving him the medicine, let him depart. On reaching the palace the lad gave the medicine to the king, who at once took it to his ■wife and cured her again. The king was now more than ever pleased with the lad, and gave him large presents, and in other ways favoured him. The wicked queen was now put to her wits' end to know what to do with such a lad. He had escaped from the claws of the tigress and from the clutches of her grand- father — the gods only knew how ! What could she do to him ? Pinally she determined to send him to her gra,nd- mother, a wretched old rdkshasi that lived in a house in the wood not far from her grandfather's place. " He will not come back any more,' said the wicked queen to herself ; and so she said to the king, " I have a very valuable comb at home, and I should like to have it brought here, if you will please send the boy for it. Let me know when he starts, and I will give him a letter for my grandmother." The king complied, and the lad started, as usual passing by the fdqir's place, and telling him where he was going.. He also showed him the letter that the queen had given him. " Let me read its contents," said the faqir. And when he had read it he said, " Are you deliberately going to be killed ? This letter is an order for your death. Listen to it : — ' The bearer of this letter is my bitter enemy. I shall not be able to accomplish anything as long as he is alive. &lay him as soon as he reaches you, and let me not hear of him any more.'" The boy trembled as he heard these terrible words, but he would not break bis promise to the king, and was resolved to fulfil His Majesty's wishes though it should cost him his life. So the/agtr destroyed the queen's letter, and wrote another after this manner : — "This is my son. Wheri he reaches you attend to his needs, and show him all kindness." Giving it to the lad, he said, " Call the woman ' grandmother,' and fear nothing." . - THE OGRESS-QUEEN. 49 The lad walked on and on till he reached the r&kshasi's house, -where he called the rdhshasi " grandmother," as the faqir had advised him, and gave her the letter. On read- ing it she clasped the lad in her arms and kissed him, and inquired much about her granddaughter and her royal husband. Every attention was shown the lad, and every delicious thing that the old rdJcshasi could think of was provided for him. She also gave him rhany things, amongst others the following : — A jar of soap, which when dropped on the ground became a great and lofty mountain ; a jar full of needles, which if let fall became a hill bristling with large needles; a jar full of water, which if poured out became an expanse of- .water as large as a sea. She also showed him the following things, and explained their meaning : — Seven fine cocks, a spin- ning-wheel, a pigeon, a starling, and some medicine. " These seven cocks," she said, " contain the lives of your seven uncles, who are away for a few days. Only as long as the cocks live can your uncles hope to live ; no power ' can hurt them as long as the seven cocks are safe and sound. The spinning-wheel contains my life; if it is broken, I too shall be broken, and must die ; but other- wise I shalUive on for ever. The pigeon contains your grandfather's life, and the starling your mother's ; as long as these live, nothing can harm your grandfather or your mother. And the medicine has this quality — it can give sight to the blind." The lad thanked the old rdkshasi for all that she had given him and shown him, and lay down to sleep. In the morning, when the rdJcshasi went to bathe in the river, he took the seven cocks and the pigeon and killed them, and dashed the spinning-wheel on the ground, so that it was broken to pieces. Immediately the old rdk- shasa and the rdkshasi and their seven sons perished. Then, having secured the starling in a cage, he took it, and the precious medicine for restoring the sight, and started for the king's palace. He stopped on the way to give the so FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. eye-medicine to his mother and the other women, who were still in the well; and their sight immediately returned. They all clambered out of the well, and accompanied the lad to the palace, where he asked them to wait in one of the rooms while he went and prepared the king for their coming. " king," he said, " I have many secrets to reveal. I pray you to hear me. Your wife is a rdlcsTiasi, and plots against my life, knowing that I am the son of one of the ■Reives whom at her instigation you caused to, be deprived of their sight and thrown into a well. She fears that somehow I shall become heir to the throne, and therefore wishes my speedy death. I have slain her father and mother and seven brothers, and now I will slay her. Her life is in this starling." Saying this, he suffocated the bird, and the wicked queen immediately died. "Now come with me," said the boy, ". and behold, king, your true wives. There were seven sons born to your house, but six of them were slain to satisfy the cravings of hunger. I only am left alive." " Oh ! what have I done ! " cried the king. " I have been deceived." And he wept bitterly. Henceforth the king's only son governed the country, and by virtue of the charmed jars of soap, needles, and water that the rdkshasi had given him, was able to con- quer all the surrounding countries. The old king spent the rest of his days with his seven wives in peace and happiness.^ 3 Of. Wide-Awake Stories, pp. 98- 51-63 and 173-193 ; and the Indian III; Folk- Tales of Bengal, pp. AnHqtiar;/, vol. i. p. 120, 117-124 ; Indian Fairy Tales, pp. ( 51 ) THE GOLDSMITH AND HIS FRIENDS} Once upon a time there lived a goldsmith, who in addition to the ordinary vices of his class was a drunkard and great spendthrift.^ Accordingly we are not surprised to find that eventually he was reduced to extreme penury. People said that he had not a pdnsa which he could call his own. While in this state of poverty his father-in-law came to his relief, and gave his wife one hundred rupees for household expenditure. " If I had twenty-five rupees I could make such a piece of jewellery as would fetch one hundred rupees easily," said the goldsmith to her when the old man had departed. " Could you really ? " said she. " Yes," he said. " Then take the money and prove your words," she said, handing him twenty-five rupees. The goldsmith went at once to his shop and made a bracelet with all the skill that he could command. It was a lovely piece of workmanship. " Ah, ah ! this will bring me luck," he exclaimed as he looked at it admiringly. As soon as possible he went out to dispose of it. / / . On the way he met the son of one of the wasirs, who ^ Narrator's name, Shiva Bayfi, of Appendix to the Rev. Mr. Swynner-, EenawAri, Srinagar. ton's book on £djd SasdlH ; Slnha- ^ The following references to tales lese Pattinihilla, The History of Pat- that illustrate the suspicion with tini ; Muntakha idt-i-Hindi, vol. ii. which goldsmiths are looked upon p. 28 ; Old Deccan Days, pp. 249-270 ; generally may interest some readers : the tale of the "Two Brothers " in — Ceylon Journal of Royal Asiatic Grimm's Bouaehold Stories ; Diction- Society, vol. vii. Part 3 ; Orientalist, ary of Kashmiri Proverbs, p. 207 ; vol. i. pp. 180, 184, 250 ; the story of and " Unjust King and his Wicked the BrAhman Thephasav5.mi in Herr Goldsmith," and "The Cunning Adolf Bastian's German collection of Goldsmith," in this collection. Siajoese Tales ; a Pan jibi tale in the 52 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. saluted him, and said, " friend ! have you a nice bracelet to sell ? " " Yes," replied the goldsmith. " Here is one fit for your honour ; and since you addressed me as a friend, I will give it to you." On his return home he asked his wife to give him another instalment of twenty-five rupees, and promised to repay her with large interest in a short time. The woman gave him the money, and he quickly jnade another bracelet as beautiful as the first. He went out to dispose of this one also, and had not been out very long before he met the son of the diwdn, who saluted him, and said, " friend ! have you a pretty bracelet for sale ? " " Yes," replied the goldsmith ; " here is the very thing." " How much do you want for it ? " inquired the young man. " Kothing," replied the goldsmith. " Since you treat me in such a gracious way, I also will treat you graci- ously. Take the bracelet, sir ; it is yours." Then he returned to his house, and entreated his wife to let him have another twenty-five rupees. But the woman was now getting a little suspicious about the suc- cess of her investment, and therefore demurred to his request. " What have you done with my money ? " she asked. " You promised to get me one hundred rupees for twenty-five. But you have taken fifty rupees, and not given me a jpdihsa as yet ; and now you are asking for more." " Do not be foolish," said the man. " I know what I have said and done. I have not lost your money. G-ive me a little time, and you shall see how much I shall gain by this business." Moved by his earnest assurance, the woman gave him the money, with .which he made another beautiful bracelet. When it was finished he went out to dispose of it as before ; and on the road he chanced to meet with a celebrated thief, ,who also addressed him as a friend, and inquired if THE GOLDSMITH AND HIS FRIENDS. 53 he had a bracelet for sale ; whereupon the goldsmith gave him the bracelet, begging him to accept it as a present from a friend. -Then he went back to his house, and informed his wife of all that he had done. One day not long after this, when his wife had been bothering him for some money for household expenses, the remaining twenty-iive rupees being almost exhausted, he thought that he would go and prove his friends. He put on his best clothes, and went first to the house of the wazir. He did not find him in. Then he went to the diwdn's house, where he found them both, and was at once admitted to their presence, and treated in every way as a friend. During his visit the king's daughter chanced to come in. She sat down and talked with them, and in course of con- versation asked if there was anybody there who would do her"a great kindness. She wanted some of the fruit of a certain pear-tree in her father's garden ; but she did not know how to get it, as the tree was surrounded by seven pools of powdered saffron, through which if any man walked he would certainly be stained with the colour, and thus be discovered. Of course, when they heard these words, the wazir's son, the diwdn's son, and the goldsmith, all declared that they would try to fulfil her desire. On leaving the diwdn's house the goldsmith called on the thief, who was very glad to see him, and pressed him to stay to dinner. However, the goldsmith begged to be excused. " I have something special on my mind just now," he said, " Indeed ! Nothing of very great anxiety, I hope ? '' said the thief, rather inquisitively. " Yes, very," answered the goldsmith. " I wish to get some pears from the tree in the king's garden for the princess. Canyon help me ? I do not want to die over the business, if I can possibly avoid it." " Do not be anxious," said the thief ; " I will get some pears from this tree." And he did so; though how he 54 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. accomplished it nobody can tell. Before a day had passed cne beautiful pears were ready in a basket in the gold- smith's shop. As soon as possible a meeting was arranged between the diwdn's son, the wazir's son, and the gold- smith ; and the pears were presented. The princess at once desired to taste them ; and so the diwdn's son peeled one' of them and divided it into little portions, and began to feed her, putting the pieces of pear to her mouth on the point of his knife. While eating it the princess unfor- tunately sneezed, and the knife pierced her throat and killed her. " Alas ! alas ! " exclaimed the diwdn's son, " I have slain the princess." " Not so," said the wazir's son. " It was all owing to my fault." " No, no," said the goldsmith ; " it was I. She would not have been thus fed, if I had not got the pears. How- ever," continued he, '* we need not wait to be discovered- We had better get a mat} and putting the princess into it, throw it into the river ; otherwise the body will rise and be discovered, and we shall be executed." Accordingly a mat was quickly obtained from a potter, and this was done. In the evening the princess was missed. Search was made in every place about the palace buildings and the different places that she was accustomed to visit, but no trace of her could be found. Then a royal proclamation was sent 6n all sides promising a very rich reward to anybody who could discover the princess's wliereabouts. On the following morning a man appeared before the king, and informed him that he had seen a person throwing a mat into the river just after dark on the previous evening. On hearing this His Majesty imme- diately had the river dragged. The mat was found, and in it the dead body of the beautiful princess. " Cause all the potters in the city to appear before 1 A very large earthenware vessel, about three feet in height, for con- taining grain and beverages. THE GOLDSMITH AND HIS FRIENDS. 55 me," said His Majesty. " This affair must be thoroughly- investigated." So all the potters were assembled, and were asked if any of them had recently sold a mat. Whereupon one potter came forward and said that he had sold a mat on the pre- vious day to the goldsmith. Then the goldsmith was summoned to appear. " Why did you kill the princess ? " said the king. " Speak, man." But the goldsmith did not reply. " His silence proves his guilt," said His Majesty. " Let him be executed within two days." Accordingly the goldsmith was led away to the prison. The king had ordered the execution to be delayed for a day or two, in order that he might ascertain the reason of this cruel murder (as it seemed to him).^ He disguised himself as a sentinel, and visited the prisoner at. night. " You are to be executed to-morrow," he said to him. " Are all your affairs in order ? Have you any relations or friends, who could help you at this time ? " " Thank you," replied the goldsmith. " I should like to see two or three of my friends before 1 die." " Very well," said the sentinel ; " come with me and visit them." The goldsmith first went to the house of the wazir, and had a talk with his son. " friend ! " said he, " when I am led forth to execution, can you not do something for me ? " " Yes," replied the young man. " Be of good cheer. At the right time, I, the commander-in-chief, will give a sign to my soldiers and they will slay the king." The sentinel heard these words, and was very much surprised. Then the goldsmith went to the diwdn's house, and had a long conversation with his eldest son. " friend ! " said he, " what can you do for my release ? " " Be not afraid," replied the young man. " I shall not forget your kindness. At the proper time I shall arrive and slay the king with my sword." The sentinel heard this reply and trembled. 56 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Then the goldsmith visited his other friend, the thief, whom he asked the same question as he had asked the others. The thief returned his greetings, and asked hitn to be seated for a while, as he had some very important work in hand just at that time. He had heard the gold- smith's words and seen his great distress, and determined to help him, even though it should cost him his life. He went off that very instant, and climbed the wall of the palace by the way of the window of His Majesty's bed- room, and having entered the room, beheaded the man who was sleeping there in the place of the king that night. " He will not fear anything now," he said to himself as he ran back to the goldsmith with the gory head in his hand. " Here you are, friend," he exclaimed, throwing the head down before the goldsmith and his sentinel. " Behold the end of your trouble ! The king will not trouble you very much now.'' Aftfer this the goldsmith returned with the sentinel to the prison. On the morrow he was led forth to execution in the presence of all the people and all the soldiery. As he approached the platform the diwdn's son rushed forward with drawn sword to slay the king, and the wazir's son made sign to his soldiers to assist him in the deed. But there was no necessity for all this demonstration, for His Majesty had determined what to do, and cried out, " Let the goldsmith go free ; let the goldsmith go free. He is pardone'd; he is pardoned." Whereupon a great shout burst forth from the whole assembly, "Praise be to the king. May he live for ever." ( 57 ) THE TALE OF A PRINCESS.^ A KING had been defeated in battle with a neighbouring king, and was obliged to flee. He hastened as fast as he could to a little obscure village about twelve miles distant from the city. So hurried was his. escape, that he forgot to take any money with him. Fortunately, however, the princess (the king's daughter-in-law) had eleven rubies,^ one of which she gave to the king, as soon as they reached the village for the night, and begged him to go to the hdzdr and get some food. The king took the ruby, and went to the shop of a certain merchant and asked him to change it for a rupee's worth of food. Of course the man gladly consented, and told the king to go with him to his house, where he would give him the money. But this merchant was a very wicked man. He might have paid the king there and then ; but he wished to take him to his house, because in one of the rooms therein he had prepared a certain trap, whereby he ensnared several people. This trap was such, that whoever sat upon it was precipitated into a great . pit, from which they could not escape till they had given and promised whatever the merchant might ask. When several hours- had elapsed, and the king had not returned, the princess took out another ruby, and giving it to her husband, asked him to go and get some food, and see what had become of the king. The prince, also, went to the wicked merchant's shop, seeing it was the biggest shop in the hdzdr, and begged him to buy the stone. " Yery ^ Narrator's naipe, Shiva Skyd, RenawAri, Srinagar. ' Sattan for chavni, in Kashmiri. 58 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. well," the merchant replied ; " come to my house, and I will pay you. I cannot give you the money here." So he took the prince to his house, and made him also sit on the trap-door. It being already dark, and neither king nor prince hav- ing returned, the princess took another ruby, and giving it to the queen, begged her to go and get some food. The queen went, and the same thing happened to her as hap- pened to her husband and son. The princess waited some time for her, and then began to suspect that some harm had befallen the king and queen and prince. Therefore she disguised herself in some of her husband's clothes and went to the hdzdr. Like the others, she walked straight to the shop of the big merchant and asked him to change her a ruby. " Very well," he said; " come to my house." On reaching the house he told her to enter the room in which was the ■trap-door, and there wait a few minutes while he went to fetch the money. The princess, however, was too sharp for him. She did not like the appearance of the man, and she thought it was very strange that he did not keep a few rupees regularly with him in the shop. Accordingly she declined to go inside. While she waited she heard sounds of human voices coming through the flooring. On going near she recognised her husband's voice, and then her father-in-law's and mother-in-law's voices. They were calling for help. She was astonished beyond measure. " thief ! murderer ! where are you 1 " she shouted. " What is it ? " said the nierchant, running towards her. " What have you done with these people ? " she asked. " Let them out of this place, wherever they may be, or I will go at once and complain to the king." The merchant was afraid, and therefore set the prisoners free, and gave them back the rubies that he had taken from them. Then the king, queen, and prince left ; but the princess (who, as we have said, was disguised as a man) accepted the merchant's invitation to dinner, and stayed. THE TALE OF A PRINCESS. 59 The king and his wife and son returned quickly to the place where they had left the princess. " Alas ! alas ! " cried the prince, " some misfortune has happened to her. She has been stolen or killed." "Not so," said the king. .'" Very likely she has gone in search of us, and will soon return." However, it was many years before the princess returned to her husband and the king and queen. The following morning she departed, and walked on day after day till she reached another country. Here, disguised as a man. she pretended to be the son of a merchant, and that her name was Ganpat Eai. Attracted by her frank and ready manner, a wealthy merchant of the place gave ];ier employ- ment. This merchant had three wives, but no son. The reason of this was, that the night after any of his wives gave birth to a son a ddgin * appeared and devoured it. It happened that while Ganpat Eai was in, the service of the merchant, a little boy was born to the merchant. " I wish," he said to Ganpat Eai, whom he quickly found he could trust with all his business, " I wish you would stay by the door of the bedroom this night and ward off the ddgin. She will certainly come and attempt to seize the child." " Very well," she replied. At midnight the ddgin came, and rushed to burst open the door, when Ganpat Eai prevented her. On this the ddgin made a dash at Ganpat Eai, who seized her by the hair and threw her down. " Oh, spare my life", spare my life ! " cried the ddgin. " I promise you that I will never trouble this house any more. Spare me, and let me go. Here, take this handkerchief as a witness of my promise." The princess complied, and the ddgin went. The next morning, when the merchant heard what had transpired during the night, he was exceedingly pleased. "You have rendered me such service as I shall never be able to repay," he said. " You must remain in my house as long as you live. I will give you my sister in marriage." ' An ogress. 6o FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Ganpat Eai had not long been married to the merchant's sister, when the former expressed a wish to see her parents again, and entreated the merchant to allow her to depart with her wife. At first the merchant strongly demurred, but eventually he gave his sanction. On reaching her own country Ganpat Eai searched far and wide for her husband and the king and queen, and at last found them in a small village begging. They did not recognise her, because she was dressed in man's clothes. One evening she put on her own clothes, and went to them. She was soon recognised then. "My darling wife ! " exclaimed the prince. " My long-lost child ! " exclaimed the king and queen, as they rushed forward to embrace her. " Where have you been ? What has hap- pened to you ? We thought you were stolen or dead, and never expected to see you again." There was great joy in all their hearts that night. The princess took them all three to the house where she was staying with the merchant's sister, and introduced them to her. She then told them all that she had experienced since she had left them — how she had served a merchant in a certain country, and how Alldh had prospered her, so that she was now married to the sister of that merchant and possessed enor- mous wealth. Afterwards she discovered her real sex to the nderchant's sister, and begged her not to be angry at this deceit, but to be married to her husband, who was a prince, and come and live together with them. As scion as .these private matters had been arranged, the princess gathered all the disbanded troops of her father- in-law, and, distributing much money amongst them, stirred them up to fight for the recovery of their kingdom and their liberty. A great spirit of enthusiasm was kindled among these soldiers. They were ready to do and dare anything for their king and country. A battle took place, the citadel was taken, and the foreign king and his army were put to flight. ( 6i ) THE TALE OF A PRINCESS} A VAEIANT. A CERTAIN prince had been married. The day after the wedding the king, his father, sent to him, saying, " Tell your wife that the king sends his saldm" The prince did so, and the wife simply replied, " Well ! " In the evening the king came to inquire what answer the princess had given ; and when he heard it he said, " Sorrow ! I have lost the money spent on my son's wedding." In a little while the prince Was married again, when, in the same man- ner, the king sent a saldm to his wife. " Well, well," the princess answered, " thank the king for his kindness, and give him my saldm." When the king heard this reply he exclaimed, " Alas ! alas ! my lot ; I have lost the money spent on my son's wedding." A short time after this the king married his son for the third time, and tried the third wife in the same mq,nner. Now this third wife was meek and modest and good. When she heard the king's notice of her, she begged her husband to say to His Majesty, " The princess says, ' Who am I that the king should deign to notice me ? ' " She did this, because she did not think it right either to treat His Majesty's saldm with disrespect, or to receive it as if it were her due, like the other two princesses had done. On hearing her answer the king was glad, and said to his son, " This is a wise and good wife. I have not wasted any money over this wedding." A few years after this third marriage a powerful king came with his soldiers 'and took the city, and put the king and his army to flight. The royal household was scattered. The king and queen and the prince fled to one country, ^ Narrator's name, Shiva Bayii of Kenawiri, Srinagar. 62 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. while the three princesses went to their own homes. Before leaving, the "wise and good wife" made seven loaves, and putting a ruby in each, she took them with her. In the course of their wanderings the king, queen, and prince reached the country where the wise and good princess lived. Accordingly they went to her home, and related all that had hefallen them since they had left their country. The princess had pity on them, and gave the king one of the loaves that she had made, saying, " This bread is very stale, but in the middle of it you will find a ruby, which take and sell in the bdzdr, and buy for your- self some necessaries." The king thanked the princess, and went at once to- one of the great merchants of the place and asked him to buy the ruby. The merchant hesitated about the price ; so the king said, " Very well, give me a rupee in advance, and I will come again to-morrow for the rest." On the morrow, when the king went, the merchant said to him, " Gro away, and do not waste my time with idle talk. There are lots of people like you going about pre- tending to have done this thing and that thing, thinking to deceive us busy people. But some of us have a better memory than others. When did you sell me a ruby ? How could a poor man like you honestly obtain a ruby ? I do not know anything about you. Go away, or I shall have to resort to force." Seeing that it was useless to press his claim, the unfortunate king turned away. " Alas ! alas ! " he exclaimed, "how can I go back to the queen and prince and princess with this reply ? They will not believe me. Better for me to fly from the palace and dwell alone, than to meet their suspicions and reproofs." Accordingly the king went to a certain jungle, and there lamented his cruel fate. When several hours had passed, and the king had not returned, the princess called her husband, and giving him another loaf, begged him to go to the bdzdr and dispose of the ruby that was in the middle of it. The prince took the bread, and went to the same merchant that his father had THE TALE OF A PRINCESS. 63 visited. He also was deceived by the wicked man, and like his father, thinking it better to live a life of solitude than to dwell with those who would always suspect him of having appropriated the money, he too went to the jungle. There he met his father, and recounted to him his sad tale, and heard that the same trial had happened to him. Some weeks elapsed, ~ and then the princess, thinking that the king and prince had deserted them, gave her mother-in-law some bread with a ruby in it, and asked her to go and try to sell it. Most unfortunately the queen also went to the wicked merchant, and was treated in just the same way ; and she too, not caring to go back to the princess without the ruby or its equivalent in money, fled to the jungle, and there found her husband and son. The princess waited several days. At last she disguised herself as a man, and mounting one of her father's horses, rode everywhere inquiring from the people whether they had seen any beggars wandering about in their neigh- bourhood. Nobody could give her any information of the missing ones. So she rode on and on till she came to another country. Here the king, as he was walking one day in the verandah of his palace, noticed her, and calling her to him, asked if she would like to take service in the palace. She readily consented, and at once was appointed to some special work. Her skill and wisdom and good- ness soon obtained for her great favour with His Majesty, who often sent for her to talk with him or advise him on private as well as public matters. While she was living in the palace a large aj'dar ap- peared in the country and destroyed many lives. The whole country was in a terrible state of fear. Nobody dared venture far from his threshold. From the king down to the lowest subject there was daily expectation of death. In the hour of his distress the king sent for the princess, and begged her to say what ought to be done. " I will go and slay the beast," she replied. " Go," said the king ; " and if you succeed I will give you my daughter in marriage." 64 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The princess went and slew the ajdar ; and as soon as she returned with the good news, the king married her to his daughter. At the princess's (his servant) earnest request, who said that she had been moved to do so by the advice of her pir, the king had a separate house provided for her, and another house for his own daughter. The house set apart for the princess (the king's supposed son-in-law) was situated in a place where two roads met. Sometimes, when she had not anything better to do, the princess used to sit by one of the lattice windows and watch the people as they passed by. One day she was startled by the sight of her husband and his father and mother. She beckoned to them, and inquired who they were, and where they were going, and . what they were doing ; and they, seeing that she was good and sympathising, told her everything. " Come into my house," she said.. And then, when they had entered, she told them who she was. " See," she con- tinued," I am your princess. I knew not what had be- fallen you all, and therefore I disguised myself and went in search of you. Praise be to God, who has thus brought us together again! Wait here till the evening, when I will go with you. We will see this wicked merchant. He must be punished, and our property must be restored." That evening the princess left the house in the com- pany of the king, queen, and prince. They travelled as quickly as they could to the place where the merchant dwelt, and threatened him so severely, that the man, fear- ing the king wovild hear of the matter and order his execu- tion, sold all his property and gave them the money. Then the princess sent word to the king who had be- friended her, and explained everything to him, and begged His Majesty to forgive her, and allow the princess, his daughter, to marry the prince, her husband. The king agreed. He also sent a large force of soldiers to help the princess's father-in-law to regain his kingdom. Another battle was then fought, and the country was regained ; and henceforth peace and prosperity rpigned in all its borders. ( 63 ) THE PRINCE WHO WAS CHANGED INTO A RAM."- In a certain country there lived a king that had sixteen hundred wives, but only one son. This son the king very much wished to marry to a princess as beautiful as his son, and who was the only daughter of another king equal in honour with himself, and who also had the same number of wives. The king who bad the only son possessed a very wise and faithful parrot, whose counsel he very much valued, and whose help he generally sought on difficult occasions. Accordingly he sent for the bird at this time, and informing it of his wish, bade it go and seek for such a, wife for his son. The parrot agreed, asked the king to fasten the like- ness of the prince to one of its legs, and flew away. It soon reached one of the neighbouring countries, where, on account of the heavy rain, it was obliged to seek shelter in a wood. It espied an old hollow tree, and thought that it would be a most comfortable place to rest in ; but just as it was flying into the hollow a voice came out therefrom, saying, " Enter not, for if you enter you will be deprived of your sight." So the parrot alighted on a twig that grew by the trunk of the tree, and waited. Presently a maind ^ came out of the hollow and flew down beside the parrot, and entered into a long conversation, during which it spoke of the errand on which it was' then going. Their' meeting was most opportune, as will be seen. The mama was looking for a beautiful prince, the only child of a ^ Narrator's name, Shiva B^y6, ^ Kashmiri word is kdr, a species of Eenawari, Srfnagar. starling. E 66 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR.] great king, who had sixteen hundred wives, to try to arrange for a suitable match for the only daughter of his royal master, who also had sixteen hundred wives. Of course, the parrot replied that his master must be that king, and his master's only son the prince who should marry the princess. The partot also showed the maind the lilieness of the prince. Then they went both together to the country of the king with the only daughter. On their arrival a servant of the palace saw them, and informed the king that the maind whom he had trusted had formed an alliance with a parrot, and was so taken up with its friend that it had altogether forgotten His Majesty's order. When the king heard this, he immediately ordered both the bjrds to be shot. For envy, the servants had thus maligned the bird's character. Expecting this, the maind had flown down by the upper window of the assembly-room, and heard the king's cruel order. " Come away, come away ; let us fly up out of reach of their arrows," it said to the parrot. " The king has been made angry against us on a false charge." So they flew together, and were presently out of reach and out of sight. The king's servants went about to kill them ; but when they had spent several hours in vain search for them they returned, comforting, themselves with the thought that the birds had been apprised of the royal order, and had betaken themselves to safer regions; For some days they waited, till they thought the matter was almost forgotten ; and then one morning they both flew into the palace, and perched themselves, the parrot on the right knee of the king, and the maind on his left knee. " Tell us," they said, " why do you wish to kill us ? We are faithful. These people envy us ; therefore have they lied against us. See, king, and judge this thing that has come to pass. We both belong to kings famous in valoxir, in wisdom, and in wealth. Both of these kings have six- teen hundred wives. One of the kings has one only son, and the other king has one only daughter. These two kings, THE PRINCE WHO CHANGED INTO A RAM. 67 though they have never seen or heard of one another, yet ■wish their children to be united in marriage. The one king is seeking for such a daughter as the other king pos- sesses, and the other king is seeking for such a son as the first king possesses. Behold, king, the servants of these two kings before you. By divine ■will we met in a wood just outside Your Majesty's dominions, and have come to tell you this good news." As they said these last words the parrot held up to the king the likeness of the beauti- ful prince. The king was as much astonished as he was pleased. At first he could hardly believe the birds, but the likeness convinced him. He took the beautiful picture, and sent it to the royal zandna, with the request that his sixteen hun- dred wives would look at it and say whether they approved of it or not. Some days passed. The likeness was not returned to the king. The princess was so fascinated with it, that she would not let it out of her hands. After a while an answer came, saying that the prince was unani- mously accepted, and should be quickly called for the wedding, as the princess was dying to see him. As soon as this answer reached the king, he ordered the parrot to depart and tell his master that a suitable princess had been found, and that he should send his son prepared for the wedding within four months. The parrot bowed reverently and left. On arrival in its country the bird informed the king of its successful journey. The king was very glad. He im- mediately ordered arrangements on a grand scale to be got ready for the coming event. The most costly raiments were to be provided for the prince ; the most magnificent trappings were to be made for the horses ; the soldiers were to have a splendid uniform ; presents of vairious kinds — the most costly jewels, the finest cloths, the rarest fruits, the most expensive spices and perfumes were to be prepared. Everything was remembered and ordered. The months soon passed. What with prepara- 68 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. tions and expectations the time seemed to fly. But a few days remained before the prince had to start, when alas ! his father fell sick and died. It was a terrible trial, a tre- mendous disappointment. The prince was obliged to defer his departure ; for to have started at such a time would have shown a great want of respect for his father. Accordingly he waited awhile. As soon as the days of mourning for his father were accomplished the prince started. The parrot showed the way. It was not far, so that the wedding company quickly reached the princess's country. The prince pitched his tents in a garden near the palace. Would that he had never entered that garden, for there the parrot died ! The faithful bird was shot by the gardener for throwing down dates to the king. And no sooner had this great trouble come upon him than the prince heard that the father of' the princess had refused to sanction her marriage with him, now that his father was dead. Some days after the prince had encamped in this garden, the princess was going for an airing in her duli, when she chanced to pass by that way, and looking into the garden, recognised the prince from the likeness that she had in her possession. She said nothing at the time, but at once had the duli turned round, and went back to the palace. . She had seen her beloved. From that hour she began to get better. At meal-time that evening she ate only half her food ; the other half she sent with the like- ness to the prince. She ordered her maid to beg the prince to eat it, and if he would not, to ask him to thrust his finger into it. The maid obeyed. The prince declined to eat it, but had no objection to putting his fingers into the plate of food, on doing which he discovered his own likeness in the midst of the rice. "She loves me," he said to himself ; and having wiped his hands, he wrote a letter to the princess, and sent it by the hands of the maid. When the princess read the letter, she was filled with an intense longing to go to the prince. At midnight THE PRINCE WHO CHANGED INTO A RAM. 69 she ordered her horse to be got ready, and taking some bags of ashrafis, she rode to the garden where the prince was encamped. The prince was surprised to see her, " Be not surprised," she saidi " I love you, and therefore have escaped to you. The king, my father, will not sanction our marriage. Come, have your horse saddled, and fly with me to your own country. There nothing can harm us." Presently two people might have been seen riding hastily along the great road that led out of that city. For some hours they proceeded at this swift pace, and then lay down under a tree to rest. The next morning, refreshed and strengthened, they continued their journey. They had not proceeded far before seven robbers mounted on horseback met them. "Let us flee," exclaimed the prince, "for we cannot fight them." On this they both whipped their horses and rode at a tremendous rate. But the robbers, were well mounted also, and their horses were fresh. "It is of no use," cried, the prince. "Look! they gain on us. What shall we do ? " " Then we must meet them," replied the princess. And saying this, she turned in her saddle, and discharged an arrow in their faces, and then another, and another, until she had shot seven arrows and killed the seven robbers. G-ladand thankful, they then resumed their journey, and that night reached a certain village where lived a, jinn, who had a son with only half a body. The prince and princess halted by a pond in this village. While they were sleeping the jinn told her son to go quickly and slay the prince, and afterwards bring back the princess and the horses and treasure to the house. The wretched man went, glad at the prospect of shedding blood. Scarcely had he performed the cruel deed, when the princess awoke. Looking about, she saw the dead body of her lover, and the horrible deformed man standing over it. She laughed, and said, " I am so glad that you have killed him. Now take me, and make me your wife. First, however, bury the corpse, and then we will go. A 7° FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. grave was quickly got ready, and the princess was called tp inspect it. " Too small," she said ; " dig deeper." The man dug down another foot or so. " Still too small," she said. The man dug yet wider and deeper ; but while he was bending down over his work the princess seized his sword, that was lying by, and cut off his head. When she had avenged herself, she burst into tears. Her beloved was dead. She took up the corpse and carried it close to the brink of the pool, and there sat down beside it weeping and lamenting. It was a sad time for her. Fain would she have died. While she was thus weeping, the wife of a very holy man who lived in that village passed the place. See- ing her great distress, the woman stopped and inquired what was the matter. The princess pointed to the dead • body, and explained everything. " Have patience," said the woman. " I may be able to help you. Wait here till I come again." ' On reaching home that evening, the woman told her husband the sad case of the princess, and begged him to restore the prince to life." " Sorrow, sorrow ! " exclaimed the holy man. " Oh that the place were rid of this devilish woman and her dreadful son ! I will go and comfort the princess by restoring the prince to life. He went, and found the princess most anxiously waiting for tidings of the help that had been half promised her in the morning. " I know your state," said the holy man, " and have come to help you. I will give you back the prince." Then he took the head of the corpse in one hand, and the body in the other hand,, and pressed them together. The two parts reunited ; life was restored to the cold corpse ; the limbs moved ; the eyes opened ; the lips unclosed ; the tongue spoke.^ When the princess saw this she could not restrain herself: she rushed forward, fell on the prince's breast, and wept for joy. It was an exceedingly * Cf. Wide-AivaJce Stories, pp. 56, tale of "Strange Eequest" in this 57; Indian Fairy Tales, p. 84; also collection. THE PRINCE WHO CHANGED INTO A RAM. 71 glad time, and not the least joyous of the three was .the holy man who had done this thing. That night the prince and princess went to another place. Here the life of the princess was in great danger. A jddugaruni * who livfed in this place had a daughter, -who on seeing the prince wished to have him for her hus- band. Accordingly she devised the following plan. She persuaded her mother to invite the prince and princess to their house, and while the prince was inspecting the rooms, she threw a cord round his neck and changed him into a ram. By day the ram followed her whithersoever she went, and at night, as soon as the cord was taken off its neck, it became a prince again, and slept with her. Several days thus passed. The princess was , in great distress. She did not know what to suppose. Some- times she thought that he had deserted her, and some- times she thought that he had been slain. At last she could bear it no longer, and therefore disguised herself as a man, and went to the king of that country and begged for employment. The king was pleased with her appear- ance and speech, and appointed her one of his deputy- inspectors of police. The princess was especially rejoiced at this appointment. It was just what she had desired, because in this positionr slie was best able to find the prince. Many secrets of many houses were known to the deputy-inspector, and the whole body of the police were sharp and ready servants at his pleasure. The deputy-inspector had only to explain the height and appearance of any person, and bid the police to search for such a one, when the whole country would be scoured until the man was found. The princess, however, could not discover anything about the prince, although she got to know that the woman in whose house she and the prince had stayed was a jddugaruni. Constantly she visited this house, and saw the ram running about, * Jdd'&gm-nl (Pers.), a sorceress, a witch. Cf. note on "Witches," Wide- Aviake Stories, p. 395. 72 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. but- knew not that it was the prince, her beloved, and that the daughter of the jddugaruni had metamorphosed him. A great friendship sprang up between the deputy- inspector and this girl. Of course, the latter thought that the deputy-inspector was a real man. She became very fond of the deputy-inspector, and gave her several presents, among which was a piece of the most beautiful cloth that- had ever been seen. We shall now see what this piece of beautiful cloth had to do with the princess's future. One morning a ser- vant from the palace happened to pass a window before which the deputy- inspector had hung some of this cloth. He was struck with its beautiful colour and texture, and, on returning to the palace sought an interview with the queen, and told her what he had seen. The queen desired very much to see some of the cloth, and so went to the king and begged him to speak to the deputy-inspector about procuring some of it for her. His Majesty did so, and the deputy-inspector sent him all the cloth that she had. When the queen saw it, she was fascinated with it and entreated the king to order some more. " This is difficult. However, I will try to fulfil Your Majesty's wish," replied the deputy-inspector, when the king spoke to her of the queen's order. On leaving the king she went straight to the house of the jddugaruni to inquire where she could get some more of the cloth. " Alas ! I am afraid I cannot help you," said the jddu- garuni. " My brother, who is a jddugarun, went a long time ago to a far country. He sent me this cloth." " Then write and ask him to send you some more," said the deputy-inspector. " I cannot," replied the jddugaruni. " He has slain every human being in that country, and now, excepting himself, only lions dwell there. My brother keeps these lions in a state of- semi-starvation by feeding them with a kind of grass, which they do not much like. Consequently, when any person approaches the place, a lion is certain to burst THE PRINCE WHO CHANGED INTO A RAM. 73 forth from some thicket or from behind some rock and slay him. Several venturesome folks have thus lost their lives. How can I send any one — I dare not send any one on such a risky errand." " Tell me," said the deputy-inspector, " vrhefe your brother dwells, and I myself v^ill go, for go I must ; other- M'ise the king will take away my life. There is no safety for me here unless I can get this cloth. I dare not stay here another day. So tell me where your brother lives, and I will go and see him." "Stay," said the jddugaruni. "Since your state is thus, I must help you. I have here a small earthen vessel, with which my brother's life is bound up. As long as this earthen vessel continues safe in my keeping, he will continue well ; but directly it is broken, he will be broken {i.e., he will die). However, I will break it, for my daughter loves you." Saying this, she dashed the vessel on the ground. " Now go, and fear not. The lions will now eat grass, or whatever they wish, and will not need to slay every human being that comes near them. Go, and may you prosper." Little did the jddugaruni think that the deputy-inspec- tor was the princess, the betrothed of the prince whom her daughter had metamorphosed into a ram. The following morning, having obtained leave from the king, the deputy-inspector started with a small com- pany of soldiers. On reaching the country she at once sou"ht for the jddugarun's house. This was soon found, and as was expected, was filled with piles of cloth. Lots of other treasure also were discovered. The deputy- inspector took everything, and hastened back to the king. Hi's Majesty was so pleased with the success of the expe- dition that he loaded the deputy-inspector with presents and appointed her his successor. A few years have passed. The old king is dead. The deputy-inspector reigns. She has got an inkling of what 74 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. has happened to the prince, and accordingly orders all the rams in the city to be gathered before her. All the rams are driven together • into one place, and she herself examines them, and speaks to each, but not one of the rams responds to her call or is recognised by her. Then she orders the police to go and search diligently and see whether there are any that have disobeyed her order. Some policemen come to the j'ddugaruni's house, and find that she has not sent her ram. They seize the ram by the cord and lead it away to the king. The jddugarwni tries very hard to keep possession of the charmed cord, but in vain. The police will not allow her to have it. Away they go, leading the ram by the piece of cord. The king notices their coming, and goes forward a little to meet them, when lo ! the cord suddenly breaks, and a prince, young and beautiful, stands before her. "Surely," she exclaimed, " this jddugaruni must be a very wicked woman. Such a woman ought not to live. Let her be executed to- morrow at dawn. Concerning the prince, let him stay in the palace." The rest of the story will now be easily imagined. The princess (the king) explained her real character. She summoned a general assembly of her people, and spoke to them the following words : — " Behold, people,' your king is a woman. To find the prince, my husband, was my object in disguising myself. That object has now been accomplished. Henceforth re- gard my husband as your king and me as your queen." ^ The people approved with loud shoutings and rejoicings, and all proceeded happily ever afterwards. " Cf . the conclusion of the story, " Hotv the Princess Found her Hus- band," in this collection. ( 75 ) SAIYID AND SAID.' Theee was a poor villager who managed to make a scanty living by cutting and selling wood.' In the early morn- ing he used to cut the wood and bind it into bundles, and in the evening he went to the nearest Idzdr and sold it. This poor man got married, and two sons were born to him, the elder of whom he named Saiyid, and the other Said ; but while the boys were yet young their mother died, and their father married again. The second wife proved more energetic than the first. One day she said to her husband, " Why do you not ask me and your two sons to help you in collecting wood ? We are living very meagrely now ; but if I and the two boys worked, we should be able to earn more money and live better than, we do." The man replied, " Very well." Accordingly they all four went to the jungle every day, and worked so diligently, that in a few months they had saved much money, besides having collected a large quantity of wood, sufficient to maintain them all through the winter. This wood they piled up in great stacks near their house. A few days after they had arranged this wood it began to rain very heavily, and three travellers, who happened to be passing through the jungle at this time, took shelter in the hollow of a big tree. The rain had chilled the air, and so the travellers took some of the wood that the woodcutter had collected and made an immense fire. For two whole days these people stayed there, and kept up 1 Narrator's name, Makund B&yfi, of SutM, Sriuagar. 76 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. such big fires all the time, that there was scarcely any- wood left. When the rain abated they resumed their journey. The woodcutter, too, went out to look after his wood. Great was his grief when he saw nothing but a pile of ashes. Presently his wife and two sons arrived at the place. " It is not God's will that we should prosper," he said to them. " "What shall we do ? "What shall we do ? " and as he spoke he moved his staff among the ashes with an air of despair. " "What is that ? " said his wife, pointing to something bright and shining in the ashes. " Yes, look ! what is it ? Look there, too, and there ! " On this they searched all over the heap of ashes, and found several pieces of silver. Pearing lest they should meet any person on the way, they put their treasure into their kdngars^ and covering it with charcoal, returned to the house. In order that suspicion might not be aroused, the wood- cutter gradually discovered his wealth to his friends and neighbours. After a while he left off woodcutting and com- menced trading as a merchant. In this he obtained much success. At length he was accounted a very rich man. Meanwhile his two sons went to school and became learned. One day, as the merchant and his sons were returning from a meld, they saw a zaminddr^ carrying a cage, in which was a most beautiful bird, that sang very sweetly. "When the boys saw the bird and heard its sweet song, .they entreated their father to buy it. "How much do you want for the bird ? " the merchant asked. " Two muhrs," was the reply. " Take them," said the merchant, " and give the bird to my sons." Saiyid and Said thanked their father very much for the present. They got very fond of the bird. Every day, on 2 Of. Indian Antiquary, vol. xiv. able brazier is generally called kdngri pp. 264-265, vol. IV. p. 57, vol. xvi. by Europeans and Panj&bis. p. 6ii ; also Dictionarii of Kashmiri ' Gr&st (Kashmiri), a culbivator o£ Prowrts, pp. 128-130. This little port- soil. SAIYID AND SAID. 77 returning from school, they used to play with it. After a while the bird laid an egg, which was watched most anxiously by the two sons, as they wished very much to have another bird like their present one. One day the cage was carried to the river-side to be cleaned, and in order that this might be done properly, the bird was taken out and kept in the hands of Saiyid, and the egg was carefully deposited on a stone. While the cage was being cleaned a man, who was bathing on the other side of the river, saw all that was done ; he saw, too, what the mer- chant and, his son had, for some reason, failed to notice, namely, that the stone whereon they had placed the egg had been transmuted into silver. He was much astonished at this, and thought that the egg possessed the property of changing everything which it touched into silver. He had heard of such things, and never believed them, but here was plain proof. He determined therefore in some way or other to get the egg. " Hie ! hie ! " he shouted to the merchant. " Will you sell me that egg 1 I wish to make some medicine from it." The merchant answered, " No ; I am not so poor that I need sell it. I would willingly give it to ypu, if my sons were not so anxious to have another -of this kind of bird." But the man was in earnest. " Let me have it, please," he said ; " I will give you one rupee for it." " No," was again the reply. " I will give you five — ten — twenty — a hundred — a thousand rupees for it," continued the man, finding that the 'merchant would not easily be persuaded. " No," replied the merchant ; " but if you, will give me ten thousand rupees, you shall have it." " Very well," he said ; " for if I do not get this medicine I shall die." So the bargain was concluded. They all walked back together to the house of the merchant, where the money was paid and the egg given up. As will be supposed, the man who had bought the 78 FOLK-TALES OP KASHMIR. egg took the earliest opportunity of going to the bank of the stream and removing the stone that had been turned into silver. But he had not much need of doing this, a^ he afterwards proved; for every stone that he touched with the egg was transmuted into that precious metal. Some time after this the man was visited by Si.jogi, who, noticing the egg, said, " That is a most valuable egg. But where is the bird that laid it ? Try and get that bird, if possible ; for whoever will cut off its head, cook it, and eat it will be the richest king in the world. The head of the bird will remain in the chest of the person that eats it ; and when that person rises in the morning, he will find ten thousand muhrs underneath him. He will also under- stand the speech of birds and of animals. The! breast of thie bird, too, is of special virtue. Whoever will cook and eat it will become a king ; but he will not be as great as the other king." When the man heard these things from the jogi, he at once sent to the merchant and begged him to sell the bird. He promised to pay any price that might be asked for it. The merchant, however, sent back to say that on no account would he part with the bird— no, not even if the whole world were offered in exchange. But the man was quite as determined to get the bird as he had been to get the egg. When he heard the merchant's answer, he said to himself, "I know what to do. Through this man's wife I will get it. I will immediately seek an interview with her." Hereupon he sought the aid of an old wise woman in this matter, and promised her a very handsome present if she could arrange for him an introduction with this merchant's wife. The old wise woman consented. She went to the house of the merchant, and finding that he was not at home, she entered, and commenced conver- sation with his wife. The woman was very glad to see her, and asked her to come again. In this way a thick friendship sprung up, till at last the merchant's wife SAIYID AND SAID. 79 asked the wise old woman to come and stay altogether with her. During this time the old woman had constantly- spoken in the most glowing terms of the man who had employed her, and thus excited the curiosjty of the mer- chant's wife to that extent, that the poor stupid woman expressed a great wish to see him. Of course the old hag then told how anxious the man also was to see her. The promise of an interview was then given, as soon as the merchant's wife could make quite certain that her husband would be out of the way. In order to accomplish her purpose the more easily, she advised him to carry out his long-thought-of intention and go abroad for a time. " What vast treasure you might amass ! " she urged. " What great sights you would see ! And, moreover, this is ex- pected of you." " I will," he replied. " It is foolish of me not to have done this before." In a few days he, accompanied by a suitable retinue, started on his travels. " Go now," said his wife to the old woman, " and tell ' this man who wishes to see me, that I shall be ready to meet him at twelve o'clock to-morrow morning." The woman went, and the merchant was very glad to hear the news. "Give her my best respects," he said, "and beg her, if she is thinking of making a feast for me, to cook the beautiful bird and to set it apart especi- ally for me. Tell her that I have set my heart on eating this bird, and shall be terribly disappointed if it is not prepared and kept for me." Before twelve o'clock on the following morning the bird and other viands were ready, and the merchant's wife was in a state of great expectation, wondering what manner of man this great stranger might be, and why lie should thus desire to know her. Just at this time Saiyid and Said came home from school, and being hungry, as usual, they rushed to their mother for something to eat. She told them to go to the dining-room and take what they liked from any dish, except from that on which the beautiful 8o FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. bird had been served, and a few other dishes, that she had specially prepared for the expected guest. The boys ran off to the room and looked at the various dishes, and, boy- like, they wanted every dish that they had been explicitly told not to touch. They went directly and thrust their lingers into the several dishes, and finding some of them more savoury, ate up all their contents. The dish contain- ing the precious bird was amongst the number. Saiyid ate the head, and Said ate the breast. When they had done this, they thought that their mother would be very angry with them and beat them, and therefore they deter- mined to run away. At last the guest arrived. After some conversation the merchant's wife led him to the room where all the dishes had been arranged, and bidding him sit down, she placed some food before him. " I am not very hungry," he said. "It is very kind of you to take all this trouble, but if you will please bring me the bird about which I spoke to you I shall be quite satisfied. I think I could eat that." Ac- cordingly the woman set before him the dish that contained the remainder of the beautiful bird. "What have you done ? " he exclaimed. " Not half the bird is here. Who has eaten the head and breast ? " " I do not know," she replied, much alarmed. " Somebody has been touching the food," said the mer- chant, and left the house in a great rage. The merchant's wife was very miich grieved at his sudden departure. Was this the man whose visit she had looked forward to for many a day ! Saiyid and Said walked far and fast till they reached the middle of a big plain. Here they determined to spend the night, although the place was dreaded by every one, because of the many wild beasts that were said to prowl about there. These two youths feared nothing, for they were emboldened by eating the head and breast of the beautiful bird. They were totally ignorant of the wonder- SAIYID AND SAID. 8i ful virtues of the bird, but they felt within them a power inspiring them to do and to dare anything. That night they slept sound and safely, and in the morning when they arose Saiyid, the elder brother, saw ten thousand muhrs in the place where he had lain. Great was their delight when they saw this. They loaded themselves with the golden pieces, and resumed their journey. On reaching the other side of the plain they found themselves in a place where .two roads met. Point- ing in the direction of one of the roads was a big stone, whereon were inscribed these words, " Do not go this way, or you will repent it." Saiyid, however, who was the bolder of the two, on account of his having eaten the head of the bird, wished very much to try this dangerous road, and urged his brother to venture with him. But Said would not agree. " No," he replied ; "I do not care to meet death thus rashly, I shall not go that way." But Saiyid was resolute, and so the brothers parted. One went the dangerous road, and the other went the regular road. said's foktunes. Said, the younger brother, eventually reached some city by the sea, and was there employed by a 'great merchant and shipowner. Not long had Said been in his employ before he was asked if he would like to go to sea for a while. Said replied in the affirmative, as he was most anxious to travel and see something of the world. On the appointed day, the weather being suitable, the ship sailed steadily out of the harbour. For several days everything proceeded most happily, and there seemed every prospect of a bright and prosperous voyage, when one morning a nasty wind suddenly sprung up, and increased so violently that the ship was tossed hither and thither, and finally was wrecked. All on board were drowned except Said, who escaped by means of one of the timbers to a desert island. Faint and hopeless, he" threw himself down on the shore 82 FOLK-TALES. OF KASHMIR. and cried, " Oh, why was I born ? Why did I eat the forbid- den food, and so was obliged to fly from home ? Why did I leave my brother to go alone ? It would have been better to have died with him than to perish by a lingering death in this wretched place. Ah me ! Ah me ! " Presently sleep, the panacea for all ills, came to him, and night with its thick curtains covered him. He slept till the morn- ing, when, as lie rose to look around him to see what sort of place he was in, he noticed a ship passing near. He shouted, and waved his hands most madly to apprise the people of his presence there ; and fortunately he was seen. The captain of the vessel brought the craft near and took him in. The ship reached her destination in safety, and Said wished the captain and the sailors farewell. For some time he wandered round the city, inquiring about the country that he had left and his father and brother, but nobody could give him any information. Not thinking it worth while to remain in that city, he started for the adjoining country, concerning which he had heard many wonderful things. In a few days he reached the place, and found it won- derful indeed. The capital of the country was bounded by four high insurmountable walls, and was entered by one door, which was kept shut and most carefully guarded. Why it was so we will explain. It had been the custom in that city for the ministers ito appoint somebody as their king by day and to slay him by night. In consequence of this wicked custom the people had fled- in crowds, and therefore the ministers had met together in solemn assembly to discuss plans for the future, in order that the city might not be entirely deserted. They decided to repeal the cus- tom, and notices had. been sent in every direction ordering the people to return and elect for themselves a king, who should reign over the land till death called him away. There was a mighty concourse of people in the city just as Said had arrived at the door. SAIYID AND SAID. 83 " people ! " said the chief minister, coming forward, " seeing the old custom of appointing and slaying a king every day is obnoxious to you, we have determined to do away with it. And now we call on you to choose for yourselves one who shall always reign over us. The matter is in your hands. Say who shall he our king." " Close the doors," they replied, " and let the man who now first comes up to the city be our king." This they did, because each were afraid to suggest any one out of their own company, lest others should be offended and kill them. Said was the man chosen for this high office. While he was standing outside the great door of the city the people came with the wazirs, and seeing him there, they led him to the place of honour in their great hall of assem- bly, and cried, " Behold the kihg^l Long live the king ! " saiyid's fortunes. Saiyid, the elder brother, pursued his way, nothing daunted by the dreadful warning that he had read. Every morning he found ten thousand muhrs in the place where he lay, so that he became very rich. He was obliged to engage several coolies to carry his wealth. Nothing had happened to him so far, and he was be- ginning to think that the inscription on the stone was only a hoax, when he arrived at the entrance to a most beautiful garden, stocked with all kinds of rare and lovely flowers. On entering the garden he saw a splendid house also. The walls were made of silver, and its pillars of gold, ahd it shone so brilliantly in the sunshine that one could scarcely look at it. " Who lives here ? " he inquired from an "old woman whom he met in the garden. " Who lives here ? An angel, a holy man ? " ■ The old.woman replied, '" A beautiful woman lives here, and I am her ddi. You seem astonished at the magnifi- cence of the place. My mistress has several other houses and gardens quite as good as this." 84 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " Is your mistress at home ? Can I see her ? " asked the youth. " Oh yes, you can see her. Any person may see her that can pay ten thousand rupees for the visit." " Very well," he said, " I will pay the money. Lead me to your mistress." On seeing the lovely woman Saiyid was so much sur- prised that he could hardly speak. He had never before seen so lovely a woman. " Welcome," she said, taking hira by the hand, and ask- ing him to sit down. " The ddi will have acquainted you with my terms. Every day you come to see me you must pay me ten thousand rupees, and when all your money is exhausted you will be killed." " Agreed," he replied. " Nay, I will give you ten thou- sand muhrs; " for he was intoxicated with her beauty. Hearing this, the woman was very glad, and allowed him to stay in her house a long time. Every day the ten thousand muhrs were forthcoming, and duly given to the woman. After a while the woman began to wonder what kind of man he must be who could pay her so well and so regularly. She thought that he must surely be a wizard or suchlike. Accordingly she watched him. The secret of his wealth was soon discovered. " He has swallowed the head of the golden bird," she said to herself, when she saw the muhrs on the bed, from which Saiyid had just risen. She could tell this because she was a witch. From the moment of this discovery she determined to destroy her paramour. One day she said to him, " Come and let us taste some wine that I have just received ; " whereupon she went and fetched some wine and cups, and placed them before him. Saiyid drunk heartily. She too drank, but only a little. This wine was of a most potent quality ; consequently Saiyid, who had imbibed much of it, soon began to feel giddy and giddier, till he became quite mad. It also created an intense burning thirst within him. " Give me some water ! give me some water ! " he shrieked. She SAIYID AND SAID. 85 brought him some juice of a water-melon, and a few- grapes. He snatched them eagerly, and no sooner had he drunk the juice of the melon and eaten the grapes than he was violently sick. He vomited everything that was in his stomach, and then went to sleep. Now the head of the bird that Saiyid had swallowed had not descended to the stomach, nor had it decomposed like other food. Consequently when Saiyid was sick this too appeared. The woman expected this, and hastily seizing it, put it into one of her secret boxes. When Saiyid rose the next morning he was terribly surprised not to find the muhrs as usual. He did not know what to do. The woman had threatened to kill him if he could not obtain them by the evening. All that, day he was in terrible distress, and when evening arrived he shut himself in his room and locked the door. The woman waited some time, and then sent' for him. But he replied that he was not feeling well that evening, and therefore wished to be excused. Finally, however, he was obliged to go to her. " I have nothing to pay you," he said, when she reproached him with want of affection. "I know not how it is I have not any money. I cannot explain my sorrow to you. I have so grieved over this matter to-day that I can scarcely walk." . " I too am sorry," said the woman ; " but matters cannot be mended. However, since you have paid me so liberally, I wiE revoke my order concerning your death and let you go. Depart, and do not show yourself to me again till you are a richer man." Saiyid thanked her and left. " Sorrow, a thousand sorrows ! " he exclaimed as he went out by the garden gate. " Oh that I had listened to my brother's earnest entreaties and not ventured on this path ! In vain for me now to retrace my steps. Let me go straight on and see whither the hand of fortune will lead me." On the way he passed through a jungle and over a great plain, and as he was leaving this plain he met three men' hotly disputing with one another over the distribu- 86 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. tion among themselves of four things that their master, a faqir, who had just died, had bequeathed to them. " Why do you thus wrangle ? " he asked. " Show me these things." The three disputants unfastened their loads and set before him a ladra-pith,* a thdl,^ a box of coUyrium, and an old ragged garment. " Well," said Saiyid with a laugh, " these things do not appear of such value that you need quarrel over them." " You do not know their value," they replied. " Listen, this badra-pith will carry anybody who sits in it to the place where he would be, no matter how far or how in- accessible the place may be; this thdl will at all times supply its owner with all kinds of food; this collyrium has only to be applied to the eyes and it will render the per- son on whom it is placed invisible, while that person can see everything and everybody ; and this old garment has four pockets ; one pocket supplies as many pdnsas as the man requires, another supplies silver, another gold, and another precious stones." " Most interesting ! most valuable ! " said Saiyid, when these men had finished their explanation. " Now con- clude your quarrel. I will tell you what to do. Be not disturbed by the last article. Give that to me. You take the badra-pith, you the thdl, and you the box of collyrium." " No, never," they all replied. " This we can never do, for we harve made a vow not to part with any of these things. On this condition our father (meaning the faqir) gave them to us. No, let us alone. Our only hope is that one of us will soon die, and then there wiU not be any difficulty about sharing the things. Four things can very easily be divided among two people." " But why wait till one of your party dies ? " said Saiyid. " To all appearance each of you will live to a very old age. My advice is, decide at once. One of you take two things, and the other two one thing each. Look * Bkadra-pWia (Sanskrit), a beautiful chair, a splendid seat, a throne. 5 A tray or large dish. SAIYID AND SAID. 87 here, will you agree to this ? I will throw these three arrows as far as I can. One arrow I will throw in front of me, another on this side, and the third on that side. You each run after one of these arrows at a given signal from me. You run after the one thrown in front of me, you after the one thrown on this side, and you the one thrown on that side ; and the man that returns first with his arrow will have two things." "Agreed:!" they replied. So Saiyid threw the three arrows and the men started. While they were running Saiyid took up the thdl, the box of coUyrium, and the old ragged garment,^ and seating himself in the ladra-pith, wished to be transported to some place where the three men could not reach, and immediately disappeared. When the three men returned with the arrows they were terribly distressed to find the stranger and their precious things gone. They wept and lamented their lot. " Our teacher, was angry \f ith us," they said, " because we quarrelled, and therefore he came in the person of this man and took away our treasures." Saiyid was carried away a great distance from the place where he left the three men. When he had satisfied him- self with all kinds of food from the thdl, he remembered the beautiful woman, and wished to see her again. So, putting his things into the hadra^ith, he sat in it, and soon found himself on the roof of the magnificent gold and silver house. Here he first hid his treasures, and then descended the steps that led down into the yard. There he saw the ddi, whom' he asked to go and inform her mistress of his arrival. When the beautiful woman saw him she knew that he had got some more money. Accordingly she gave him a great welcome and showed him much honour, and asked him about his travels since he had left her. " I have been to my own country to get some more money for you," he said. " I could not stay away from you." ^ Cf . Indian Faii-y Tales, pp. 34, 156, 157 ; Wide-Awalce Stories, pp. 281, 289. 88 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. This was a falsehood, but he did not wish the woman to guess the source of his wealth. Every day he went to the old ragged garment, and got as much money as he required. The days passed happily for a month or so, till Saiyid began to suspect that he was watched. Once he heard something like a footfall behind him up the steps, and another time he thought that he saw some one on the roof. Consequently he determined to sleep on the roof, and told the woman so. "My darling," he said,," I intend to sleep outside to-night on the roof. You ,also come." She con- sented, and they slept together in the open air for several nights, till Saiyid's suspicions were further aroused. " Sup- posing," he said to himself, " that this garment and other things were stolen from me, what should I do ? I will leave the place this very night, and try to get the woman to go with me." • That night, when they went up on the roof, he showed her the hadra-pith, and asked her to sit in it with him. She did so, and then Saiyid wished to be carried to some place where they would be free from all other society; and they were at once carried to a beautiful uninhabited island. " Here let us dwell together, my love," he said to the woman, when the iadra-pith stopped. . " Your will is mine," she replied. " I care not so long as I am with you." Saiyid was much rejoiced at these words, because he thought that the woman really meant what she said. By- and-by he got so thoroughly persuaded of her affection that he confided to her the secrets of all his treasures. " How do you get such splendid food every day ? " she asked. " God gives it to me," he replied. " I have only to take this thdl and wish, and the food wished-for is at once provided." "Whence do you obtain money in this uninhabited spot ? " she inquired. SAIYID AND SAID. 89 " From this old garment," he replied, " I put my hand into these pockets, and pdiisas, silver, gold, and precious stones come at my will." " How does this ladra-pith bear us about in the air, as though it were a bird 1 " she said. " I cannot explain," he replied, " by what means it does this. All I know is, that I simply sit on it, wish to be somewhere, and I am immediately borne to the place that I wish to reach. But there is another thing that you have not seen : I have got some coUyrium, which when rubbed on the eyes renders the person invisible, while that person can see everything that is going on." " O my beloved ! how glad I am that you have told me of these precious things ! " she said. " How rich we are, and how fortunate I am in having you ! Why did you not make me acquainted with your good fortune before ? Now I shall give up all desire of returning to my house." Sweet words indeed ! They fell like nectar on the ears of the simple Saiyid, but they were not sincere. The woman's object was to disarm him of all suspicion con- cerning her. She never loved him, and never once wished to stay with him. On the contrary, she wanted to bam- boozle him out of his wealth, and then to slay him. Henceforth, therefore, she tried to obtain possession of the four precious things. She had not to wait long for an opportunity. One morning, while they were walking together on the sea-shore, she expressed a wish to bathe, and asked Saiyid to first go into the water and try the depth. He complied, and while he was swimming about she took up the thdl, the pot of collyrium, and the ragged garment, and running to the hddra-pith, sat in it, and wished herself back again in her magnificent house. Poor. Saiyid, how terribly duped he felt! leaked, cold, and hungry, he ran about the island bemoaning his fate. As evening drew on he began to think what he should do for the night. If he had neither clothes nor food, still he might put up a shelter from the wind. Perhaps, too, he 90 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. might sight a ship on the morrow. Thus he tried to com- fort himself. He at once commenced to break down branches from the trees, and while he was doing this his attention was drawn to three birds who were seated on three different trees, and were answering one another most lustily. Presently he began to comprehend what they were talking about. One bird said, " My tree is of great virtue. If any per- son will peel off the bark, pound it very fine, and then work it into a ball, the ball will be found to be most effi- cacious in cases of headache. The sufferer has only to take a good smell at it, and the headache immediately disappears." " Very good, very good ! " said the second bird ; " but listen to me. My tree is much more valuable than yours. If any person will peel off the bark, pound it, mix the powder with some of the juice of its leaves, and then work it into a ball, it will be found to act like a charm ; for any person who smells it will be turned into an ass." ^ " Wonderful, wonderful ! " said the third bird ; " but not so wonderful as the tree on which I am sitting. If any person will do the same with the bark of this tree, and then give it to that, or any other, ass to smell, it' will at once transform the beast into a man." Saiyid understood every word of the birds' conversa- tion. He was able to do this because he had once swal- lowed the head of the golden bird. How glad he must have been at the good news ! As will be imagined, he lost no time in preparing three balls from the three different trees, as the birds had directed. He carefully marked each of them, lest he should forget which was which, and then lay down and went to sleep. In the morning he rose with a very sad heart. " God, save me, save me ! " he cried ; and his prayer was heard. A great bird came flying over the place where he was, and so frightened him, that he ran to a big hollow tree for safety. The ' Of. Orientalist, vol. ii. p; 131. SAIYID AND SAID. 91 bird, however, did not leave, but kept on circling round and round, and looking now and again at Saiyid most earnestly. " What can the creature mean to do ? " thought Saiyid. " Does it want to eat me ? " While he was thus meditating, the bird alighted on the ground just opposite the hollow tree, and looked at him. " A man has come to this island," it said. " He is in great distress, and will die if he does not listen to me. I am most anxious about him. Oh that he could under- stand my speech and would lay hold of my leg ! I should then fly away with him to some more habitable spot." Saiyid understood every word of what the bird said, and to show that he did, he caught hold of one of the bird's legs with both hands. At once the great bird spread its wings and flew away. Miles and miles it travelled, until it reached a famous city. There it left Saiyid and disappeared. Attracted by the bird, many of the inhabitants of the place soon gathered round and began to ask numerous question^, " How did you reach this state ? What is your name ? Where is your home ? " all of which Saiyid fully answered; and his account so touched the sympathies of the people that they brought him clothes and food, and invited him to lodge in their houses till he had arranged his plans. Some few days after his arrival it happened that the daughter of tl;ie king of that country fell violently sick with headache. All the physicians in the city were sum- moned to attend at the palace and prescribe for her, but nothing they did availed. The dreadful headache continued. At length the king, fearing that his daughter would die, issued a proclamation to all the people of his country to this effect — that if anybody could find some remedy for the princess, he should have her hand in marriage and half the kingdom. Saiyid was delighted to hear these words. He now saw before him the way to honour, great power, and glory. He immediately wended his steps in 92 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. ■ the direction of the palace, and told the man at the gate to apprise the king of the arrival of a person who could cure the princess of her headache. " Send the man to me," said the king, when he heard the message. Saiyid approached, and the king said, " Can you, man, find a remedy for my daughter's headache ? Several physicians in my country have tried to cure her, but alas ! in vain. What hope have you of doing better than they ? " Saiyid'replied, "Much hope. Your Majesty. Please, call the princess, and within five minutes she shall be well." " God grant it ! " exclaimed the king, and called his daughter. The princess appeared, moaning bitterly, and looking very thin and worn. " Smell this," said Saiyid, giving her the little ball of pounded bark, that the bird had said was good for headaches. The princess did so, and was imme- diately relieved. Great was the astonishment of the king and the princess and every one present. The king in- quired who Saiyid was, whence he had come, and why he was in the city ; and when he had heard his story, he felt so thoroughly interested in him, that he at once gave orders for rooms to be prepared for him in the palace. In due time, also, he married his daughter to, him, and handed over to him half of his kingdom as a wedding dowry. However, Saiyid really reigned over the whole kingdom, because the king was getting old, and wished very much to retire altogether from public life. In his great honour and prosperity Saiyid did not forget the beautiful woman who had treated him so wickedly. He wished very much to be revenged on her, till at last this thirst for revenge so overcame him, that he went to his father-in-law and begged to be allowed to go and punish some robbers who had seized all his property on his way thither. The king at first hesitated to give his sanction, but eventually was constrained to do so by Saiyjd's earnest entreaties. SAIYID AND SAID. 93 Saiyid left with 9. great retinue and much treasure, and marched straight to the house of the woman that had deceived him. "My darling," he exclaimed on meeting her, " how I have sought for you ! Why did you leave me thus to perish ? If God had not had mercy on me I should not be here," The woman answered, 'Tt was my great sin. I was foolish and afraid, and did what I now thoroughly repent of. Forgive me, I beseech you." The woman uttered these words tremblingly, for she was afraid of him. She thought to herself, "I have been saved twice, but who knows what he will do to me now? " One night while she was asleep Saiyid took the ball whose virtue was that it could change a person into an ass, and put it by the woman's nose. Presently her face and whole body gradually changed into the face and body of an ass ; and scarcely was this accomplished, when she M'oke up and began to bray.* Saiyid was delighted to see and hear this. Now he had his revenge. He found all the keys of the house, and opened all the rooms, almairas,^ and boxes in the place. The four precious things were discovered, also the head of the bird. Tying them up into bundles, he gave them to his servants, and ordered them to prepare to march the next morning. The ass, too, he gave into their charge. "Why are you leaving so soon?" asked the old ddi, when she saw him leaving early the next day. "Your mistress has robbed me of all my money," he replied, " and run away. What have I to stay for ? " " Never," said the ddi. " Some other person must have done this thing. Or if my mistress has taken this money, she has done it in joke, and no doubt will soon return. 8 Cf. Indian Antiquary/, vol. xiy. of drawers. *'The word almdrV^ p. 109; Bilochi Stories, No. XIII.; (Hindust. ), says Forbes, " is of Euro- Mongolian story in Folk-Lore Jour- peau origin ; for example, the old nal, vol. iv. p. 24. ; Orimm's House- English term la " almarie ; " and the hofd Stories, p. $S^. Scotch word "awmrie," or "aum- ' Kashmiri kut, a cupboard chest rie,'' is in common use to this day. 94 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Do not go, I pray you. My mistress will be very angry when she comes and finds you have left." " I cannot help it," he replied. " I roust go." By noon that day Saiyid had finished his march, and was encamped under some large trees beside a pretty little stream. " Bring me some of that water," he said to one of his servants standing by. While the servant was going for the water one of the villagers shouted, " Don't give that water to your master. It is rank poison. Your master, or any one, would not long survive a draught of it. Go a little distance up the stream, and you will get water fit to drink." The servant did so. Not knowing the reason of the delay, Saiyid was very angry and impatient. "Why have you been so long?" he inquired. " I was warned not to take water from the part of the brook opposite you, because it is very poisonous ; and so I went higher up the stream, where I was told there was good water." " Strange, very strange ! " exclaimed Saiyid. " Call one of the people of the village and inquire the reason." Lots of people were called, but nobody was able to ex- plain it. All that the villagers knew was, that from a certain spot the water of the brook was very jloisonous. Accordingly Saiyid ordered the spot to be well dug and cleared. He got some coolies from the village to dig about the place, and had the soil carried away on the ass's back to a distant spot and buried. By' this means the stream was made pure ; and the people were very glad. " Why do you give me this menial work to do ? " asked the ass. '' Is it not enough to have degraded me to the beasts ? Why add this extra burden to my lot ? " Saiyid answered her not a word. On the morrow he continued his journey, and tarried not till he reached the country of his father-in-law. There was much rejoicing in the city when he arrived ; for he governed wisely, and was very popular. SAIYID AND SAID. 95 In a little while, when he thought that he had obtained such honour and power as would certainly captivate the beautiful but wicked woman, he determined to restore her to her original form. Accordingly he gave her another of the balls to smell, and she became a beautiful woman once more. , " my beloved, why did you treat me thus ? " she asked. " Because I wished to teach you a lesson," he replied. " Learn now my power, how useless it is to try to oppose me. See, too, my affection. I have prepared a suitable house for you. Dwell there, and whatever you require shall be supplied." The woman acceded, and henceforth remained faithful to her paramour. SAIYID AND SAID MEET AGAIN. Saiyid now exerted every effort to find his younger brother. He sent many messengers into all parts of the world, and promised them great rewards if they were successful. By the hand of good fortune ojie of these messengers arrived in the country over which Said was ruling. He discovered him in this way. One night he tarried in the hut of an old widow, who was one of the many recipients of Said's charity. " How do you contrive to live, mother ? " he asked. " Well you may ask," the old woman answered. " I am not able to do anything ; but our king is very just and good. He regularly distributes alms to many poor, old, and sick people in the city. If it were not for his charity, several of us would perish. Praise be to God for our king ! Praise be to God ! " " Who is your king ? Is he one of this country ? Where do his parents live ? " the messenger asked. "I do not know," she repUed. ''Eeport says that he came from far, and that during his travels he was separated from his brother, of whom he was very fond. He has 96 ' FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. despatched messengers in all directions to try and dis- cover some news of him, and of his father also." " Can I get an interview with your king ? " said the messenger. " Oh yes," she replied. " The king's ear is open unto all. Whoever wishes can go and speak to him at all times." Accordingly, early the next morning, as soon as he heard that the king had risen, he went to the palace and begged to be shown before the king. Thinking that he had come on urgent business, the servant led him into the king's private room. " king," said the messenger, fall- ing down before him, " Saiyid, your brother, has sent me to you, to inquire of your welfare. God has prospered him exceedingly, and raised him tp be ruler over a great and mighty kingdom, but he cannot rest day or night till he knows of your estate." When Said heard these words he was so startled that he could scarcely speak. After some conversation with the messenger, he sent for one of his wazirs, and ordered him to clothe the man in splendid apparel, and to see that he had everything he wanted. He also told him that he had heard of his long-lost brother. Saiyid was ruler over such-and-such a kingdom, and he wished to go and see him immediately. Arrangements were to be at once made for the journey. The wazirs, however, demurred to this journey, as there were several countries intervening, whose rulers were inimical to the king. Therefore they begged him to give up the idea, and to send word to his brother Saiyid, who appeared to be more powerful than he was. So Said, very much disappointed, though he felt that his wazirs were wise, bade the messenger to return as quickly as possible and inform his brother of his affairs, and come and bring him word again. After resting a day or two the messenger left. He reached his country safely, and informed his royal master of all that he had seen and heard of his brother. Saiyid was very much rejoiced, and richly rewarded the messenger. SAIYID AND SAID. 97 He immediately arranged a plan for conquering all the countries that intervened between his and his brother's kingdoms. He sent word to his brother to fight with the few countries on his side, while he would fight with the countries on his side. They were both rich and powerful, he said, and ought to overcome. And they did overcome them. Oh ! who can tell the- joy in which these conquering heroes met one another again ? ^<' 1° Compare the story of the " Two Brothers " in this collection. THE CRUEL MERCHANT} Once upon a time there lived a merchant who was very cruel to his servants. When anybody applied to him for service, he agreed to employ him on the condition that the servant's nose should be cut off if he at any time showed himself abusive or angry. Now, since servants are no better than the majority of their masters, we are not sur- prised to hear that several servants quitted this merchant's service minus their noses. One of these servants was a poor farmer, who had been obliged to take service on account of a failure in his crops. The man lived up in the hUls, where nothing except mahdi^ can be grown ; and that year but little rain had fallen, so that his labour and expense were all wasted. He was of a most amiable and willing disposition. If any man had a chance of continu- ing in the merchant's service, it was he. But, alas ! he too failed. One day he was very much troubled about a matter, when something his master did or said — and the merchant used to say and do some very nasty things — provoked the farmer, so that he spoke angrily ; whereupon the merchant rushed at him and cut off his nose. This farmer had a brother, who grieved to see him in this noseless condition, and resolved to avenge him of this cruelty. So he went to the merchant and offered himself for employment. "Very well," said the merchant. "I will give you work, but only on the condition that your nose is cut off if you ever show yourself abusive or angry." 1 Narrator's name Makund BS,yu, of Suthfl, Srinagar. ' Maize, Indian-corn. THE CRUEL MERCHANT. 99 " I will agree to this if you too will be bound by the like condition," said the man. " All right," said the merchant. " If the plan worked well for one party, it might als.o work well for the other," thought the man. It did work well for a long time. Both master and ser- vant were so very careful over their words and actions, that they both preserved their temper. One day, however, the merchant ordered his servant to go and put on his son's clothes quickly. The man went, and while dress- ing the boy pulled him about here and there to make him run. The boy, naturally not liking such treatment, roared, "0 father! mother!" " What are you doing ? " asked the merchant. " The boy will not run about while I am dressing him, but wants to sit down," he replied. Now the master had ordered him to dress the child quickly, and thus he would have been understood by nineteen out of twenty people ; but the words might pos- sibly be construed to mean, "Eun about and dress the child; "^ so the servant chose to understand them thus," thinking thereby to provoke his master to anger ; and he almost succeeded. On another occasion the merchant, accompanied by all his family, went to stay for a few days in some place where a big melA was accustomed to be held. He left the house in charge of this servant, and befpre leaving, especially ordered him to keep his eye on the doors and windows. The man promised faithfully. His master, however, had not long departed when he too felt an in- tense desire to attend the meld. Accordingly he collected the furniture and things of the house and stored them away in a big pit. He then called several coolies, and loading them with the doors and windows of the place, started off for the meld. The astonishment of the mer- chant, when he saw his servant, followed by a long string ' Qatshil tshun nechivis poshdk ndli tukdn tukdn. loo FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. of coolies bearing his doors and windows, will be imagined. " You fool ! " he exclaimed, " what have you done ? " " I have simply obeyed your order," replied the servant. " You told me to look after the doors and windows. So, when I wished to leave the house and come to the meld, I thought it would be safer to bring them with me. The furniture, too, is quite safe. I have hidden it all in a great pit." " You consummate fool ! " said the merchant, and struck him a blow across the face. " Ha ! ha ! " said the man, seizing him by the back of his neck and cutting off his nose, " we are quits now. I will go and tell my brother." * * Cf. Onentalist, vol. i. pp. 131, 132 ; and Indian Antiquary, vol. xvi. p. 296. ( loi ) THE MAN FROM SHIRAZ} A LONG time ago a Shirazi visited Kashmir, and called on an old friend, and stayed with him for three days. This friend, who prided himself on his hospitality, prepared a great feast for his guest. During dinner he naturally looked for some expression of approval from him, and the Shirazi, seeing that he was expected to say something com- plimentary, after a little while remarked that the dinner was good, very good, but 'not for a moment to be compared with the feasts given in his country. Otlier conversation followed, and then the company dispersed. The host, however, was so disappointed at the Shirazi friend's modified commendation of the dinner that he could not sleep. All through the long night he was endeavouring to smother his feelings, or planning for a still larger and more extravagant dinner on the morrow ; and long before daylight he ran. and called the cook, and gave him such an order, and explained everything so minutely to him, that his guest might at least say that the dinner was eq[ual to the meals prepared in his country. If it was a success he promised to give the cook ten rupees hakhshisk? But it was not a success. All the expense and all these preparations were again in vain. The feast was declared to be inferior to those in Shiraz.* Not that it was owing to any fault of the cook. On the contrary, no feast could have been cooked or served up better than this one. 1 Narrator's name, Militar Sher ^ Generally pronounoei Jdis&iuA, Singh, officiating governor, Srina- a gift, gratuity. gar. ? A city in the south of Persia. 102 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The Kashmiri, now suspecting that his cuisinier was not so skilful as he thought him to be, engaged another ser- vant in his place, whom he ordered to prepare a still more elaborate meal for the following day, and promised the man twenty rupees if the dinner was thoroughly approved of by the guest. However, there came the same reply — " My dear friend, your feasts cannot match those which are served up in my country." Some years elapsed, and the Kashmiri, being a traveller as well as his guest, found himself in the city of the Shirazi, and seeking out his old friend's house, called on him. He received a very hearty welcome, and was asked to tarry there for three days, with which he complied. After ablutions and a change of garments he sat down to smoke the pipe of friendship and peace, while dinner was being prepared. He waited with much expectation and curiosity to see what kind of a dinner it would be. " I shall now see," thought he, " in what respect these Shirazi feasts are superior to ours.'' At last dinner was served. Imagine the chagrin and surprise of the Kashmiri when he saw simply a large tray of boiled rice, dotted here and there with bits of vegetable, placed before him. At first he thought it must be a dreanl, and rubbed his eyes to make quite certain that he was awake. Still the same tray of rice and vegetables was before him. He rubbed his eyes again ; he cracked his fingers ; he stretched his legs. Still there was the same tray. There was no doubt about it. These rice and vegetables were all that his ho^t had prepared for that evening's meal. Perhaps this meagre display was owing to the lateness of the hour of his call, and that on the morrow a grander dinner would be provided. The morrow came, and the third day, and stiU the same fare was provided. During the last meal the Kashmiri could not refrain from asking the reason of his friend's remark concerning the inferiority of Kashmiri to Shirazi feasts. The host replied, " Well, we here in Shiraz are very plain folk. We wel- come you to our country and homely fare. You see us. THE MAN FROM SHIRAZ. 103 You have dined with us. Yesterday, to-day, and for ever this is our manner of life. But the feast you provided in honour of my coming (I thank you for it) was special, only for a day. Man could not always live at that rate ; for the pocket of the host would soon be emptied and the stomach of the guest impaired — the result to both would be most unpleasant. Hence my remarks, of which I am quite certain you will perceive the truth." ( 104 ) SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF.^ A CEETAiN king of Kashmir was very fond of hunting. One day, when he went to some distant jungle to shoot, he saw an animal that gave him such a chase as he never had before or after. He shot at it again and again, but missed. Determined to get it, however, he pursued the beast more swiftly. A long long way he ran, leaving his attendants far behind out of sight and hearing. At length he could not run any more, and therefore stopped. He found him- self in a large well-kept garden, along one of the paths of which a beautiful girl was walking unattended. " Ha, ha ! " said the king, going up to her. " Certainly ! A wife like you, whom after marrying I could put aside here in this jungle ! " " Of course," retorted the maiden, " I'd marry somebody like you and get a child ; and the boy should marry your daughter ! " Surprised at her clever and ready reply, the king left the garden. He found his way back to the palace, and there inquired about the beautiful girl. Nobody could tell him anything, and so he despatched a messenger to make a thorough and f uU inquiry. It appeared that the maiden was a princess, and was accustomed to go to the garden where the king had seen her, because of its beautiful flowers, crystal fountains, and delightful shades. On hearing this the king of Kashmir said, " I must marry her," and ordered the most skilful and experienced go-betweens ^ to start at once and arrange for the match. ^ Narrator's name, collected for an old ishepherd at KrSndib, near me by Pandit Makund Bayti, of Bijbihdr^. Sathti, Srinagar, ■wbo heard it from " Mamimyor. SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 105 The go-betweens left, and as sdbn as they reached the kingdom of the princess's father they obtained an inter- view with His Majesty. Prostrating themselves before him, they said, " Our king has sent ns to you on a special errand, of which we care not to speak before all the people. We pray Your Majesty, if it seem convenient, to grant us a private reception, when only Your Majesty and the chief wazir may be present." The king consented, and immediately ordered the clearance of the assembly-hall, and then, when nobody but the king and chief wazir were present, the embassage agaia prostrated themselves and said, " great king, live for ever ! May peace and pros- perity abide in your kingdom, and may all its enemies be scattered. king, we have been sent to you to arrange for the marriage of your daughter, the fame of whose beauty has reached all countries, with our good and noble king of Kashmfr. He knows her beauty and excel- lent virtues, and cannot rest day or night till he is certi- fied of your good pleasure concerning this his wish. Our king's goodness and power and wealth are not hidden from Your Majesty. We beseech you, therefore, to sanction this most desirable union, and dismiss us." "I have heard," the king said after a brief pause. ". To-morrow I will give you my reply.'' On the morrow, therefore, he consulted his wife and his wazir, and they both having accepted the match, he called the embassage and told them to go and inform their king that the offer was approved, and that in due time ' arrangements would be made with him for the wedding. When the king of Kashmfr heard from his go-betweens that the other king would give him his daughter in mar- riage he was exceedingly glad, and gave large presents to the go-betweens. In a little while the king sent for him. A convenient day was at hand, and the message to him was to come at once. Accordingly, attended by his most wise ministers and courtiers, the flower of his army, and a large company io6 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. of gaily dressed servants and richly caparisoned horses bearing gifts, the king of Kashmir started. He reached his destination without any mishap, and was heartily welcomed by the other king. Within a day or two the wedding took place. It is not necessary to speak of the magnificent arrangements of everything — how that the palace seemed one blaze of jewels ; and gold and silver, like so much rice, were dis- tributed to vast crowds of beggars who came from all parts ; and the bridfi and bridegroom looked very beauti- ful. All these will be supposed. Everything was splen- didly done, and everybody was exceedingly happy. On arrival in his own country after the wedding, the king of Kashmir put his new wife, with the rest of his wives, in the royal haram. But, strange to say, these first days passed without his ever seeing her or speaking to her. In a little while her father sent for her, according to custom. So she went back to her father's house, and there remained; but she said nothing to any one, except her mother, about her husband's strange behaviour to her. To her mother, however, she explained everything. She told her of the garden episode also, and added that she supposed it was on account of her retort that the king of Kashmir thus treated her. " Never mind," said the queen. " Don't worry. Mat- ters will right themselves again. Only wait." When three years had elapsed, and the king of Kashmir had not sent for or inquired after his wife, she went to her father and expressed her great desire to travel, and begged him to allow one of his wazirs and a cohort of soldiers to accompany her, in order that she might travel in a manner befitting her position. " What do you wish to do ? Where do you wish to go 1 " said the king. " I wish to see something of other countries, and especi- ally your feudatories ; and in order that I may do so with ease and pleasure, I beg you to give me help." SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 107 " But you are a woman," said the king, -with an aston- ished air, " and young and beautiful. How can you travel ? People will wonder to see you going about unattended by your father or mother. No ; I don't think that I can grant your wish. I should be wrong if I did." " Then I must go altogether alone," she said ; " for I am determined to carry out my wishes." " Ah me ! if it is so, I suppose I must give my consent. It will only be adding trouble to trouble to hear of your death as well as your disgrace. But I ask you not to go very far — only in the surrounding countries." " I promise you," she replied, and left the room. Then the king summoned a wazir, one in whom he had special confidence, and ordered him to attend the princess in her wanderings. His Majesty also gave him charge of all the money and jewels and other valuables which his daughter would require on the journey. In a few days the princess departed, attended by the faith- ful wazir and a large company of soldiers and servants. Her first visit was to a petty king who held a small tract of. country in fief under her father. Hearing of her coming, this king went forth to meet her, and received her with great honour, and caused a great feast to be made in her name. She remained there a few days, and then con- tinued her journey. In this way she^ saw nearly all the adjacent countries, and learnt very much of their rulers and their ruled. At length she arrived near her husband's country of Kashmir. She naturally wished very much to see it — its court, its bdzdr, and its commerce, and everything concern- ing it. Accordingly she sent a letter to the king saying that she was the daughter of a certain king to whom he paid tribute, and that she was now waiting outside the walls, and wishing much to see the city within them. When the king of Kashmir had read the letter he summoned his wazirs and others, and at once went forth to the princess's camp, and conducted her to his palace. There everything io8 FOLK-TA LES OF KA SHMIR. that could minister to tlie illustrious visitor's comfort and pleasure was ordered and got ready. A special suite of apartments were set apart for her, the walls of which were hung with the most beautiful cloths, and the floors covered with the richest carpets ; the most sumptuous food was provided ; and the royal minstrels were bidden to be always present. These excellent arrangements charmed the princess, who at the end of the day thanked the king for his attention, and promised to remember him to her father. The next day, in the course of conversation, she said to the king of Kashmir, " I have something to say to you privately. Please come into the room." Thinking that she had a special message for him from her father concerning his country, he did so. It hap- pened, however, that she loved him, and had called him aside into that room in order that she might tell him so, and entreat him to allow her to stay there as long as she liked, and to come and see her constantly. Overcome by her beauty and entreaties, the king of Kashmir consented, and was often in her society. Many many months thus passed, till the princess revealed her intention of leaving for her own country. Her excuse was, that she had other cares, and wished to be at home again. However, she promised to return as soon as pos- sible, and giving the king her ring, asked him for his ring and handkerchief ^ in exchange, in token oi this promise and of their affection for one another. The king did so, and kissed her. The princess then left Kashmir, and returned to her own country as soon as she could. Everybody was very glad to see her back. The king, her father, was much interested in the account of her travels, and professed that he was now glad that she had visited the different ' In Indian Folk-tales the identity and handkerchief. Cf. Indian Fairy of hero or heroine is often proved by Tales, pp. 133, 199, 200 ; the Norse a ring, but less frequently by a ring tale of " The Widow's Son." SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 109 countries.' The queen, her mother, was intensely pleased to hear of her expectations of a child, and began to con- coct all sorts of plans for the bringing together of the husband, wife, and little one. At the appointed time a son was born, and they called him Shabrang.* When the king heard of his birth he was much enraged, for he thought that his daughter had done wrong. " This comes," he cried, " of sanctioning her wild request ! Oh that I had not been such a fool, and allowed her to go ! Her character is ruined ; her husband will never have anything to do with her; and my name is brought to reproach. Alas ! alas ! better to die than to suffer this ! " "ISTot so," said the queen, who had been attracted by the king's loud voice. " You have not asked who is the father of the child. He who ought to be the father is the father ; and nothing has happened to damage either our daughter's reputation or your name. While travelling the princess visited her husband's country ; and feigning herself to be another, she was admitted to her husband's palace, and there quickly won his affections, so that he grieved exceedingly to part with her ; and now she has given birth to a son by him. To accomplish this end was her only reason for asking your permission to travel." On this explanation His Majesty's anger and grief entirely disappeared. The thought of a son having been born into his family filled him with joy, and he praised his daughter for her affection and cleverness. As the boy grew he became wise and learned. Every instruction was given him, so that he had knowledge of almost every art and science then extant. He was also brave and skilful with the sword. The king was exceed- ingly proud of his grandson, and declared his readiness to make him one of the chief wazirs, and in a few years to 1 Shah-rang (Persian), black, dusky, his companions, after the hero of this obscure. Any especially wicked, cun- tale, ning boy is often called Shabrang by ' S no FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. deliver up the throne to Hm, if his father, the king of Kashmir, would not acknowledge him. His mother, however, was bent on Shabrang becoming a thief. She thought that by such a training he would become proficient in all manner of trickery and cunning, and thus be a great help to her in the accomplishment of her wishes. Accordingly, the most clever master-thief in the country was sent for, and ordered to take Shabrang and educate him in all the secrets of his art, and he was promised a very handsome present when the youth should be judged perfect. The thief said that he would try to teach him thoroughly, and he ha4,no dOubt that in a few months Shabrang would become an incomparable thief. Within three months the master-thief returned with the lad, and said that he had learnt remarkably quickly and well, and that the princess would not find him wanting in any respect. " "Well," said the princess, " I will examine him to see whether it is as you say. If Shabrang can climb yonder tree (which was an immense huni^), and can take away the hawk's egg from the nest without disturbing the hawk, I shall be pleased." " Go," said the master-thief, " and do your mother's wish." Away went Shabrang, climbed the lofty tree in a trice, and so skilfully inserted his hand into the nest and under- neath the hawk, and took away the egg, that the bird did not notice anything, and remained quiet and still long after Shabrang had descended and given the egg to his mother.^ " Clever ! well done ! " she said. " But go you now, 5 Persian, Chind/r, the Oriental i. pp. 14, 15. Cf. Grimm's Bouse- plane-tree, which was introduced hold Stories, the story oi "The Pour into the valley by the Musalmans Accomplished Brothers," p. 380 ; the from the West. Cf. Elmslie's Kash- same incident is also recorded in miri Vocabulary, p. 100. Shekh Nuru'ddin'a Life, as told in " A dangerous game, vide the inte- the Rishindma (the principal original resting episode narrated in the late work of the country). Kev. Charles Kingsley's Memoirs, vol. SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. in Shabrang, and take that man's paijdmas from him." She pointed at a labourer who was on the way to his house. r- Shabrang at once left, and running round a field, got some distance in front of the man, and then sat down by the path and looked most earnestly up at a tree. Pre- sently the labourer came near, and being very curious about what did not concern him, like the majority of ignorant people, he asked, "What are you looking up therefor?" " wretched fellow that I am ! " replied Shabrang, as- suming a most pitiful expression. "My beautiful coral necklace is on the top of this tree. I was playing with it, and accidentally slung it up there. Will you please fetch it for me ? I promise to give you two rupees baJchshish." "Oh yes," said the labourer, and immediately swung himself on to the lowest branch of the tree, and climbed higher and higher in the direction indicated by Shabrang. Shabrang thought that he would surely have taken off his paijdmas before climbing ; but the labourer refused to do this, saying that there was no need. So now Shabrang knew not what to do. He could not return to his mother empty-handed. His wits, however, did not fail him. He found a reed, and putting one end of it by an ant-hole, soon had it filled with those insects. Then, taking the reed, he climbed the tree after the labourer, till he got within a yard or two of him. The labourer did not notice him, because of the dense foliage and the noise of the wind and birds. Seeing his opportunity, Shabrang put the reed to his mouth, and blew with all his strength against the man's paijdmas. In a minute or two the poor labourer was itching terribly, and looking down, saw that the whole of the lower part of his body was covered with ants. He supposed that he must have rubbed by one of the holes of these insects in climbing. At all events they were there, and he had to unfasten his girdle, and pulling off his paijdmas, throw them out on to the ground. 112 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Happy Shabrang ! As quickly as possible he descended, picked up the paijdmas, and went to his mother. The princess was 'astonished. " You have been well taught. I do not fear for you now," she said ; and then turning to the master-thief, she gave him a handsome present and dismissed him. One morning, not long after this, while Shabrang was playing with other youths in the palace-garden, one of the company twitted him about his illegitimate birth. Very much surprised and annoyed, Shabrang immediately left the game and ran to his mother. " Mother, mother, tell me of my father," he cried, almost breathless. " My boy," she replied, " you are the son of the king of Kashmir, to whom I was duly married, but by whom I have been most cruelly deserted." ' " Dear mother," said Shabrang, " why did you not tell me this before ? And why doesn't my grandfather avenge this insult at the point of the sword ? " "Be not hasty," the princess answered. "To wound and to slay are not necessary, if other means are at hand. You are a sharp and clever boy. Go to your father's country, and so ingratiate yourself in the king's favour that he will promote you to high office, and offer you his own daughfei in marriage. When matters reach this stage send for me, and then I will give answer to the king whereby he will be convinced of his wrong, and perhaps restore his banished wife and place his brave and clever son on the throne." " Good," said the youth ; " I will struggle hard to do this." As quickly as possible Shabrang started for Kashmir. On arrival the first thing he did was to make friends with the king's doorkeeper.* This friendship increased, until the doorkeeper liked Shabrang so much, that he would do anything for him. One day he asked him whether he ' Of. story of Nliru'ddin 'Ali and ^ A most important personage, ride Badru'ddin Hasan in The Arabian note to " GuUdld Shdh's " story. Nights. SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 113 ■wisted for employipeiit in the state, and how he would like to serve in the king's palace. Shabrang thanked him, and replied that he should be very happy to under- take some definite work. And so the doorkeeper intro- duced his friend to th6 king, and spoke most eloquently of his skill and wisdom and general fitness for, any im- portant work that His Majesty might be pleased to grant him. The king was satisfied with Shabrang's appearance and manner and" speech, and at once appointed him one of the royal attendants, in which position Shabrang quickly prospered, and became most popular with the king and every one. After a time he thought he would put to the test the training which he had received from the master-thief. So every alternate night, and sometimes every night, he went on stealing expeditions. He stole here and there about the city, wherever he found opportunity, and hid all the ill-gotten things in a pit in a field. However, this did not interfere with his regular work. Every morning he was always most punctual at his post. By-and-by so many people losing their money and valuables, and no traces of the thief being discovered, a public petition was got ready and presented to the king, praying him to use all endeavours for the discovery and punishment of the thief. His Majesty was much grieved to hear this news. He called the deputy r inspector,^ and severely upbraiding him for the inefficient state of the police, ordered him, on pain of the royal displeasure, to find the offender. The deputy-inspector, said that he was very sorry, and promised to do all he possibly could. That night he inade special efforts for the capture of the thief. Policemen were stationed in every street and lane, and were given strict orders to watch ; the deputy- inspector, also, spent the night walking about. IsTotwith- standing all these arrangements Shabrang went to three, or four places, stole as much as he had a mind to, hid 5 Called kofwdl or kutawdl, the chief polioe-pfficer in the city. H 114 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. what he had stolen in the pit in the field, and then returned to the palace. The following day the people belonging to these three or four houses went to the king and complained that they had lost certain goods during the night. The king was much enraged. When the deputy-inspector saw His Majesty's great anger, he fell down on his knees 'and begged for mercy and justice. " Be pleased to listen, king, to your servant's words. I and all the police spent the whole night on patrol. Not one of us has slept for a moment. Every street and every corner of ttie city have been thoroughly guarded. How, then, can these things have happened ? " The king was much astonished. "Perhaps," said he, " the people have a grudge against you, or perhaps some of your men are thieves ; or it may be that some servants in the different houses have arranged among themselves to do this thing. Howsoever it may be, I expect you to discover the offenders, and to bring them before me ; and I give you a full week for this business." During these seven days and nights the deputy- inspector tried all manner of means to get some clue of the thief. He disguised himself in various dresses ; he had several of his men disguised also ; he offered great bribes for any information ; he promised the thief or thieves the royal pardon if they would confess and desist ; and he advertised in all places that the State would honour and protect the man who should discover the thief, so that no person might fear to reveal the matter. But all was in vain. The thief was not discovered, although he was stealing all this time, and even more than before. These extra measures for his capture put Shabrang rather on his mettle, and excited him to dare yet greater things. The city was much disturbed. Everybody, from the king himself down to the most menial subject, was in constant fear of being robbed. By day and by night, although every one kept a most careful watch over his property, yet nobody felt safe. SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 115 " What can be done ? " inquired the deputy-inspector on the evening of the seventh day. "No person can do more than has already been done." " True," replied the king ; " but take you the army also, and order them as you will." So on the seventh night soldiers as well as the police were posted at near distances from one another all over the city, and ordered to watch as for their own lives. The deputy-inspector also walked about the whole night supervising matters. In the midst of his peregrinations he saw a iigure moving stealthily along in a garden by the river- side. " A thief, a thief ! " he shouted, and rushed up to it. "Nay, nay," was the reply; "I am a poor gardener's wife, and have come hither to draw water." "Strange time to fetch water," said the deputy- inspector. " Why did you not get it before ? " ''' I was too busy," was the reply. Then said the deputy-inspector, "Have you seen or heard anything of the thief ? " " Yes, yes ; but I was afraid to give any alarm, lest the man should strike me. He has just been along here and taken a lot of my hdJc}" If you can wait a little you may catch him, as he is mdst likely to come by here again. He came from that quarter, and he has gone over there." " Good news, good news, good news ! " said the deputy- inspector ; " but how can I catch him ? There is not a bush here to hide one ; and seeing me, he will run off." " Put on my old pheran,'^^ and pretend you are drawing 1" Vegetables. . resistance offered hy them to his 1' Pheran (Pers. Pirdhan) is tfie general, Q&sim Kh^n, endeavoured to chief garment worn by the Kashmiri, unman and degrade the people of this male or female, Pandit or Musalm&n. country. And so he ordered them, Its shapa is not unlike a stout night- on pain of death, to wear pherans, gown, but with sleeves very often which have effeminated them, and half a yard wide and two or three hindered them in battle and in all yards long. The women's sleeves are manly exercises. Before Akbar's_ generally larger than the men's, time they all wore coats, vests, and These pherans are made in all colours trousers, like we do. Bates' Gazetteer, andin all kinds of cloth. Kashmii'is I believe, has a short article on the have a story that the Emperor Akbar, subject. Cf. also Tigne's Travels in enraged at the brave and prolonged Kashmir, vol. ii. p. 142. m6 folk-tales of KASHMIR. water. He is almost certain to come and take the rest of my kdk, and then you can go up to him and seize him." Now the deputy-inspector did not like , the idea of "going up" to a man of that character. However, he took the pheran, and asked to he shown how to draw water. The gardener's wife tied him to the weighted end of the beam, which acted as a lever for drawing up the water, and then told him to pull the string that was attached to the other end.^^ He did so, and as will be supposed, was carried up some twenty feet into the air. Then the gardener's wife fastened the down end of the beam to a peg in the ground, and taking up his clothes, left him. " Oh, oh ! " exclaimed the deputy-inspector. " Be quiet," said the gardener's wife on going away, " or the thief will hear you and not come this way. Keep quiet. You need not fear. The beam will not come down of itself. When the thief is coming I will let you down, and then you can catch him." Within half an hour Shabrang (the gardener's wife !) was sleeping in his bed. Within half an hotir, also, there being no, sign of a second visit from the thief that night, the deputy-inspector asked to be let down. But he received no answer. " Oh, let me down ! " he shouted, thinking that the gar- dener's wife had fallen asleep ; " let me down, for the thief is not coming here again to-night. Let me down ; the wind is blowing cold. What am I doing here, while the thief is probably stealing in another place ? " Still no answer. Then he shouted again, and threatened the gardener's wife with heavy punishment, pretending that he knew her name and her house. But still there was no reply. " Alas ! " he cried at last, " what trickery is this ? The wife of the gardener can be no other than the thief, and the blackguard has fastened me up here ! " 12 Tul is a contrivance consisting of to the other end, with a vessel full a long wooden pole, so placed upon of water. It is employed in raising another fixed perpendicular pole that water out of a stream or well, one end shall be nearly equal in weight SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 117 Early the next morning other people complained to the king that their property had been stolen. His Majesty sent for the deputy-inspector to know what he had done during the night; but the deputy-inspector was not at home, and had not been to his house since the previous evening. So the messenger went all over the city hunting for him. At length he came by the garden where the deputy-inspector had unfortunately entered, and there found the poor wretched man, dressed in a woman's , pheran, sitting across the raised end of a wel,l-beam, and almost frozen with the cold. Lest the king should not believe him, he begged His Majesty to come and see for himself what had happened to the deputy-inspector. The king went, and when he saw the man he could not refrain from laughing — his position was so ridiculous. As soon as the deputy-inspector's feet touched the ground, he explained to the king how it had all happened, and entreated hina to take away his life, as he did not care to live. , " What shall we do ? " inquired the king of his chief wazir. "A great and terrible calamity will happen to our country if it is not soon rid of this thief. How can it be averted ? The people will not suffer the loss of their goods much longer. Eath'er than live in this dreadful uncertainty they will quit the country." " This cannot and shall not be," replied the wazir. " If Your Majesty will allow me, I will go this night and search for the disturber of our peace." The king assented. Just as it was beginning to get dark the wazir mounted his horse and set out. Shabrang, the thief, also went out, and in a little while appeared as a poor musalmdhi, wearing a ragged 'plieran and a greasy jed kasdha,^^ over which a dirty jptits^^ was carelessly thrown. He sat at the door of a mud hut, and ground '' Kasdba, a small red cap worn by is allowed to hang almost down to Kashmiri musalmdnis. the heels of Kashmiri rausalm^n ^* Pats, a piece of cotton cloth women, which is thrown over the head, and ii8 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. maize by the dim light of a little oil lamp, that was fixed in the , wall just behind. It came to pass, as Shabrang quite expected, that the wazir arrived at the place, and attracted by the sound of the grinding, drew up his horse, and asked who yras there. "An old woman," was the answer. "I am grinding maize;" and then, as if observing for the first time that the rider was the wazir, she said in a most piteous tone, " Oh, sir, if you could catch the thief ! A man has just been here and beat me^ and taken away nearly all the maize which I had ground for my dinner." " A thief — what !; — where ! Tell me who it is. In what direction has he gone ? " " There, down there," pointing to the bottom of the hill. The wazir rode off and explored the neighbourhood, but found not a trace of the thief, and therefore came back again to the old woman to inquire further. "I have told you everything," she replied; "but what is the good ? Dressed as you are, and riding on a grand horse, you will never catch the thief. Will you listen to the advice of an old woman ? Change places with me. Change clothes with me. You stay here, and I will go quietly in search of the fellow. You remain here and grind some maize. He may come by again, and then you can catch him.'' The plan seemed good, and so the wazir agreed. Presently Shabrang, dressed as a grand wazir, and mounted on a most beautiful horse, might have been seen riding through the hdzdr of the city. An hour or so after he might have been seen talking with some other of the king's attendants in the court of the palace. The next morning several other people came weeping and complaining to the king about the loss of their pro- perty. Some had lost money, others jewels, others grain. " Sorrows, a hundred sorrows ! What shall we do ? Call 'the wazir," cried the king. A messenger was at once despatched to the wazir's SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. iig house, where it was heard that the wazir's horse had arrived without its rider; and, consequently, the whole family were almost mad with anxiety, supposing that the wazir had met with the thief and had been slain by him. When His Majesty heard this he was terribly grieved. Ordering his horse, he bade some of his attendants — Shabrang among the number-— to accompany him at once in search of the wazir. " It cannot be," he added, " that one so wise and faithful should perish in this way." In an hour or so, as the company were passing the little mud hut, they found the missing wazir, dressed in all the dirty, greasy rags of a poor musahndni, and weeping most pitifully. " Your Majesty, please go, please go," he cried. " Look not on my shame. I can never lift up my face in this country again ! " "Not so," said the king. "Courage! We shall yet find the man who has thus disturbed our country and disgraced our wazir." His Majesty then ordered the wazir to be taken to his house. For the nesiit night the thdnaddr^^ offered to super- intend arrangements, and notwithstanding his subordinate position, was accepted by the king. That night Shabrang disguised himself as the wazir's daughter, and w;aited in the wazir' s garden, hoping that the thdnaddr would reach the place some time during the early part of the night. He was not disappointed. Just before khuphtan'^^ the thdnaddr passed that way, and, seeing somebody walking about the garden, he inquired who it was. "The wazi/s daughter," was the answer. "What are you looking for ? " " The thief," said the thdnaddr. Yesterday he disgraced your father, and before that the deputy-inspector; and now to-night I am trying my fortune." 15 The chief magistrate of a pargana (a district). 1^ Ehuphtan (Pers. khMftan, to sleep), 9 p.M.-io p.m. Bedtime. 120 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. "Well, what would you do with the man if you got him?" "I'd put him in the prison in chains, and flog .him every day as hard as the blackguard could bear it." " Oh, let me see the prison ! " said the girl. " I've often wishied to see it, but my father never would let me. Now is my opportunity. It is not far. I should so like to see the place ! " "You must wait for another time. I haven't leisure now. And besides, your father would be angry if he knew that you werS outside the garden at this late hour." "He will never know," replied the girl. "He is iU. He was brought home ill yesterday. Make haste. I am coming ! " Thus constrained, the thdnaddr led the way to the prison. Only one policeman was on guard there, as all the rest had been ordered out to find the thief. At the girl's request the thdnaddr showed her everything. He even put on the chains, and went within the cell and showed her how the thief would fare if he were caught and put in the prison. Then Shabrang (the wazir's daughter !) gave the thdnaddr a push and sent him toppling, and closed the door of the cell ; and taking off the girl's dress, he put on the thdnaddr's turban and fastened the thdnaddr's belt round his" waist, and went straight to the thdnaddr's house. Speaking ■ hurriedly to the thdnaddr's wife, he said, " Give me som,e money and the jewels. I must leave the city and seek a living elsewhere. I have failed to find the thief, and therefore the king will no more favour me. Let me have these things and go. I will send you word where I am, and how and when you are to come to me." The woman immediately gave him the jewels and several hundred rupees in cash. Shabrang then kissed her and went. The following morning the king sent for the thdnaddr, and not finding him at home, caused search to be made SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 121 for him thro'ughout the city. Great was His Majesty's astonishment when he heard that the thdnaddr had been put into chains and placed within the innermost prison, and that the thief had visited the thdnaddr's house and obtained all the family jewels and the greater part of their savings. He called an assembly of all the wise men in his country to confer with them as to what should be done under the present distress. "You see," he said, " that it is useless to try and catch the thief. We may as well try to lay hold of the wind. The whole of the police and the greater part of the army have been watch- ing for several days. Everybody has been on the alert. For the last week several in each house have always been awake. Greater precaution there could not have been, and yet the people are robbed. Our wazir and deputy- inspector and one of our thdnaddrs have been made laughing-stocks in the city. What can we do ? If any person can help us, or if the thief himself will confess and promise to eschew his evil ways, we will give him our daughter in marriage and the half of our country." On this. Shabrang stepped forward and asked His Majesty's permission to speak. " king, you have pro- mised before all the great and wise in your land to give your daughter and the half of your country to the thief if he will only confess and desist from stealing." " Yes," said His Majesty. "Then know you, king, that I am the thief; and to prove my words, let Your Majesty be pleased to command all those who have lost any money or property of any kind during the last few weeks to attend at a certain place outside the city on the morrow, and I will give them back their goods." The whole assembly was electrified with astonishment. People stared at Shabrang as though he were a god. Some thought that he was mad and knew not what he said. At length, after some moments' dead pause, 122 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. the king spoke and said, "It is. well; it shall he so. Shabrang, attend me." The king left with Shabrang, and the assembly was dis- missed. In private His Majesty repeated his promise, and said that arrangements for the wedding and for the hand- ing oyer of half of the country would be made as soon as possible.'^'^ On the morrow all who had been robbed of anything gathered together in a large field by the wall of the city, and there, in the presence of the king and his wazirs, Shabrang restored all the money and jewels and clothes that he had taken. Everybody went away pleased, and there was peace again in the land. On returning to the palace Shabrang begged the king to permit him to send for his mother, that he might get her counsel and help concerning the marriage. The king agreed, and Shabrang's mother was sent for. She arrived as quickly as she could, and at once had an interview with the king. His Majesty received her most graciously, and expressed himself as most glad to be able to give his daughter to one so clever and handsome and well-bred as her son. " Your Majesty speaks kindly," she replied, " but this marriage cannot be. It is not lawful to marry one's son with one's daughter. A brother cannot marry his own sister." " I do not understand you," said the king. " And no wonder," was the reply, " for you do not re- member me ; but this ring and this handkerchief will remind you of me. Take them, please, for they are yours, and give me back the ring which I gave you in exchange." She then told him everything — how that she was his lawful wife ; and how that, because he had forsaken her, she had visited him in disguise j and how that Shabrang 17 Cf. " The Clever Thief," in TiZie- the king ' promises his daughter's tan Tales, p. 43. In a story also hand to the robber, who reveals him- told by Herodotus](Bk. II. oh. oxxi.), self and receives the princess. SHABRANG, PRINCE AND THIEF. 123 had been born to him ; and how, when he had grown up, she had prevailed on him to go to the Kashmir court. Now was fulfilled what she spoke to him that day when they first met in her father's garden — " A boy should marry his father's daughter." Then and there the king of Kashmir was reconciled to his wife, and Shabrang was acknowledged as prince and heir to the throne: Henceforth all three lived together for many many years in great joy and happiness." ^® 15 Gf.tlietwelfthstoryof theil/ada- Herodotus, vide Orientalist, vol. ii. nakamdrdjankadai {The Dravidia/n p. 168. Nights) for a parallel tale ; the com- Kashmiris tell many such tales of menoement of the thirteenth tale of L&iq fsiir, and his conlpanion Kabir the £aitoZPacMsi; the story of "The Tsii, and pupil Mahl,der Bishta, Master Thief" in Norse Tales; Ti- who is now alive in Srlnagar jail. hetan Tales, p. 43 ; Orientalist, vol. Compare also several incidents in the ii. Part iii.-iv. p. 48, and Part ix.-x. history of Shekh Nfiru'ddin as given p. 167. The tale probably came from in the Bishindma. ( 124 ) THE TROUBLESOME FRIEND} A MUQADDAM ^ became very friendly with another man of his village, who eventually proved to be such a mercenary individual that he determined to get rid of him. But this was easier said than done, for a very close friendship had sprung up between them, and he did not wish to seriously offend the fellow, as he had revealed to him too much of his own private affairs. At last he hit on the following plan : — " Wife," said he, " this man will certainly call just as we are sitting down to dinner, in the hope that he also will get something to eat. I will go out now, but will come back later on to eat my food. You have a little, and put the rest aside, and when he comes tell him that we have finished our meal. If he says, ' Never mind. You can cook some- thing else for me,' tell him that you dare not do so shameful a thing without your husband's permission. Be very civil to him, but do not give him any food." When the man came the wonjan did as her husband had advised. "I am sorry, sir," she said, "that the muqaddam is out. If he were here he would undoubtedly kill a cock for you." " Why are you sorry ? " he said. " It does not matter if your husband is out. I am here, and I am not ashamed to kill a cock." " Never," said the woman. " If my husband heard of such a thing he would be very angry with me. Please do ^ Narrator's name, a shawl-weaver muqaddams and the officers iinmedi- living in Srluagar. ately above them are the real oppres- 3 The chief man of a village. These sors of the people in the valley. THE TROUBLESOME FRIEND. 125 not bother; but go, and come again at some other time ■when the muqaddam is in." However, the man was not to be put off so easily. " Bother ! " said he. " Believe me, I shall really like to do a little work. Come now, let me kill a cock while you pre- pare a fire to cook it for me. I will explain matters to the muqaddam when he returns." Saying this, he walked out into the yard where the fowls were kept, and taking one of the finest cocks he could catch, proceeded to kill it. " Oh, please do not,'' cried the woman. " My husband will be here soon, and will get some food for you." But the man was not to be put off. He at once killed a cock, and handing it to the woman, asked her to cook it for him. Seeing no way of escape out of the difficulty, the woman obeyed, but before the meal was ready the muqaddam returned. " Saldm, saldm," he said to his friend, and after the few usual questions concerning his health and affairs, rushed to the kitchen and asked his wife what she had done. She told him everything. " Very well," he said. " It is not of much consequence. We will get the better of this man yet. Listen, — when the cock is ready, mind you give him only a little, but give it in the copper pot.^ Give me the rest, but set it before me in the earthen pot." As soon as the meal was ready the woman did so. However, the man was too sharp for them. He noticed the meagre quantity placed before him, and the abund- ance that was set before the muqaddam. " ISTo, no," he said. " Do you think that I am going to eat out of this copper pot and you out of that earthen pot ? Never ! This cannot be." Thus saying, he seized the muqaddam's pot, and put the copper one before him instead. In vain all remonstrance from the muqaddam. The latter might as well have held his breath. ' 3 Kashmiri, tr&m, a copper vessel Hindtis do not make use of vessels out of which the Musalm&ns eat. made of this metal. 126 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Seeing the state of affairs, the muqaddam looked most significantly towards his wife, and said, " For several days a dev has haunted our house. Once or twice he has ap- peared about this time and put out all the lights." " Indeed," said the visitor. The woman took the hint, and at once extinguished the lamp. When all was in total darkness the miiqaddam put out his hand to take the earthenware pot from his friend ; but the friend perceived the movement, and placing the pot in his left hand, seized the lamp-stand with the other and began to beat the muqaddam, most unmercifully. " Oh ! oh ! " exclaimed the muqaddam. " What are you doing to my husband ? " shouted the woman. "The dev is trying to steal my food," said the man. " Be careful. Be careful ! " he shouted to the supposed dev, and each time he struck him as hard as he could with the lamp-stand. At last the lamp-stand was broken, and the man ran out of the door, taking good "care to carry the earthenware pot and its contents with him.* * Ooinpare the story of " Vidamun- 78. Of. also Sinhalese story in The dan Kodamundan " from Madras, Orientalist, vol. ii. p. 147. Indian Antiquary, vol. xiv. pp. 77, ( 127 ) THE WICKED STEPMOTHER} One day a Brahman adjured his wife not to eat anything without him lest she should become a she-gpat. In reply the Brahmani begged him not to eat anything without her, lest he should be changed into a tiger. A long time passed by and neither of them broke their word, till one day the Brahmani, while giving food to her children, her- self took a little to taste ; and her husband was not present. That very moment she was changed into a goat. ' When the Brahman came hpme and saw the she-goat running about the house he was intenselly grieved, because he knew that it was none other than his own beloved wife. He kept the goat tied up in the yard of his house, and tended it very carefully. In a few years he married again, but this wife was not kind to the children. She at once took a dislike to them, and treated them unkindly and gave them little food. Their mother, the she-goat, heard their complainings, and noticed that they were getting thin, and therefore called o^ie of them to her secretly, and bade the child tell the others to strike her horns with a stick whenever they were very hungry, and some food would fall down for .them. They did so, and instead of getting weaker and Uiinner, as their stepmother had expected, they became stronger and stronger. She was surprised to see them getting so fat and strong while she was giving them so ' little food. In course of time a one-eyed daughter was born to this wicked woman. She loved the girl with all her 1 Narrator's name, Shira BS.y(i, Eenawari, Srinagar. 128 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. heart, and grudged not any expense or attention that she thought the child required. One day, when the girl had grown quite big and could walk and talk well, her mother sent her to play with the other children, and ordered her to notice how and whence they obtained anything to eat. The girl promised to do so, and most rigidly stayed by them the whole day, and saw all that happened.! On hearing that the goat supplied her step-children with food the woman got very angry, and determined to kill the beast as soon as possible. She pretended to be very ill, and sending for the hakim, bribed him to pre- scribe some goat's flesh for her. The Brahman was very anxious about his wife's state, and although he grieved to have to slay the goat (for he was obliged to kill the goat, not having money to purchase another), yet he did not mind if his wife really recovered. But the little children wept when they heard this, and went to their mother, the she-goat, in great distress, and told her every- thing. " Do not weep, my darlings," she said. " It is much better for me to die than to live such a life as this. Do not weep. I have no fear concerning you. Food will b6 pro- vided for you, if you will attend to my instructions. Be sure to gather my bones, and bury them all together in some secret place, and wheiiever you are very hungry go to that place and ask for food. Food will then be given you." The poor she-goat gave this advice only just in time. Scarcely had it finished these words and the children had departed than the butcher came with a knife and slew it. Its body was cut into pieces and cooked, and the step-* mother had the meat, but the step-c^iildren got the bones. They did with them as they had been directed, and thus got food regularly and in abundance. Some time after the death of the she-goat one morning one of the step-daughters was washing her face in the stream that ran by the house, when her nose-ring un- fastened and fell into the water. A fish happened to see THE WICKED STEPMOTHER. 129 it and s-wallowed it, and this fish was caught by a man and sold to the king's cook for His Majesty's dinner.^ Great was the surprise of the cook when, on opening the fish to clean it, he found the nose-ring. He took it to the king, who was so interested in it that he issued a proclamation and sent it to every town and village in his dominions, that whosoever had missed a nose-ring should apply to him. Within a few days the brother of the girl reported to the king that the nose-ring belonged to his sister, who had lost it one day while bathing her fape in the river. The king ordered the girl to appear before him, and was so fascinated by her pretty face and nice mannet that he married her, and provided amply for the support of her family." * '' 2 Cf. story of " True Friendship " paper in the JVineteenth Century, in this collection. xxxiii. pp. 832-854. Oue of the most ^ Cf. Servian story in Vuk Kara- signific^t features of these stories is jich, No. 32 ; a Greek variant of the that which refers to the dead mother's story (Hahn, Ko. 2) ; the Sicilian tale guardianship of her distressed ohil- (Pitr4 No. 41). This story evidently dren. " The idea that such a protec- belongs to the " Cinderella " cycle, tion might be exercised is of great Vide Professor Kalston's interesting antiquity and of wide circulation." ( I30 ) TRUE FRIENDSHIP.^ A KING and his chief wazir were in great trouble. Neither of them had been blest with a son. A like trouble had bound the king and wazir very much together. They appeared happy only in one another's society. Very rarely were they to be seen separate. Where the king was, there the wazir also would certainly be ; and where the wazir was, there the king also would assuredly be found. One morning they went hunting together in a jungle, where they came across a gosdirt squatting before a fire and evidently worshipping, for he did not look up or in any way notice his illustrious visitors, "Let us speak to him," said the king. "Maybe the good man will do something for us." Accordingly they both prostrated themselves before the man and told him all their trouble. " Grieve not," replied the gosdin, still bending down his head, " grieve not. Take these two mangoes, and give one to one wife, and the other to the other wife, and bid them eat. Then they each shall bear a son." Thanking the gosdin, the king and the wazir returned and carried out his instructions ; and in the course of nine months and nine days their wives gave birth to two fine boys. What rejoicings there were in the palace, and in the wazir's house, and in the city, and in all the country round when these two boys were born ! Gifts were lavished without measure on the brahmans, the poor were feasted everywhere, and all prisoners were re- 1 Narrator's name, Sliiva B4yil, Eenawari, Srinagar. TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 131 leased. Never was there such a time known in the land before. As will be supposed, great care was bestowed on the young scions of such noble houses. While they were infants they were attended to by several experienced ddis, and when they were of an age to learn they were instructed by the best masters. No pains or money were spared to make them proficient in every way ; and so much did they profit with all these advantages, that they both became prodigies in learning and prowess and art. Like their fathers, they too became much attached to one another; and were, generally to be found together. One day they went together to a certain jungle to hunt. They rode about the place for several hours, till the prince becoming very tired and thirsty, they dismounted. The horses were fastened to a tree, and the prince sat down by them, while the wazir's son went in quest of water. He quickly found a stream, and forgetting the prince, started off to discover its source. He went on a mile or so, till he came to a little spring, where he beheld a lovely fairy reclining beside a great lion. He noticed, too, that the beast seemed afraid of the fairy. Surprised at this strange sight he immediately turned and ran back to the prince as fast as he could, taking with him a little water on the way. "Where have you been sd long? Why do you look so? What has happened?" inquired the prince when the wazir's son appeared. " Oh ! nothing," replied the wazir's son. "But something has occurred," persisted the prince. " I can see it in your face." " brother," replied the wazir's son, " I have seen the most lovely creature in the world, and a lion was by her side, and the animal seemed afraid of her, — such was the power of her beauty." "I also would like to see this woman. Come along, take me to her," said the prince. 132 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The wazir's son agreed. So they both went together to the place, and found the lion asleep, with its head in the fairy's lap. "Don't be afraid," said the wazir's son. "Let us go right up and seize the woman while the beast is sleeping.'' They both went close up, and the wazir's son raised the lion's head and laid it on the ground, while the prince took the fairy's hand and led her away. The wazir's son remained. When the lion awoke, and saw nobody there except the vMzir's son, it said, " What has become of the fairy ? " " My friend has taken her away," replied the wazir's son. " Your friend ? " repeated the lion. " Is he your friend who has left you to die alone ? Surely such a one is your most bitter enemy. No real friend would act like this. Listen to me, and I will tell you a story of some true friends : — " Once upon a time there were three friends ; one was a prince, the other was a brahman, and the third was a car- penter.^ Each of them had some special gift. The prince was well qualified in settling hard and difficult disputes ; the brahman could raise the dead to life again; and the carpenter could make a house of sandal wood that would go here and there at the command of its owner. "One day the brahman was banished from his home. Something unpleasant had cropped up between him and his parents ; so the latter turned him away. In the hour of his distress he sought his two friends, and told them everything, and entreated them to depart with him to some distant country. The prince and the carpenter both agreed. Accordingly they all started together. They had not gone far, when the prince for some reason or other stopped. The others, however, proceeded on their way. After a while the prince hastened forward, thinking to overtake them ; but he unfortunately followed a wrong path, and did not find them. On and on he went, how- 2 Ct. Wide-Aiuake Stories, pp. 48, 256 ; Bilochi Stoi-ies, p. 33. TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 133 ever, hoping to reach them, and wondering why they were walking so fast. Meanwhile the brahman and the car- penter were going on very slowly and wondering why the prince lagged behind, till at last they gave him up, think- ing that he had become home-sick and returned to the palace. " In the course of his wanderings the prince arrived at an immense plain, in the midst of which was a grand and lofty building. 'Who lives here?' thought he. 'Some mighty potentate most assuredly. I will go and inquire.' On entering the building a most beautiful woman came forward to meet him. " ' Come in,' she said in a most kindly tone, and began to weep. " ' Why do you weep ? ' he asked. " ' Because,' she replied, ' your beauty and your youth excite my compassion for you. In your ignorance you have wandered to the gates of death. Oh ! why did you not inquire before venturing on this journey? Knew you not that a rdJcshasa resides here, who has eaten every human being for many a mile around ? Alas ! alas ! what shall I say ? I am afraid that you too will be devoured by him.' " 'No, no,' said the prince. ' Speak not so despondingly. Advise me, please, and I shall be saved.' " ' But I really do not know what to do for your safety,' said the woman, and sobbed. At length, however, she led him to a room at the back of the house, and shut him up in a big box that was there. ' Now remain here quietly till I come again,' she said, ' and may Parameshwar pre- serve you.' " In the evening the rdJcshasa returned. His keen sense of smell soon detected the presence of another human being in the place. 'Another person is here besides yourself,' he said. ' Who is it ? Tell me quickly. I am hungry.' " ' You cannot be very well to-day,' replied the woman. 134 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. ' No person has been here. Who db you suppose -would dare to approach this place, which has become the terror of all the world ? ' "On this the rdJcshasa was quiet; and the woman, seeing the effect of her words, gained confidence and played with him, and among other conversation asked him to inform her of the secret of his life. ' You leave me every day,' she said ; ' and when you go I know not when you will return. I sometimes fear that you will never come back, and then I — what shall I do ? whither shall I go ? The people hate me for your sake, and will come and kill me. Oh ! tell me that there is no cause for fear.' " ' My darling,' said the rdkshasa, ' do not weep. I shall never die. Except this pillar be broken,' pointing to one of the massive pillars that supported the front verandah of the building, 'I cannot die. But who is there that knows this thing to do it ? ' "The following morning the rdkshasa went forth as usual, and directly he was out of sight the woman went and released the prince, and related to him all the adven- tures of the night. The prince was very glad when he heard what had happened. ' Now is the time,' said he. ' I will immediately destroy this pillar, and rid the land of the monster.' Thus saying, he struck the pillar again and again, till it was broken into several pieces ; and it was as if each stroke had faUen on the rdJcshasa, for he howled most loudly and trembled exceedingly every time the prince hit the pillar, until at last, when the pillar fell down, the rdkshasa also fell down and gave up the ghost. " The prince stayed with the beautiful woman in the grand house, and people came in crowds to thank him for slaying the rdkshasa. Henceforth peace and plenty reigned in the country. The surrounding land was awain cultivated, villages were again inhabited, and the air was again filled with the songs of a happy and prosperous people. But true happiness does not flow on in even TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 135 ' course for ever. One day the woman was arranging her hair by a window of the house, when a crow flew down and carried off the comb that she had placed on the sill. The bird carried it far away to the sea and let it drop. There it was swallowed by a big fish, and this fish chanced to be caught by a fisherman, and being a fine fish, was carried to the palace to be prepared for the king. In cleaning the fish the comb was found. Thinking it very curious, the cook showed it to the king. When His Majesty saw the comb he expressed a great wish to behold its former owner. He despatched messengers in every direction to try to find the woman, and promised an immense reward to any person who would bring her to him. After a while a woman was found who recognised the comb, and pro- mised to introduce the owner of it to the king as soon as she could conveniently do so. She visited the wife of the prince, and quickly contrived to ingratiate herself in her favour. She got an invitation to come and stay at the house altogether, which she accepted. When she saw that she could not possibly accomplish her purpose so long as the prince was alive she poisoned the prince, and bribed the hakim to declare that he had died a natural death. Oh how the wife of the prince grieved when he died! People thought that she too would die. She would not give up the corpse, but ha'd it placed in a big strong box and kept in her own private room. She had often heard of her husband's two friends, and what they could do, and hoped much to see them some day and get her husband restored to life. "At the earliest opportunity the wicked go-between persuaded the woman to leave the house, the scene of •so mu«h trouble, and to come and reside with her for a time. The woman agreed. As soon as she had got her into her house the go-between sent to the king and secretly informed him of her success, whereupon His Majesty came and took the woman away by force to his palace, and entreated her to live with him as his wife. She 136 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. said that she would, but asked him to defer the marriage for six months, because her religious adviser had per- suaded her to do so. The king was intensely happy in the thought of her affection, and waited anxiously for the day. He had a little palace built expressly for her near the roadside, and allowed her to live alone in it. Meanwhile the woman was praying and longing for some news of her deceased husband's friends. She was inquiring everywhere^ and was watching from her window every day, lest peradventure they should pass that way. "One day she saw two men coming along together in the direction of the house. ' Who axe you, and whence do you come ? ' she asked. " ' We are travellers,' they said, ' and after much journey- ing have reached this place. We have lost our prince and friend, and are looking for him everywhere.' " ' Come in,' she said, ' and rest a while. Come in and tell me more of your friend who is lost. Perhaps I can help you to find him.' "'Show us,' said they, 'where the prince is, and we shall be happy.' So they both entered the palace, and sitting down with the woman, told her all their history. " ' Praise, praise ! ' she exclaimed. ' I can tell you what has become of your friend ; but, alas ! he is dead.' " ' Never mind,' said the brahman ; ' I can restore him to life again. Thanks, a thousand thank's, that we have reached th^s place ! May Parameshwar bless you, lady, with all that heart can desire ! Show us the body of our beloved friend once more.' " ' But stay,' said she. ' We must act with great caution. The king of this country is deeply in love with #ne. I have plighted myself to him. Nearly six months has he .waited for the marriage at my request, and now the day is near when he will come and fetch me. We must be very careful, because His Majesty has surrounded me with servants, who give information of all that transpires here. TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 137 "Without doubt he has already been informed of your presence in this place. How can we escape ? ' " ' Fear not, lady/ said the carpenter. ' If you can procure me a little sandal wood, I will construct for you a house that will remove from- place to place at the owner's pleasure.' " ' Very well,' said the woman ; ' I will try to get it for you.' " Presently a messenger was speeding to the king's palace with a letter written after this manner : — ' king, I have betrothed myself to you. The day of bur wedding draws nigh. Be pleased, I pray you, to send me three hundred maunds of sandal wood.' The king complied at once with her request. When the house was : quite ready the woman sent another letter to the king after this manner : — ' king, most gracious and good ! The day of our wedding is at hand. Be pleased, I pray you, to allow my sister-in-law and the wife of my brother- in-law to come to me without delay. There are some matters on which I wish to have their counsel.' The king complied with this request also. " As soon as the two women reached the sandal wood house, where the woman and her friends were waiting for them, the carpenter ordered the building to transport them to the rdkshasa's palace, where they would find the prince, and be able to enjoy themselves, and be safe from all attacks of the king. Away the 'house went, and so quietly, that the women knew not what was happening. They were talking to one another and admiring the beauty of the structure, wh'en suddenly they found them- selves looking at the lovely palace of the dead rdkshasa. There the brahman was shown the corpse of the prince, whom he restored to life again by touching his hand. " Now all was joy and gladness again. The prince was formally married to the lovely woman, who turned out to be the daughter of one of the mightiest kings of that time ; and his two friends the brahman and the carpenter 138 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. were married to Jher sister-in-law and brother-in-law's wife. And they all lived happily together to the end of their days in the rdkshasa's palace. " wazir's son ! " said the lion on finishing the story, " such men as the brahman and the carpenter are friends. Speak not of the prince, who has gone off with the fairy and left you here to perish alone — speak not of him as a friend. However, you shall not perish. I will not harm you. Depart to your house, and may peace be with you." 3 ' Compare variant in Indian Anti- " The Shipwrecked Prince " in this quary, vol. s. p. 228 ff, ; also tale of collection. ( 139 ) THREE BLIND MEN} "0 NIeIyan, grant me, I beseech thee, one hundred rupees, and I will give ten of them in thy name to the poor." Thus ejaculated a poor brahman one day as he walked along the hdzdr, wondering how he should get the next meal. Narayan had pity on him, and heard his prayer. The brahman at once received the money, part of which he kept in one hand open, ready for distribution among the poor, and the remainder he held in the other hand, tied up in a handkerchief. Presently he came across a blind man begging, and gave him ten rupees, as he had promised in his prayer. Astonished at such unwonted liberality, the blind man inquired, " Why have you given me this money ? " The brahman replied, "Narayan has just sent me one hundred rupees on the condition that I give ten of them in his name to the poor." " May you be blessed ! " said the blind man. " Please show me all the money. I have never felt a hundred rupees all together in my life. Do please let me feel them." Nothing suspecting, the brahman readily put the hand- kerchief into the beggar's hand. Poolish man ! he must have been simple to do so. Of course the blind man immediately pretended that all the money was his, and when the brahman remonstrated with bim ^^^^ ^^^^ liold of the handkerchief again, the fellow shouted with all his might, " Help, help ! This man is a thief, and is 1 Narrator's name, Shiva ES,u>, Banah Mahal, Srinagar. I40 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. trying to take away all that I possess. Seize him, people ! I have not sufficient strength to hold him any longer." ^ " What has he done ? " cried they all. " He has taken my money," was the reply. " See ! he has it here in his hand — ^ninety rupees altogether. Count them, and prove my words." The people seized the brahman, and counted the rupees ; and finding the money to be the same as the blind beggar had said, they naturally believed him, and gave him the money. In vain the brahman protested. The people would not believe him. His tale seemed most unlikely. Accordingly he left the place, and walked home as fast as he could. " What a fool you were to show the money ! " said his wife, when sh« heard what had happened. "Have you not yet discovered the cunning of these blind men ? Go now and follow up this fellow, and watch where he puts the money." The brahman soon discovered the blind beggar. He was slowly walking towards a mosque, on reaching which he entered and sat down. " Nobody is here," he said to himself after a brief pause. However, to make quite sure, he felt with his stick all over the place. " Yes, the place is quite empty," said he ; "I am quite safe." Then he went to a corner of the mosque and removed an inch or so of the earth, and put the hundred rupees into an earthen pot which he had secreted there. " Thank God ! " he ex- claimed. " I had only one thousand rupees this morning ; but now I have eleven hundred. Thanks be to God ! " When the brahman heard' these words he was very glad. As soon as the beggar came out of the mosque he went in, and quickly took out the earthen pot of rupees and carried it to his house. On arrival his wife praised him, and said, " Now you * Cf. Old Deccan Days, p. 264. THREE BLIND MEN. 141 must go again, and see what the blind man will do. Keep your wits about you.'' The brahman went. All the next day he steadfastly followed the beggar, until he again found himself in the mosque, where the man had gone as usual to deposit the few pdii^as that he had received during the day. Great was the grief of the blind man when he found the earthen pot and all his treasure taken away. He beat his face and breast, and made such a noise that the malah went in to see what was the matter. Now this malah also was blind, and a great scamp. " What are you doing," he asked, " disturbing the neigh- bourhood and desecrating this place ? Out with you. You will bring a curse on us and the mosque. Be off at once, or I will call the people, and you will suffer for this behaviour." " Oh, sir," cried the beggar, " I have been robbed of everything that I possess. Some thief has visited this place and taken every pdiisa, of mine. What shall I do ? What shall I do ? " " You are a great fool ! " said the malah. " Stop your crying and learn better for the future. Who ever heard of a man keeping eleven hundred rupees in an earthen pot hidden just under the ground of a public place like this mosque, where people are accustomed to come and go at all hours of the day ? If you had managed as I have done this would never have happened." "How do you mstoage ? " asked the poor beggar. "Listen," replied the malah. "I have a big hollow stick, in which I keep all my money. This stick I always have by me. See, here it is ; " and he touched the beggar on the foot with it. " Go and get another stick like it, and you shall have no fear about your money." On hearing this the brahman carefully watched the Uind malah, in the hope of getting his money also. He cut a big hollow stick, something like the malah's stick ; and as soon as he found opportunity he changed the sticks. 142 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The malah always put his stick into the ground when he prayed, and as he prayed frequently the brahman was not kept waiting very long. His wife again praised him when she heard what he had done and saw the piles of rupees that he had brought back with him. " Go again," she said to him, " and see what this malah will do. May be that you will discover more treasure." The brahman obeyed, and found the old malah sitting by another blind malah, and weeping bitterly over his great loss. " Curses be on you," said the other blind malah, " for your foolishness ! Listen, and I will tell you what I do with my money. All my money I keep sewed up in my clothes. Who can take it from me ? I advise you to do likewise." When he heard these words the brahman went and bought a hive full of bees. This hive he placed at the bottom of a large earthen jar, and over the hive he spread a thick layer of honey. " Ha, ha ! this will frighten him," said he, as he walked disguised as a musalmdn to the house of the other blind malah, to present him with the jar full of honey (?) The malah was very pleased with the gift, and blessed the man. Then the brahman left. But he only went a short distance, for he wished to keep near the house till the malah had finished the honey. As soon as the man had left the mdlah began to take out the honey and to put it into smaller vessels, as he did not wish to be seen with so much of the good thing in his possession at one time. He filled one or two small pots, and began to poke the hive about to get out some more, when the bees, not liking such rough treatment, flew out and stung him. In vain he ran about and beat himself; the bees were most determined, and had no mercy. There was no help for it ; the blind malah was obliged to take off his cloak THREE BLIND MEN. 143 and throw it aside, and then to escape into his house. All the bees followed him. Poor man ! he would have been stung to death by them if. his wife had not arrived with a thick branch of a mulberry-tree, and beat them off. Meanwhile the brahman had carried off the cloak. On reaching home his wife praised him more than ever. " We are very rich now/' she said, " and shall not need anything more for the rest of our lives." As soon as the malah recovered from the stings, and knew that his precious cloak had been , stolen, he was much distressed. He went and told his trouble to the other blind malah, and they both went together and informed the blind beggar. After a while the three blind men determined to get an interview with the king, and to ask him to cause strict search to be made for the thief. His Majesty listened most attentively, and was exceed- ingly interested in their stories, and wished very much to know who it was that could thus deceive three such shrewd, clever men. He ordered proclamation by drum to be made throughout the city, that whosoever had done this thing, and would confess it, should obtain free pardon frpm the king, and be abundantly rewarded. Accordingly the brahman went and explained every- thing to His Majesty, and the king -said, "Shdbdsh .'* But have you done this of yourself, or has another advised you ? " ■ "My wife prompted me. Your Majesty," replied the brahman, " and I did so." " It is well," said the king, who gave him many presents, and then sent him away.* 2 A well-known exclamation, mean- the East. Vide "All for a P&nsa'' ing" Bravo!" "The Stupid Husband and Clever * The sharpness of a woman's wits Wife," and "Why the "Fish Talked," forms the theme of scores of tales in in this collection. ( 144 ) ALL FOR A PANS A.' There lived in the valley a very wealthy merchant, who had an exceedingly stupid and ignorant son. Although the best teachers were provided for the lad, yet he learnt nothing. He was too idle, too careless, too thick-headed to exert himself or to profit by what he heard ; he pre- ferred to loll away his time instead. One does not wonder, therefore, that his father gradually got to despise him; but his mother, as was natural, hoped for the best, and was always making excuses for him. When the lad had reached a marriageable age his mother begged the merchant to seek out a suitable wife for him. The merchant, however, was too much ashamed and grieved to have anything to do or say about his stupid son, and in his own mind had fully determined never to have him married. But the mother had set her heart on this. It was the one thing that she had been looking forward to for years. To have the lad remain a bachelor all his life would be an intolerable disgrace ; it would also be contrary to all religion and practice. She would not consent to this for a moment. And so she urged other excuses on her son's behalf. She professed to have now and again noticed extraordinary traits of wisdom and intelligence in him. This sorb of speech only aggravated the merchant. " Look here," he said to her one day, when she had been eulogising her son, " I have heard this many times before, but never once proved it. I do not believe there is a particle of truth in it. Mothers are blind. However, to assure you, I will give the fool another trial. 1 Narrator's name, Makund B4yfi, Sutlifi, Siinagar. ALL FOR A PANSA. 145 Send for him, and give him these three pdnsas. Tell him to go to the Mzdr, and with one pd'Asa to buy something for himself, to throw another pdnsa into the river, and with the remaining pd^isa to get at least five things — something to eat, something to drink, something to gnaw, something to sow in the garden, and some food for the cow." ^ The woman did so, and the hoy left. He went to the Idzdr and bought a pd'Asa-worth. of something for himself, and ate it. He then came to the river, and was on the point of throwing a pdnsa into the water, when he suddenly perceived the absurdity of so doing, and checked himself. " What is the good of doing this ? " he said aloud. " If I throw the pdnsa into the river I shall have only one left. What can I buy with one pdnsa — to eat and drink and be all the other things my mother asks for ? And yet ' if I do not throw this pdhsa away I shall- be acting disobediently." In the midst of this soliloquy the daughter of an iron- smith came up, and seeing -his distressed countenance, asked what was the matter. He told her all that his mother had ordered him to do, and that he thought it extremely stupid to obey. But what was he to do ? He did not wish to disobey his mother. " I will advise you," she said. " Go and buy a water- melon with one pdhsa, and keep the other in your pocket. Do not throw it into the river. The water-melon contains all the five things you need. Get one, and give it to your mother, and she will be pleased." The boy did so. When the merchant's wife saw the cleverness of her son she was very glad. She really thought that he was exceedingly wise. " Look," she said to her husband as ,soon as he came in, " this is our son's work." ^ The Kashmiri words used were : is also a riddle, of which the answer Khyun, chun, tah trakun, tah wdrih is HSndawSnd, a water-melon. wawun, tah gov kyut khurd/c. This K 146 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. On seeing the water-melon the merchant was surprised, and replied,^ " I do not believe that the lad has done this of himself. He would never have had the sense. Some- body has been advising him." And then, turning to the boy, he asked, " Who told you to do this ? " The lad replied, " The daughter of an ironsmith." " You. see," said the merchant to his wife. " I knew this was not the work of that stupid. However, let him be married — and if you agree and he wishes it — to this ironsmith's daughter, who has so interested herself in him, and seems so very clever." " Yes, yes," replied the woman ; " nothing could be better." In a few days the merchant visited the ironsmith's house, and saw the girl that had helped his son. " Are you alone ? " he inquired. " Yes," she replied. " Where are your parents ? " " My father," she said, " has gone to buy a ruby for a cowrie, and my mother has gone to sell some words. But they both will be here presently. Please to wait till they come." " Very well," said the merchant, much perplexed by the girl's words. " Where did you say your parents had gone ? " " My father has gone to get a cowrie's worth of ruby, i.e., he has gone to buy some oil for the lamp ; and my mother has gone to sell a few words, i.e., she has gone to try and arrange a marriage for somebody." The merchant was much struck with the girl's clever- ness ; but he reserved his thoughts. Presently both the ironsmith and his wife returned. They were astonished to see the great and wealthy mer- chant in their humble abode. Giving him a most respect- ful saldm, they inquired, " Why have you thus honoured our house ? " s Of. Madanakamdrdjankadai {The Vravidian Nights), p. 63. ALL FOR A PANSA. 147 He informed them that he wanted their daughter as a wife for his son. Of course, the offer was readily accepted. A day was fixed for the wedding, and the merchant returned to his house. " It is all right," he said to his wife. " The people have agreed to the marriage, and the day has been arranged." The wind carried the news everywhere, and people began to talk among themselves concerning the supposed severity of the merchant in marrying his son to one so much lower in rank than himself. Some busybodies even went so far as to prejudice the merchant's son against the girl. They advised him to warn her father that if he continued to sanction this unsuitable union, and the marriage really took place, he would beat the girl seven times a day with a shoe. They thought that when the ironsmith heard this, he would be frightened and break off the engagement. " However," they added, " even suppos- ing that the man is not frightened and the marriage is celebrated, it will be a good thing if you thus treat your wife at first. She will in this way learn obedience and never give you any trouble." * The stupid fellow thought this was a splendid plan, and acted accordingly. The ironsmith was very much disturbed. As soon as he saw his daughter he informed her what the merchant's son had said, and begged her to have nothing to do with the man. "It were better," he said, "never to be, married, than to be joined to one who would treat you like a dog-thief." "Dp not be distressed, dear father," she replied. " Evidently this man has been influenced by some wicked persons to come to you and say this thing. But be not troubled. It will never be. There is a wide gap between what a man says and what a man does. Do not fear for me. "What he says will never come to pass." On the. appointed day the marriage was celebrated. At ' Cf. Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings, p. 35 ; also Persian " Story of Beating the Cat." 148 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. midnight the bridegroom arose. Thinking his wife was fast asleep, he took up a shoe and was about to strike her, when she opened her eyes. '' Do not so," she said. " It is a bad omen to quarrel on one's wedding-day. To- morrow if you still desire to strike me, then strike me ; but do not let us quarrel to-day." The following night the bridegroom again lifted his shoe to strike her, but she again begged him to desist, saying, "It is a bad omen when husband and wife disagree during the first week of their marriage. I know that you are a wise man and will hear me. Defer this purpose of yours till the eighth day, and then beat me as much as you think proper." The man agreed, and flung the shoe on one side. On the seventh day the woman returned to her father's house, according to the custom of all muhammadan brides. " Aha ! aha ! " said the young man's friends when they met him. " So she has got the better of you. Aha ! what a fool you are ! We knew it would be so." Meanwhile the merchant's wife had been planning for her son's future. She thought it was quite time he occupied an independent position. She said, therefore, to her husband, " Give him some merchandise, and let him travel." "ISTever," replied- the merchant. "It would be like throwing money into the water to give it into his hands. He would only squander it away." " ZSTever mind," persisted the wife. " He will learn wis- dom in this way only. Give him some money, and let him visit distant countries. If he makes money, then we may hope that he will value it. If he loses the money, and becomes a beggar, then we may hope, also, that he will value it when he again gets it. By either experience he will profit. "Without one of these experiences he will never be fit for anything." The merchant was persuaded, and calling his son, gave him a certain amount of money and some goods and servants, and bidding him be careful, sent him away. The ALL FOR A PANSA. 149 young merchant set out with his wife and a great company of servants. The caravan had not proceeded far before they passed a large garden, which was completely sur- rounded by thick high walls. " What is this place ? " asked the young merchant. " Go and see what is inside." The servants went, and came back and informed their master that they had seen a grand, lofty building in the midst of a beautiful garden. Then the young merchant himself went and entered the garden. On looking at the grand building he saw a lovely woman, who beckoned to him to come and play a game of nard 5 with her. This woman was an inveterate gambler. She was acquainted with all manner of tricks for getting her opponent's money. One of her favourite tricks was this : while play- ing she kept by her side a cat that she had taught at a given sign to brush by the lamp and extinguish the light. This sign she always gave when the game was going against her. In this way, of course, she obtained im- mense wealth. She practised the cat-trick on the young merchant much to his loss. Everything went — his money, his merchandise, his wife, his servants, himself ; and then, when there was nothing left, he was put in prison. Here he .was treated with great harshness. Often he lifted up his voice and prayed that God would take him out of this troublous world. One day he saw a man pass by the prison-gate. He hailed him, and inquired whence he had come. "I come from such-and-such a country," replied the man, mention- ing the country where the young merchant's father lived. "It is well," said the prisoner. "Will you do me a great kindness ? You see I am shut up in this place. I cannot get free till I have paid a great debt that I owe. I want you to deliver these two letters to my father and wife. Here is the letter for my father, and this is for my wife. If' you will do this for me I shall be eternally grateful to you." 5 Chess, draughts, &c. Any game played with counters. I50 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The man consented, took the two letters, and went on his way.* In one letter the young merchant told his father all that had happened ; and in the other for his wife he dissembled matters, saying that he now had a large amount of money, and would soon return and beat her head with the shoe, as he had forewarned her. As soon as the man had transacted the little business which he had to do in that place, he went back to his country and delivered the two letters ; but, being ignorant of writing, he gave the letter which was intended for the father to the wife, and that which was meant for the wife to the father ! On reading the good news the father was exceedingly glad. He could not understand, however, why the letter was addressed to his daughter-in-law and not to himself, and why his son threatened her with a severe beating on his return. When the daughter-in-law read her husband's letter, telling of his misfortune and distress, she became very sad, and wondered why he had sent the letter in her father-in-law's name and not in her own. In her perplexity she went to her father-in-law. The surprise of both will be more easily imagined than described, when they compared the two accounts. It was a mystery. After a little conversation the daughter-in-law — wise, brave woman like she was — determined to go and see her husband, and, if possible, to set him free. The old merchant also sanctioned her going, and gave her some money for the expenses of the way. Disguised as a man, the brave woman started, and reached the place where the lovely woman dwelt. She informed the gambler that she was the son of a wealthy merchant, and knowing something of the game, wished to try his skill with her. The gambler readily consented. In the evening they were to play. Meanwhile the would-be merchant's son visited the wicked woman's ' Of. Wide-Awake Stones, pp. 277-279 and 427. ALL FOR A PANSA. 151 servants, and begged them to acquaint her with the trickery by which the woman won so much money. At first the servants demurred, but when they saw the piles of ashrafis and the beautiful things that the young merchant temptingly placed before them they were per- suaded, and informed her of everything. Moreover, they told her that their mistress would probably try the cat- trick again that evening. Then the would-be merchant's son left. By the evening, when she arrived and sent in her saldm to the woman, she had provided herself with a mouse, which she kept concealed in. the folds of a sleeve of her jerkin. The play commenced. Being an exceedingly good player, the would-be merchant's son soon began to win. Noticing this, the wicked gambling woman gave a sign to her cat. The cat moved towards the lamp, when the would-be young merchant let the mouse run free. Away went the mouse quickly, and away went the cat after it, helter-skelter all over the room. " Can't we go on with the game ? " said the would-be young merchant after a brief pause. Nothing hindering, she soon won the game, and a second game, and a third, and a fourth, till she had not only got back all that her stupid husband had lost, but the grand house, and servants, and wicked woman also. Putting all her easily gotten treasure into large boxes, she then sent to the prison and released all the prisoners. Her husband came with others to ,thank her, but did not recognise his benefactress. She, however, specially noticed him, and asked if he would like to be her sarddr.^ Being thoroughly helpless, he agreed; and presently, having changed his ragged prison-garments for some suitable raiment that the young would-be merchant had sent for him, he appeared to arrange for her departure. His old ragged garments were placed in a little box by themselves. All the keys of the various boxes were entrusted to the s Head-man. 152 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. sarddr, but the key of the box wherein these ragged clothes were packed was kept by the would-be young merchant. Everything ready, they left, taking the wicked gambling woman with them. On arriving near her own country the would-be young ■merchant said to her sarddr, "I am going on a private business in this direction. But do not bother about me. Go straight to the city and take these things with you, and keep them carefully in your house till I come, I know your father, and can trust you. If I should not come to you within twenty full days, then these things will be yours." By a circuitous path she went to her home. Her sar- ddr also, with the wicked gambling woman and all the servants, and all the baggage ejccept the box containing the ragged garments, went straight to his home. On reaching her home she told her father of her great suc- cess, and begged him to keep the matter quiet. In a few days she visited her father-in-law. As soon as her hus- band saw her he said — "Do you remember how many times I have to beat you ? " and saying this, he pretended to take off one of his shoes. " Oh, fie ! fie ! " said his parents, " would you spoil this grand home-coming by such mean and cruel acts ? " And said his wife, "Now. I see. I thought that you would certainly have learnt wisdom ; but you have not. You are the same stupid that you always were. Look here. . Bring that box to me — the little box that I have had in my own keeping all the way — bring it to me. Whose are these dirty garments ? Yours or another's ? Look on these and remember how the jailers treated you — how severely they beat you, what little and what bad food they gave you, and what bad names they threw at you ! Ah ! you tremble, and well may you tremble. Listen ! I am the wealthy merchant's son who delivered you. The letter addressed to your father was brought to me. I read ALL FOR A PANSA. 153 of your distress, and at once set out, and disguised as a young merchant, introduced myself to the woman who fooled you. I played with the woman, and won back everything that you had lost, and the woman's house and property besides. There is the woman. Go and ask her if she recognises me." " Yes, yes," said the gambling woman. The merchant's son said nothing ; he was confounded. The merchant's wife looked on her daughter-in-law and blessed her. The merchant himself was too angry and disappointed with his stupid son to say or do anything. At last he said, turning to his wife, " Now do you believe that your son. is a fool ? Let all these goods and jewels be retained by his wife. She is too good for him." ( 154 ) PRIDE ABASED} In times long past there lived a certain king, who was so occupied with and so proud of his own thoughts and words and actions, that his name became a proverb in the land. "As selfish as our king," "As proud as our king," the people used to say. As will be supposed, the courtiers and wazirs of this king were thoroughly tired of hearing him, and of having to add fuel to the fire by assent and flattery. "Ah! where is there such another country as this— such soil, so well irrigated and so fertile ? " he would ask. " ISTo where, king !" the wazirs and courtiers wouldreply. "Where are there such just and clever laws, and such a prosperous people ? " " ISTowhere else, king ! " " Where is there such a splendid palace as mine ? " " Nowhere anything to be compared with it, king ! " " Ah ! yes ; " and then His Majesty would stroke his beard and draw a long breath, as though ■ overburdened with a sense of his own greatness. Nearly every audience of the king was disturbed by such performances as these. It was becoming very weari- some ; and the more so as the king was a man of moderate attainments, and his country and people also were of an ordinary character. At length some of the wagirs deter- mined to answer him truthfully the next time he put such questions to them. They had not long to wait for an opportunity. " Think you," said His Majesty, " that there is another 1 Narrator's name, Makund B&yfi, who resides at Suthfi, Srinagar. PRIDE ABASED. 155 king greater than I, or another kingdom more powerful and glorious than mine ? " "Yes, king, there are," they replied. On hearing this unusual answer His Majesty got very angry. " Where is this king ? Tell me quickly," he said, " that I may take my army and go to fight with him." " Be not hasty, king," they replied. " Consider, we pray you, before you act, lest you be defeated and your country ruined." But the king became more angry than before. He ordered his whole army to be assembled, and as soon as they were ready he rode forth at their head, and sent mes- sengers in every direction to challenge the people to fight. For a considerable time he would seem to have inspired all countries and all peoples with awe, because nobody accepted the challenge, there being no pretext for such slaughter as there would be in a big battle, unless it was to satisfy this selfish and proud king. But at last another king appeared with his army, and defeated the selfish and proud king, and took away all his kingdom and all his glory and all his power. Here was an end to his pride. Crushed in spirit, he disguised himself and escaped with his queen and two sons to some place by the side of the sea, where he found a ship ready to sail. He asked the captain to take him and his little family on board, and land them at the place whither he was sailing. The captain agreed ; but when he got a glimpse of the beautiful queen he changed his mind, and determined to fulfil only a part of the agreement, and to take the woman alone. " What a beautiful mistress she would make ! " he thought ; " and what a lot of money I could get if I wished to sell her ! " So when the moment for starting arrived the queen first embarked ; and then, just as the king and his two sons were about to follow, some strong, rovigh men, who had been suborned by the captain, prevented them and held them tight, till the ship was well out to sea. 1S6 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Loudly wept the queen when she saw that her husband and two boys were being left behind. She smote her fore- head, tore her clothes, and threw herself upon the deck in great distress, and finally swooned away. It was a long swoon, and although the captain used several kinds of restoratives, yet for more than an hour she remained as one dead. At last she revived. The captain was very atten- tive. He arranged a nice bed for her, brought her the best of food, and spoke very kindly ; but it was all to no purpose, for the queen refused to look at him or speak to him. This continued for several days, till the captain despaired of ever getting her loVe, and therefore determined to sell her. Now there was in the same ship a great merchant, who, seeing the queen's exceeding beauty, and hearing her refuse the captain's suit day after day, thought that per- haps he might buy her, and win over her affection. Accordingly he offered the captain a large sum of money for the .woman, and she was handed over to him. Most earnestly and perseveringly the merchant tried to please her and make her love him, and eventually he so far suc- ceeded, that when he told her that he had bought her for a large sum of money, and therefore she ought to consent to marry him, she said, " Although the bargain between you and the captain is void, because the captain had no right to dispose of me, I not being his, yet I like you, and will marry you, if you will agree to wait for two years, and if during this period I do not meet my husband and sons again." The merchant complied, and looked forward in blest anticipation to the completion of the period of probation. As soon as the vessel was out of sight the hired men released the king and his two boys. It was useless to seek revenge, even if His Majesty had any desire for it ; and so he turned his back on the sea, and walked fast and far with the two boys, who wept and lamented as they ran along by his side, till he reached a river, somewhat shallow but flowing swiftly. PRIDE ABASED. ' 157 The king wisited to cross this river, but there was not any boat or bridge, and- so he was obliged to wade it. Finding his way very carefully, he got across safely with one of his sons, and was returning to fetch the other, when the force of the current overcame him, and he was drawn down beneath the waters and drowned.^ When the two boys perceived that their father had perished they wept bitterly. Their separation, too, was a further cause for grief. There they stood, the one on this side of the river and the other on that side of it, with no means of reaching one another. They shouted to each other, and ran about hither and thither in their grief, till they had almost wearied themselves to sleep, when a fisherman came by in his boat. Seeing the great distress of the boys, he took them both into it, and asked them who they were, and who were their parents. And they told him all that happened. When he had heard their story he said, " You have not a father or mother, and I have not a child. Evidently God has sent you to me. Will you be my own children, and learn to fish, and live in my house ? " Of course, the poor boys were only too glad to find a friend and shelter. " Come," said the fisherman kindly, leading them out of the boat to a house close by, " I will look after you." The boys followed most happily, and went into the fisher- man's house ; and when they saw his wife they were still better pleaded, for she was very kind to them, and treated them like her own real sons. The two boys got on splendidly ip their new home. They went to school, and in a very short time learnt all that the master could teach them. They then began to help their adopted father, and in a little while became most diligent and expert young fishermen. Thus time was passing with them, when it happened that a great fish threw itself on to the bank of the river, 2 Compare the legend of Sanyar and NIr, Legends of the Fanjdb, vol. iii. p. 97 fif. ijS [FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. and could not get back into the water. Everybody in the village went to see the immense fish, and nearly everybody cut off a slice of it and took it home. Some few people also went from the neighbouring villages, and amongst them was a maker of earthenware. His wife had heard of the great fish, and urged him to go and get some of it. Accordingly he went, although the hour was late. On arrival he found nobody there, as all the people had satisfied themselves and returned. The potter took an axe with him, thinking that the bones would be so thick as to require its aid before they could be broken. When he struck the first blow a voice came out of the fish, as of some one in pain. The potter was very much surprised. " Perhaps," thought he, " the fish is possessed by a IhM. I'll try again;" whereupon he again struck. Again a voice came forth from the fish, saying, " Woe is me ! Woe is me ! " On hearing this the potter thought, " Well, this is not a iTiiii evidently, but the voice of an ordinary man. I'll cut the flesh carefully. Maybe I shall find some poor .distressed person.-" He began to cut away the flesh carefully, and presently came upon a man's foot; then the legs appeared ; tten the body and head, all entire.* " Praise, praise be to God ! " he cried aloud, " the soul is in him yet." He carried the' man to his house as fast as he could, and on arrival did everything in his power to recover him. A great fire was soon got ready, and tea and soup given. The joy of the potter and his wife was very great when they saw that the stranger was reviving. For some months the stranger lived with these good people, and learnt how to make pots and pans and other articles, and thus helped them much. Ifow it happened just then that the king of that country died (for kings die as well as other people), and it was the custom of the people in that country to take for their sovereign whoso- 3 Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, pp, 65, Stories, p. 411,- wliere Instances of 75, 76; Kings of Kashmird, p. 91; "living in animals' bellies" are and tale of "The Three Caskets," in enumerated. Oesta Bomanorum ; also Wide-Awake PRIDE ABASED. 159 ever the late king's elephant and hawk might select. On the death of the king the elephant was driven all over the country, and the hawk was made to fly here, there, and everywhere in search of a successor ; and it came to pass that before whomsoever the elephant bowed and on who- soever's hand the hawk alighted he was* supposed to be the divinely chosen one. So the elephant and hawk went everywhere, and in the course of their wanderings came by the house of the potter and his wife who had so kindly sheltered the poor stranger that was found in the stomach of the fish. It chEjnced that as they passed the place the stranger was standing by the door — and behold ! no sooner did the elephant and hawk see him than the one bowed down before him and the other perched on his hand. " Let him be king, let him be king ! " shouted the people who were in attendance on the elephant, as they prostrated themselves before the stranger and begged him to go before them to the palace.* The ministers were glad when they heard the news, and most respectfully welcomed their new king. As soon as the rites and ceremonies necessary for the installation of a king had been fulfilled His Majesty entered on his duties. The first thing he did was to send for the potter and his wife and grant them some land and money. In this and other ways, such as just judgments, proper rules, and kindly notices of any and all who were clever and good, he won for himself the best opinions of every subject, and prospered exceedingly. " Very" rarely a hawk shares -with gal, p. 100 ; Madanakamdrdjanhadai the elephant the right of selection of (The Dravidian Nights), pp. 126, 127 ; a successor to the tlirone. Amongst The Orientalist, p. 151 ; The Indian most Eastern nations, when a king Antiquary, vol. iii. p. 11, vol. iv. died the choice of his successor lay p. 261, vol. vi. p. 333 ; M'Crindle's VfhoUy with the elephant on which India as Described by Megasthenes the deceased king was accustomed to and Arrian, pp. 118, 119 ; also Wide- ride. The animal was decked in all Awake Stories, pp. 140, 327, to which its splendid coverings, and led along especially refer. Other tales in this the streets, or allowed to wander collection in which reference is made about the streets of the town; and to this incident are, the "Two before whomsoever the elephant Brothers," " Metempsychosis," and knelt, that fortunate individual was " How the Princess Found her chosen king. Gf. Folk-Tales of Ben- Husband." i6o FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. Within a few months, however, his health gave way. Such strict attention to public affairs was too much for him, and therefore the court physicians advised him to seek relaxation in out-door exercise. So sometimes His Majesty went a-riding, sometimes a-shooting, .and some- times a-fishing. He got especially fond of the latter amusement. Knowing this, a fisherman came to him one day and said, " Be pleased. Your Majesty, to accept this fish which came into my hands this day." The king was delighted to see such a large fish, and inquired when and how it had been caught. The fisherman explained every- thing to the king, and manifested such knowledge of, and interest in, his calling, that His Majesty got to like the man, and ordered him to be ready at any time to go with him on fishing expeditions, that he (the king) might learn everything about the art, and be able to land big fish like the one just presented to him. "Your Majesty is very good and gracious, and whatso- ever Your Majesty commands is accepted of all men as right and proper and just ; but be pleased to listen for a moment to your servant. In my house are two sons, who are stronger and cleverer than I am. If Your Majesty will order it, I will take care that they are always ready to attend on you." The king agreed. Whenever he went a-flshing he always took these two boys with him. A familiarity sprang up between His Majesty and the boys in conse- quence. His Majesty got exceedingly attached to them : they were so sharp and clever and handsome and good, that he finally arranged that they should generally be with him, no matter what his occupation. Just about this time the merchant who bought the wife of the poor king, who had been supposed to be drowned, visited that country for the purpose of trading. He succeeded in obtaining an interview with the king, and opened out all his precious stones and stuffs before him. The king was very much pleased to see these wonderful PRID:E abased. i6i treasures, and asked many questions about them and about the countries whence they had been brought. The merchant told him everything, and begged permission to trade in that country, and sought protection from His Majesty. The king readily granted the merchant's request, and ordered that some soldiers were to be at once told off for this special 'duty, and so arranged that one of them should be on guard always in the courtyard of the merchant. He- also sent the. fisherman's two sons to sleep on the merchant's premises. One night these two boys were not able to sleep for some reason or other, when the younger asked his brother to tell him a tale to enliven the occasion, as it was miser- able lying down there with only the glimmering light of a little oil lamp. The elder brother said, "AH right, I'll tell you one out of our own experience," and began : — "Once upon a time there lived a very great, learned, and wealthy king, but he was very proud. This pride led the poor king to the direst, ruin and grief. One day, while going about with his army challenging other kings to Gome and fight with 'him, one great and powerful king appeared and conquered himi The defeated king escaped ■with his wife and two sons to the sea,.hoping to find some vessel wherein he and his family might embark, and get away to some foreign land, and there forget all their troubles. After walking several miles they reached the sea-shore, and found a vessel about to sail ; but, alas ! the captain of that vessel proved to be a very wicked man. He took the beautiful queen, and then, when the king and his two sons were going to embark,- some men, hired by the captain, kept them back tUl the vessel had saUed out of sight. Oh ! what a terrible time that was for the poor king! With what a sorrow-sick heart he turned away with his two sons ! He walked many miles, not knowing whither he went, till he came to a swiftly flowing river. As there was no bridge or boat near he was obliged to wade across. He took on6 of his boys and got over safely, and L i62 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. then was returning for the other, when he stumbled over a stone, lost his footing, and was carried away by the fierce- waters, and has not been heard of since. "You can imagine the state of the two boys. It was night, and they had neither food nor bedding, nor did they know where to go, nor how to get to one another. At length a fisherman came along in his boat, and seeing these two boys crying, he took them into his boat, and afterwards to his house, and got very fond of them, and so did his wife, so that they both became like father and mother to them. A year or two ago all this happened, and the two boys are supposed by every one to be the fisherman's two real sons. O brother, we are these two boys ! And there you have my story." The story was so interesting and its finish so wonderful, that the younger brother was more awake than before. Its narration had also attracted the attention of another. The merchant's promised wife, who happened to be lying awake at the time, and whose room was separated from the shop by the thinnest of partitions only, overheard all that had been said. She thought within herself, " Surely these two boys must be my own sons ! " Presently she was sitting beside them, and began asking them all sorts of questions. Two years or more had made a great difference in both of the boys, but there were certain signs that a hundred years would never efface from a mother's memory. These, together with the answers which she had elicited from them, assured her that she had found her own sons again. The tears streamed down her face as she embraced them, and revealed to them that she was the queen, 'their mother, about whom they had just been speaking. She told them all that happened to her since she had been parted from them; how the captain of the vessel, finding that he should never be able to get her to live , with him, had sold her to the rich merchant ; how this rich merchant had been very kind to her, and really loved PRIDE ABASED. 163 her, and was a thoroughly good man, besides being clever and wealthy; and how she, thinking that she should never meet with her husband, their father^ again, had promised to marry this merchant at the end of two years, only three days of which remained now. She said, too, that she did not like the merchant enough to become his wife, and so she wished to contrive some plan for getting rid of him. "The plan is," she said, "for me to pretend to the merchant that you attempted to violate me. I will pretend to be very angry, and not give him any peace till he goes to the king and asks His Majesty to punish you. Then the king will send for you in great wrath, and will inquire about this matter. In reply you must say that it is all a mistake, for you quite regard me as your own mother, and in proof of this you will beg His Majesty to send and fetch me, that I may corroborate what you say. Then will I declare you to be my own dear sons, and beseech the king to allow me to go free of this merchant and live with you, where I may choose for the rest of my days," The sons consented to her proposal, and the 'next night, when the merchant also was sleeping on the premises, the woman raised a great shout, so that everybody was awakened by the noise. The merchant asked what was the matter. "The two boys who look after your shop have tried to violate me; so I shouted, in order that they might desist." Hearing this, the merchant was much enraged. He im- mediately bound the two boys, and as soon as there was any chance of seeing the king, he had them taken before His Majesty, and explained the reason of their thus appearing before him. " What have you to say in defence of yourselves ? " inquired the king. " Because if this is true we shall at once order the execution of both of you. Is this the 1 64 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. gratitude you manifest for all my kindness and condescen- sion towards you ? Say quickly what you may have to say." " king, our benefactor^ we are not affrighted by your words and looks, for we are true servants. We have not betrayed Your Majesty's trust in us, but have always tried to fufil Your Majesty's wish to the utmost of our power. The charges brought against us by the merchant are not correct. We have not attempted to violate his wife ; we have rather always regarded her as our own mother. May it please Your Majesty to send for the woman and inquire further into the matter." The king assented, and the woman was brought. " Is this true," he said, " which the merchant, your affianced husband, witnesses against the two boys ? " "0 king," she replied, "the boys whom you gave to help the merchant have most carefully tried to carry out your wishes. But the night bef o,re last I overheard their conversation. The elder was telling the younger brother a tale — made up out of his own experience, so he said. It was a tale of a conceited king who had been conquered by another mightier than he, and obliged to fly with his wife and two children to the sea. There, through the vile trickery of the captain of a vessel, the wife was stolen, and taken away to far distant regions, where she became engaged to a wealthy trader; while the exiled king and his two sons wandered in another direction, till they catne to a river, where the king was drowned. The two boys were found by a fisherman, and brought up by him as his own sons. " These two boys, king, are before you, and I am their mother, who was taken away and sold as a wife to the trader, and who after two days must altogether Live with him ; for I promised that if within a certain space of time I should not meet with my dear husband and two sons again, then I would be his wife.- But I beseech Your Majesty to relieve me of this man. I do not wish to PRIDE ABASED. 165 marry again, now that I have my two sons. In order that I might get an audience of Your Majesty, this trick was arranged with the two boys." By the time the woman had finished her story the king's face was suffused with tears, and he was trembling visibly. Presently, when he had slightly recovered, he left the throne, and walking towards the woman and the two boys, embraced them long and fervently. " You are my own dear wife and children," he cried ; " God has sent you back to me. I, the king, your husband, your father, was not drowned as you supposed, but was swallowed by a big fish and nourished by it for some days, and then the monster threw itself upon the shore and I was extricated. A potter and his wife had pity on me, and taught me their trade, and I was just beginning to earn my living by making earthen vessels when the late king of this country died, and I was chosen king by the elephant and the falcon — I, who am now standing here," Then His Majesty ordered the queen and her two sons to be taken to the palace, and he explained his conduct to the people assembled. The mercTiant was politely dis- missed from the country. As soon as the two princes Were old enough to govern the country the king com- mitted to them the charge of all affairs, while he retired with his wife to some quiet place and spent the rest of his days in peace.^ 5 This story should be compared Gautami," pp. 222, 223. A third •with its most, interesting variant, variant is " Swet-Basanta " in Follc- "Placidus," a tale from the Gesta tales of Bengal, p'p. g^-io^. Another JRomdnorum. is that of *' Sarwar and Nir" in the Another variant is to be found in Legends of the Punjab, vol, iii. 2'itetan Tales, the story of " Krisa p. 97 ffi. ( i66 ) THE TWO BROTHERS} Happily passed the days in the palace, for the king was intensely fond of his wife, who thoroughly reciprocated his affection ; while their children, two fine handsome boys, were clever, good, and obedient, and thought nobody equal to their parents throughout the wide wide world. In such a household happiness was obliged to reign, till Yama sent his dogs to summon any of them to their doom.^ Every morning His Majesty was accustomed to sit with his wife for a while in one of the verandahs of the palace, during which quiet time together they were often interested in watching a pair of birds carrying food for their young- lings. One day they noticed a strange female bird flying with the other towards the nest, and carrying some thorns in her bill. Curious to know what had happened, the king ordered one of the attendants to climb the tree and inquire ; when it was discovered that the male bird had lost his consort, and therefore had taken unto himself another; and the new bird, not liking to have to work for a nest of younglings which she had not hatched, thought that she would fetch them some thorns to eat and get rid of them ; which she did, and the little birds were choked and died. All of them were seen lying over the corpse of their mother. 1 Karrator'a name, SMva Bim of which guard the road to his abode, B&nah Mahal, Srinagar. and which the departed are advised 2 Yama is the regent of the realms to hurry past with all possible speed, of death. " He is still to some ex- These dogs are said to wander about tent an object of terror. He is re- among men as hia messengers, no presented as having two insatiable doubt for the purpose of summoning dogs with four eyes and wide nostrils, them to their master." — Dr. Muir. THE TWO BROTHERS. 167 When the king and queen heard this they were both very sad. " Is this the way with us and with the birds ? " asked the king. " Yes," replied the queen. " But may it never be so in our ease. Promise me, my beloved, that if I die first you will never marry again." " Give me your hand, my darling," said the king. " I promise most faithfully never to, take to myself another wife, whether you are alive or dead, lest the , same mis- fortune should happen to our two sons that has come upon these poor young birds." Then was the queen comforted, and loved the king more than ever before. Strange to say, not long after this little incident Her Majesty died. What a grief it was to the king ! People thought for some time that he also would die, so much did he grieve over her death. At length, however, he rallied, and again occupied himself in the affairs of his country. When a convenient space of time had elapsed the wazirs and courtiers and other great men of the place commissioned some of their number to speak to the king about marrying again. As will be imagined, this proved a most difficult and disagreeable task. At first His Majesty would not see them ; but they persisted in -their request, till he promised to reconsider the mat- ter, and at last consented. One of the chief wazir's daughters was proposed and accepted, and the marriage was celebrated. Unhappy day ! As was expected, the new queen soon became jealous of the two princes, and began to plot against them. They tried hard to please her by antici- pating her wants and never crossing her wish in any matter, but all in vain. The queen hated them, and longed for the day when she could secure their ruin and banishment. She bided her time, till she saw that the king was exceedingly fond of her and would do anything for her, and then she began to malign the 1 68 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. princes, saying how very disobedient and very abusive they were to her, and how she could not have endured their behaviour if the king had not been good and kind to her. The king was exceedingly angry when he heard this, and immediately gave orders for the princes to be secretly taken to a jungle and slain. Never having been accustomed to question even their father's orders, the two young fellows went most gladly with the soldiers. They knew not of their father's cruel order, but thought that he wished them to ride and see the jungle. When, therefore, on reaching the place, the soldiers drew their swords and made as if to strike them, they were much surprised, and knew not what to do. " Bhagawant, help ug," they cried ; and their cry was accepted. The swords of steel were changed into swords of wood,* and the stern hearts of the soldiers were filled with pity, so that they dared not slay them, but let them go free. ' Full of thankfulness to the Deity for His mercy towards them, the princes rode off on their horses as fast as they could, and determined never to return to their own country. - They rode on far and fast, till they came to a spring of water pure like crystal, by which they thought they would dine and rest. They arranged that both of _ them should not be asleep at the same time, lest a robber or a wild beast should come and destroy them and the horses. So the elder brother went to sleep first, and the younger brother watched. While he watched two birds named Sudabror and Budabror came and perched on a tree close by, and began talking with one another. " See," said Sudabror, " there are two singip'g birds in that tree overhanging the spring. Do you know what kind of birds they are ? " "Yes," replied Budabror; "they are hlost wonderful birds. I have heard say that whosoever eats the flesh of one of them will become a king, and whosoever eats the Cf. story of "H&ya Band and Zubia Khotan "in this collection. THE TWO BROTHERS. 169 _ flesh of the other will become a w'azir, and the wealthiest man in the world, for every morning he will find under- neath him, in the place where he lay, seven jewels, whose value cannot be estimated.* The younger prince was very much excited when he heards these words, and at once shot an arrow at these birds and killed them. He cooked both the birds, took one himself, and left the other for his brother, who ate. it as soon as he awoke. The following morning they resumed their journey. On the way the 'younger brother suddenly remembered that his whip had been left behind. This whip he valued very highly, and therefore went back for it. He found it by the spring, and was going to dismount to pick it up, when a great dragon ^ came out of the water and bit his foot, so that he fell down senseless. In this state he continued for some hours. Meanwhile his brother got very tired of waiting, and therefore went on, thinking his brother would overtake him before the evening. He reached a certain city, whereof the king had recently died, and, the people were in a state of great excitement concerning his successor. It appears that they had a custom of sending round an elephant to select their kings for them. Whomsoever the elephant acknowledged they acknowledged, be he rich or poor, learned or ignorant, of their own country and speech, or of another. This elephant was circumambulating the * The story of the mystic fowl will Volksmarchen Berlin, 1856; "Der be familiar to readers of European seltsame Vogel," Miklosich, Ueber die folk-tales. Of. Wide-Awake Stories, Mundwrten der Zigeuner, iv. No. 6 ; ^^.\^<^,^z6\ Madanakamdrdjanhadai Die Viamentem legende Henne. Of. (bravidian Nights),^. 126; Grimm's also story of "Saiyid and Said" in Household Stories, pp. 193, 383 ; Bus- this collection. The "golden egg" in sian Popular Tales, t. No. ^3, viii. some of these stories is supposed to No, 26, and ppJ 464-467 ; 2'ibetan represent the sun," "which may be Tales, p. 129 ; also the footnote, in looked upon as a gleaming egg laid which Professor Sohief ner calls atten- every morning by the broodiog Night" tion to several other variants — Gaal, (Ficic Gubernatis, Zoological Mytho- Marchen der Magyaren, Wien, 1882, foj/y, ii. p. 311). "But the king-making p. 196 ; Der Vogel Goldschweif, espeoi- power attributed to the bird's eaten ally p. 213; Hahn, Gr. und alb. flesh remains a mystery." MS/rchen, Leipzig, 1864, i. 227 ; Das ^ Azddr (Persian izhdahd, izhddr, goldene Huhn ; Haltrich, Deutsche or izhdar). I70 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. place when the eldest prince arrived, and on seeing him at once bowed down before him. Accordingly he was pro- claimed king of the country and conducted to the palace. The younger prince was restored to life in the following manner. Living near the spring was SLJogi, who was accus- tomed to visit it once every six months for the purpose of getting a little water thence. The day the prince was bitten by the dragon happened to be the day of the good man's coming. When he reached the place and saw the lifeless body of the young man he was filled with pity. He knew that the dragon of the spring had done this; so he muttered an incantation, and the waters dried up and the monster appeared, " Why have you emptied the spring 1 " said the dragon. "Because you have slain this young man. Why did you this thing ? " the jogi replied. " jogi ! " said the dragon, " there were two birds that often visited this place, and filled the air with their songs. The prince killed them. Therefore did I bite him." "You have done wickedly," said the jogi. "Listen. Extract the poison from the man's foot, so that he live again, or you shall die." "Forgive me," said the dragon, "and I-will obey you." Thus the prince was restored to life. After thanking the jogi he departed. However, he unfortunately took the wrong road, and instead of following after his brother, arrived at a village that was the resort of a band of fierce robbers. By chance he called at the house of one of these robbers and asked for hospitality, which was readily granted. They gave him a most hearty welcome, and provided him with the best of cheer ; but, alas ! when he went to lie down at night the bedstead and he descended right through the flooring, down into a most loathsome dungeon. Poor fellow ! he would have died there if the daughter of one of the robbers had not' seen him and fallen in love with him." She thoroughly knew the ins and outs of the house, and guessing that the stranger had been precipitated into THE TWO BROTHERS. 171 the grave, as they called it, she secretly visited him and carried him some food, in return for which the prince gave her seven jewels.® This she did every morning, and got seven jewels each time. During these visits the girl's love increased rapidly, and as she was very beautiful and very clever, the prince reciprocated her affection, and promised to marry her as soon as possible. At last they both got free from the place, and escaped as fast as the swift horse would carry them to the seaside, where they immediately embarked in a ship about to sail. Among other passengers in that ship was a merchant, who was so captivated with the girl's beauty that he desired to kill the prince and make her his wife. Accordingly one day, while he and the prince were playing nard in the prow of the vessel, the prince bent forward over the ship- side to spit, when the merchant gave him a push.^ For- tunately his wife happened to be standing by one of the port-holes, and seeing her husband's body appearing, put out her hands and saved him. There was great sorrow among the crew and the passengers when the report was circulated that the prince had fallen overboard; for the prince had ordered his wife not to discover the matter tin they reached their destination. The merchant pro- fessed to be more grieved than any one, except the beauti- ful wife. However, he soon recovered, and commenced paying attentions to her, and at length asked her to marry him. The girl put him off for six months, saying that if she did not hear anything about her husband during that time she would be his wife.^ In a few months the ship reached her destination, where the prince revealed himself, and charged the merchant with attempting to drown him ; whereupon the man was ' Note the number seven. Cf. also number in Aryan faith (Zoological tales, " Good King Hatam," " Seven-, Mythology, vol. i. p. 6). legged Beast," "Jogi's Daughter," ^ Cf. a Manipura tale in Indian "The Ogress-Queen," in this collee- Antiquary, vol. iv. p. 260. tion. Vide also Wide-Awalce Stories, * Cf. Wide-Awake Stories, p. 429, for pp. 432, 433, Seven is a sacred enforced marriages postponed for a season. 172 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. put into prison to await his trial. By a remarkable coincidence they disembarked by the chief city of the country over which the eldest prince was reigning. This king was in great sorrow; at the time, wondering what had become of his brother ; so, to comfort himself, he had given orders to his chief wazir to tell him a tale every evening. He hoped, also, that in this way he should hear something of his brother, as the wazir often related stories founded on what he had seen and heard during the day. The day the ship arrived this wazir's daughter came down to the shore, and heard the strange story of the prince and his wife and the wicked merchant, which she repeated to her father in the evening. On the following evening the wazir related to the king what he had heard. " Where is the prince and his wife ? " inquired the king, much excited. " Send for them immediately. At last I have found my long-lost brother ! " We can imagine what a joyous meeting there was be- tween the two brothers. They fell on each other's necks and wept. The younger prince was appointed chief wazir of the country, and the wicked merchant was hanged. In course of a few years some messengers from their father reached that country, and said that the old king was longing to see them, as he had discovered his wife's wicked- ness and had slain her. Accordingly the two brothers started without delay to see their father. They reached safely, and saw the old man, and were reconciled. Soon afterwards- their father died, when the elder brother suc- ceeded to the throne, and the younger went and governed the country that had belonged to the other prince. Both of them prospered exceedingly, and were famed for their skill and justice and kindness.* ^^ 9 In nearly every country, and at monster, or dragon, as it is generally all times, there have been legends con- called, is supposed to be the symboli- cerning the existence of a huge mon- cal representative of arrogant power ster which went abroad devouring and cruelty, whose sole object is to and devastating all before it. This oppose order and peace. Although it THE TWO BROTHERS. 173 is possible, as Brand says, that the dragon is one of those shapes -which fear has created to itself, neverthe- less, from the generality of the legends concerning this winged saurian, it is possible that the existence of some species of the pterodactyl, in very re- mote times, may have originated the superstition. However this may have been, it is certain that this mythical animal, in all ages, has been regarded as a minister of evil, the destruction of which was considered one of the grandest ' objects of human energy. The task was usually allotted to gods and heroes. Apollo kiUed the Py- thon , and Perseus slew the dragon, and saved Andromeda, Hercules is also represented as a dragon-slayer. In the Nibelungen Lied Siegfried is re- presented as killing a dragon. Cf. also the "Epic of Beowolf." Among the Scandinavians, Thor was described as a dragon-slayer. In the Middle Ages the dragon was regarded as the representative of sin. Saints and martyrs are frequently depicted as trampling the reptile under foot. It is also used with this signification in the figure of St. George and the Dra- gon. Tide Beeton's Dictionary, whence these notes have been quoted. '" Compare the Kashmiri variant in Wide-Awake Stories, p. 138 ; S. Indian variant in Madanalcaradrdjankadai (Dravidian Nights), the sixth story; the Tibetan variant in Tibetan Tales, p. 279, which Professor Schiefner translated from the Kah-gyur, all the , legends and fables of which are flierely Tibetanversions of Sanskrit writings introduced into the country in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries ; the Egyptian variant, "The Tale of Two Brothers ; " the German variant, Grimm's Household Stories, p. 192 ; and the English variant, viz., the legend of " St. George and the Dragon," as recorded in the ballad given in Percy's Beliques. ( 174 ) THE BASE FRIEND.^ Once upon a time a very great and wealthy king deter- mined to send his son out into the world as a merchant, in ■ order that he might get to know something of the people and country, and thus be more prepared to govern wisely, when the time should come for him to sit on the throne. So he gave him plenty of money and several bales of goods, and told him to go whithersoever he wished, to keep his eyes open, and to make as much money as possible. As soon as convenient the prince started, attended by the wazir's son, his great friend, and a large retinue of servants and horses. After much wandering about they came to some place by the sea, where they found a ship ready to weigh anchor, and being of an adventurous disposition, they embarked, and started for some foreign country. All went well for a while, till they passed under a certain island and cast anchor. Here the prince got out and walked about alone, as the wazir's son, not wishing to go, had feigned sickness. Wicked fellow ! he persuaded the prince to go on shore and take a long" walk round the island, while he bribed the captain and the sailors of the vessel to start without him. He got them to take the ship back again by a circuitous course to the place that they had recently left, and there he disposed of all the merchandise, and afterwards returned to the king. " You have come back quickly. Where is the prince ? " said His Majesty. "The prince is dead. Your Majesty. We were sailing 1 Narrator's name, Pandit LSI Chandof Khunamuh in the Vihi pargana. THE BASE FRIEND. 175 happily along by a certain island, when a wind suddenly arose, and incffeased so, that the ship capsized, and all that were in it were thrown into the water. I tried to save the prince, but, alas! I could not. It was with the greatest difficulty that I myself escaped." When the king heard these words he was intensely grieved. He wept for his son many days, during which he seemed like one, mad, not caring for anyone or any- thing, only raving about his son. Meanwhile affairs were prospering with the prince. As soon as he discovered the treachery of his friend he began to look about for quarters for the night. He arranged a little " shantee " for himself by the side of a clear crystal spring, and then lay down to sleep, hoping for better things on the morrow. While he was sleeping, at mid- night, a heavenly woman came out of the spring, attended by several soldiers, and sat down to eat. When she had satisfied herself she went towards the prince, and waking him up, offered him some food, which the prince took, and for which he was very grateful, as he had not tasted any- thing since he had landed. " But tell me, fair lady," said he, " whence you came and who you are." " Sir," she replied, " I am a heavenly woman. Please tell me your history. I may be able to help you." "Fair lady," said he, "I am a prince. I am travelling about at my father's request in search of experience and knowledge, in order that I may b6 better able to rule the country after him. I was sailing to some place with a large quantity of goods, when the vessel put in here for a few hours while I got out to see the island, and when I returned at' the time advised by the captain of the ship I discovered that she had started without me. No doubt this was done at the instigation of my friend, the wazir's son, who was accompanying me on my travels." " The villain ! " exclaimed the heavenly woman. " He shall suffer for this baseness. Sleep on now, sir. In the 176 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. morning I will cause you to reach your father's place, whither this man has probably returned. You can then denounce him face to face." On saying this, she disappeared by way of the spring, and the soldiers after her. At dawn she came again, and rousing him, gave him several most valuable jewels' to make up for his losses, and then told him to' go. Accord- ingly the prince started, and attended by several soldiers, presently found himself walking up the path to his father's palace. " Who can this be coming ? " asked the king, as he watched the procession from his bedroom window. " Quick ! run," said he to the sentry at the door, " and give the man this bunch of pearls. How know we that he is not some powerful enemy ? " " Go back and tell your king," Said the prince to the soldier, " that I am a friend, and that I come to inquire concerning his son. Certain strange reports have reached my ears of late." On hearing this the king bade him welcome to the palace, and received him most graciously. He told him with tearful eyes the sad news of the prince's shipwreck, and called the son of the wazir to corroborate what he said. " father," said the prince, unable to dissemble any longer, " wipe away those tears. Your son has returned to you. I am he. I^o wind beset our ship, no waves destroyed me ; but I was basely left on a little barren un- inhabited island to starve. That man " (pointing to the wazir' s son) " bribed the captain and crew to sail without me, in order that he might sell the goods and get all the profit for himself." " Base villain ! " cried the king. " Order the executioners to rid us of the presence of such a man in our midst." Great was the joy of the king when he saw his son again. Not long after this His Majesty died, and the prince, his son, reigned in his stead. ( , 177 ) HAYA BAND AND ZUHRA KHOTAN. You must know that not to have a son is accounted a great sorrow and shame. Well, in days long gone by, a certain rich merchant of this country was in great distress because he had not a son. Who would continue his name ? Who would carry on the business ? To whom should he bequeath his immense wealth ? These questions were constantly revolving in his mind, and the sorrowful answer came back from his despairing soul, " I have no son ! I have no son ! " He earnestly prayed at the stated times, and was Very attentive to the appointed fasts and the giving of alms, but it seemed as if God's eye was not upon him for good, and His ears not open to his cries. But it only seemed "so. God's thoughts are not to be com- pared with rnan's thoughts. It was the Divine intention to bless him with a son ; so a,t the right time a little boy was born. The merchant named him Haya Band. When he was five years old his father sent him to school, and he prosecuted his studies up to the age of ten years. One day, while the merchant was sitting by his shop- window, he saw two ragged little boys going by. He called them and inquired why they were so poor, and they told him that their father and mother and brother were dead,, and they did not know of any relatives or friends to whom they could apply for help. Whereupon the merchant had pity on them, and took them into his home and educated them with his own boy, thinking they would be agreeable companions for him, and be able to do some odd jobs about the shop as well. However, the boys 1 Narrator's name, Pandit Shiva Earn of BSnah Mahal, Srlnagar. M 178 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. turned out badly, as we shall see. Instead of being grateful to their kind master and affectionate playmate, and helping them in every way, they eventually plotted against them and tried to bring them to shame. Every day they went regularly to school with the merchant's son ; but whUe Haya Band worked diligently, and became very good and learned, they were idle and careless, and learnt nothing, except all manner of wickedness, that they picked up from other boys of the school of the same character. One morning, as they all three were going to school together, they chanced to talk about marriage. " Look here," said they to Haya Band, " we know that you are going to be married very shortly. Could not you arrange with your father to marry us also ? " " Why not ? " replied Haya Band. " Nay, I will beg my father to marry you first, and me afterwards." A little while after this the merchant sent a go-between to several houses to try and procure a girl of wealthy parents, of great beauty, educated, wise, and virtuous. The go-between quickly fulfilled his commission, and a marriage was arranged. On the day appointed the merchant gave a great feast to his friends and distributed much alms among the poor, and then, dressing his son in king-like apparel, sent him to the house of the bride. The two wicked boys knew all about this, and went on before, and tried to estrange the minds of the father and mother of the bride by declaring that Haya Band wa^ demented; whereupon they were both very angry, and would have broken off the engagement, but what could they do ? It was too late. The bride- groom was already on the way to the house. Then the wretched boys returned to meet Haya Band, and contrived somehow to get him to eat some drugged fruit, whereby he became very stupid. Afterwards they went as fast as they could to the merchant's house, and told him with tears in their eyes, as though they were awfully sorry at the discovery, that the woman to whom he had plighted HAY A BAND AND ZUHRA KHOTAN. 179 his son was an ogress and devoured human beings. When he heard this the merchant was very angry, and •would have broken off the match ; but what could he do ? The hour was approaching, and everybody was in expecta- tion of the bridegroom. On reaching the bride's house Haya Band was severely scrutinised by his intended father-in-law and mother-in- law, who, when they saw him in such a sleepy, stupid condition, felt certain that the words of their wicked in- formants were true, and refused to give their daughter to him. However, the wise and virtuous bride, whose name was Zuhra Khotan, suspected some trickery, and forced her parents to allow the marriage. She was certain that Haya Band's father was too good and honest a man to deceive. Accordingly the hymeneal rites were performed. , Towards evening Haya Band began to recover from the effects of the drug. He soon came to his senses and recognised his wife, and was delighted with her. In a few dayS they started together for his house, ac- cording to custom. As the way was rather long, they arranged to do it in two marches. They halted at a house in one of the villages about half-way, and determined to spend the night there. When retiring to rest, Zuhra Khotan suddenly discovered that she had not brought any present for her mother-in-law. Alas ! what could she do ? It would be such a disgrace to go to her husband's "house empty-handed. The poor girl was in great distress. However, kind sleep at last closed her eyes. While she slept she dreamed a dream, in which she saw a man coming to her and saying, " virtuous woman, be not afraid, but go to the river, and you will find a corpse floating on the water, on whose arm is a most valuable bracelet. Call the corpse towards you — it will obey — and take off the bracelet and carry it to your mother- in-law." This wonderful dream woke the woman. She immediately arose and walked to the river-side, where she saw a corpse floating at a little distance. She called it to i8o FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. her, and taking off the beautiful bracelet which was on its arm, returned to the cottage.- All would have gone on well now had it not been for the two wicked boys. They were hankering about the place, and had seen everything. This was just what they wanted. They had only to sprinkle some sheep's blood along the path to the river and on the river-bank, and then run with all haste to the merchant, their master, and tell him to come and see his daughter-in-law's last exploit, to confirm their terrible lie to him about her. This they did, and the merchant came and saw the blood-marks, and wept like a man about to die. In the morning he went to his son and told him what he had seen and heard, but his son would not believe it, and got very angry. Presently, however, the ddi af&rmed that her mistress went out of the cottage about midnight for a little while, but for what purpose she did not know. Haya Band was then very much surprised, and felt obliged to credit the wicked story, and kept away from his wife. It was a very sad wedding party that arrived at the merchant's house that afternoon. Zuhra Khotan was at once placed in a separate room, and nobody went near her except the ddi. One day her mother-in-law essayed to look at her through an open door, and nearly fainted from fright. A long time thus passed, during which Haya Band worked in his father's business together with his two wicked companions, whom he treated as friends, and the more so,-imagining them to have told him the truth about his wife, and thus saved him from a most horrible death. One day the merchant suggested that his son and the two young men (for they were getting quite young men by this time) should go on a little trading expedition. He did this, because he saw that Haya Band was grieving about his wife, and therefore wished to divert his thoughts. The three youths started, and went several miles, when Haya Band suddenly remembered that he had left his account-books behind, and rode back for them, promising HAYA BAND AND ZUHRA KHOTAN. i8i to meet his companions at the end of the march in the evening. Now these account-books were in Zuhra Kho- tan's room. Why they had been placed there we do not know. So when Haya' Band returned he immediately rushed up to that room to fetch them. Of course he saw his wife. Beautiful she looked in her sorrow, and so good and pure and loving ! Haya Band could not resist. He drew her to him in fond embrace and kissed her. He stayed with her for a month or so, and then left secretly, to see what had become of his companions and the goods. He found them at the end of the first march, where he had promised to meet them. They had not stirred from the place, nor tried to dispose of the merchandise, but had spent their time in drinking and gambling and other suchlike occupations. Haya Band was very angry when he heard this, and sharply reproving them, went on alone; while these two wicked fellows returned. Enraged beyond measure, they resolved to wreak vengeance on Haya Band. They disguised themselves as faqirs, and learnt a few of the tricks of these people, and then went to the merchant's house and cried, " Oh, sir, be warned in time ! There is an ogress in your house, who has lain with man and has con- ceived. For God's sake, for your own sake, turn her out of the place, lest she bring destruction on you and on those around you." On saying this they went away. We can imagine that such words, coming from the lips of such people, would make a great impression on the mer- chant and his wife. They could not rest or do anything ,till they had ascertained the truth. They searched the premises, and had every woman examined, but found nothing as the faqirs had said. They then emboldened themselves to inquire of Zuhra Khotan, and found that she was enciente. In vain she protested that she was not an ogress, but a virtuous woman. The merchant sent to the diwdn and got a writ for her execution. She was taken to a jungle, where her head was to be cut off. On reaching the jungle she prayed the executioners to have 1 82 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. mercy on her. " men," she cried, " ye will not be so cruel and unjust as to slay an innocent woman. I have done nothing worthy of death, nor can anything be proved against me. Wherefore do ye slay me ? " " "We have received our orders," they replied. Then the woman prostrated herself on the ground and prayed, " God, have mercy on me. Thou knowest that I have not sinned. Intervene for me and deliver me." On this one of the soldiers went forward and raised his sword to slay her, when behold ! it was turned into wood. Then another soldier attempted to raise his sword, but he could not, for his hands were fastened in some invisible way behind him. Afterwards a third man went forward to do the deed, and he fell down senseless. Thus God heard the woman's prayer, and defeated the counsels of the wicked. When the soldiers saw what had happened they be- lieved that God was against the deed. " woman," they said, " we will not slay you ; but tell us, we beseech you, how we can save ourselves, for when the diwdn and the merchant find that we have not fulfilled their orders they will be angry with us and punish us. Our orders were to slay you and carry back your head." " Fear not," said Zuhra Khotan, gathering some earth and making clay of it. " I will form a head out of this." Thus saying, she shaped a head out of the clay like unto her own head, and entreated God to change it into flesh and blood. God heard this prayer also. The clay head was at once changed into a human head, and dripped with blood. " Take this," she said, " and give it to the merchant." And the soldiers took it and went. When the merchant saw the gory head he was very glad. He hung it up outside his garden. Zuhra Khotan lived in the jungle for some time, and ate such fruit and vegetables as she could find there. After- wards, when she wished to leave that place, she told one of the trees to look for Haya Band and inform him HAYA BAND AND ZUHRA KHOTAN. 183 whither she had gone. She went to another country, and lodged with a poor old widow whom she met there. By day she was going out to gather sticks and other such things as she could sell, and by night she slept in the old woman's house. By-and-hy she gave birth to a fine little boy. Now it chanced that at that time the queen also was expecting her confinement. She was praying and hoping that it would be a son, as the king had threatened to take away her life if a boy should not be born. The poor woman was very anxious. She sent for the royal mid- wives, and inquired whether she was going to have a son or not. They all replied in the negative, and advised her to get a newly-born male child, and put away the little girl, that they felt sure was about to be born. The queen accepted their advice, and sent inessengers in all directions to search out such a child for her. One of these mes- sengers happened to call at the house of the old widow, and seeing the little baby there, begged her to sell him to the queen. Being a -very greedy, covetous old creature, she consented, and gave the child to the man, who quickly carried it to the queen. In due time the child's birth was proclaimed, and there was great rejoicing in the city. As soon as the messenger had left, the old widow collected a few big stones, one of which she put in the place where the baby used to sleep, and the others she put in a cupboard. When Zuhra Khotan returned she pretended that a heavenly woman had visited the place and changed the child for a stone, as they had done to several of her children^witness the stones in the cup- board. This heavenly woman visited the place once a year, she added. Poor Zuhra Khotaja! how she wept for the loss of her baby ! Deprived of her husband, and now deprived of her child, she earnestly wished to die. This world was too wicked, too troublesome, for her. What had she to live for ? It was a mournful existence iH FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. for her — day after day collecting fruit and wood, and such things as she could live by, and night after night returning to the wretched old widow and comfortless home. Meanwhile her son (the prince) grew up to be a big, clever, and pious youth. In his peregrinations he often passed the widow's house. One day he caught sight of Zuhra Khotan as she was returning from her day's wander- ings, and was so struck with her beauty that he ascertained where she resided ; and when he got back to the palace he went to the king and entreated him to arrange for his marriage with her.^ The king promised to think over the matter, and summoned Zuhra Khotan to the palace. He also was struck with her beauty and modest manner. He told her of the prince's ardent affection for her, and asked whether she would be his wife ; to which she replied that she was a wife already, and knew not that her husband was dead ; but she promised that if she heard nothing about him for the next six months she would marry the prince. The king complied with her request, and so the matter ended for a while. All through that year and several years afterwards Haya Band was travelling about the world, visiting diffe- rent countries for purposes of trade. At last, about this time, he returned to his house a very wealthy man. He thought to find his wife, and to hear that she had been proved harmless and received into the family. We can imagine, therefore, his intense grief when he heard what had been done to her. He asked his parents which way the executioners had taken his wife, and where they had carried out the cruel order, and when they told him he packed up some things and started off on the same road. By the goodness of God he reached this jungle, and passed by the tree that Zuhra Khotan had asked to inform him of her whereabouts. " Tour wife is not dead," said the tree. " The head which was carried back to your father 2 Of. whole story of " Swet-Basanta " in Folk-Tales of Bengal. HAYA BAND AND ZUHR4 KHOTAN. 185 was not your wife's head. Your wife is alive. Go on without delay till you reach a certain country, where you will find her whom you seek. Go, and God watch over you." After some days journeying the young merchant reached that country; and one morning, while he was walking about the hdzdr of the chief city, he chanced to see some women carrying things to the old widow's house. " For whom are these things ? " asked he. " Where are you going?" " There is a woman here called Zuhra Khotan, who is about to be married to the prince, and since she is very poor the king is sending her some clothes and jewels for the wedding. She came here several years ago from some other country." On hearing these words Haya Band gave the old widow his signet ring, and begged her to show it to Zuhra Khotan.' He would accompany her as far as the door, and there wait. The woman did so, and Zuhra Khotan at once re- cognised it, and went out and embraced her long-lost husband. Information of his coming was at once sent to the palace. The king was very disappointed; but the prince was exasperated. In a fit of desperation he ran off at once to Zuhra Khotan's lodgings and tried to prevail on her to go with him, when lo ! he was somehow recognised and declared to be her son. Everything was fully proved. The queen confessed everything, and the old widow con- fessed everything, and the messenger who took the child away confessed everything ; but besides these witnesses the strongest evidence was the great likeness of the child to both his father and mother. The king was exceedingly enraged when he heard of this, and at once banished the queen, and had the old widow put to death. Haya Band and his wife and son returned to their own country, where they lived happily together ever afterwards.^ 3 a. Wide-Awake Stories, p. 396, note (rf). ( i86 ) THE CLEVER JACKAL} It was ploughing-time. A farmer started early for his fields, bidding his wife follow him soon with a pot of food. When the rice was ready the woman carried some to her husband, and put it down in the field at a little distance from him, saying, "Here is your food. I cannot stay now." In a little while, when the farmer went to look for his food, he f ouhd the pot empty. He was very angry at this, and when he got home in the evening sharply reproved his wife for playing tricks with him. She, of course, thought he was telling a lie, and felt very much aggrieved. CO On the following morning, before going out, he repeated his request that she would bring him some food, and not allow him to sta,rve like a dog. That day she carried a double quantity of rice to him in a large earthen pot, and put it down in the field again, saying, " Look now, here is your dinner. Don't say I did not bring it. I cannot stay, as there is nobody left to look after the house." Thus saying, she went. In a little while a jackal came — the same as came on the previous day and ate up the. man's food — and put its head into the pot. So eager was the beast to get at the rice, that it forced its head into the narrow neck of the pot, and could not take if out again. It was in a dreadful state. It ran about shaking its head and beating the pot against the ground to try and break it. At last the farmer saw what was the matter, and came 1 Narrator's name, Pandit Wasah Kol of Kahipiira in the KitihSn pargana. THE CLEVER JACKAL. 187 running up with a knife, and exclaiming, " You thief ! You stole my dinner, did you ? " " Oh, let me go ! " cried the jackal. " Get me out of this pot and I will give you anything you may wish for." " Very well," said the farmer, and at once smashed the pot and extricated the animal. "Thank you," said the jackal. "You shall not regret to-day's adventure."- On this the beast wished the man "Good-day," and started for a king's palace some miles distant. " king," it said on entering the royal chamber, " give me permission and I will arrange for your daughter's marriage. Be not angry with me. I should not have presumed to speak to Your Majesty on this matter if I had not lately seen one who is worthy in every way of the hand of the princess." " You can bring the man here," replied the king, " and I will see him." Then >the jackal immediately started back for the farmer's house, and entering, asked him to prepare him- self quickly for a visit to the king of the neighbouring country, who was desirous of. seeing him with a view of making him his son-in-law. At first the farmer demurred, on account of his ignorance and poverty. How would he know what to say to a king? how would he know how to behave in the company of so high a personage ? and whence could he obtain suitable clothes for the visit ? But even- tually the jackal prevailed on him to accept the king's invitation, and promised to help him in every possible way. So the jackal and the farmer started. When they arrived at the king's palace the jackal went in search of His Majesty, while the farmer squatted on the floor of the entrance-hall by the palace, where the shoes were kept, and waited. "I have brought the man of whom I spoke to Your Majesty the other day," said the jackal, going up to the king. " He has come in ordinary clothes and without any 1 88 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. retinue or show, as he thought Your Majesty would be inconvenienced by having to arrange accommodation for so many people. Your Majesty must not be offended in this thing, but the rather should see in it a proof of the man's good sense." " Most certainly," said the king, rising up ; " lead me to him." " There he is," said the jackal. " What ! " that man sc[uatting by the shoes ? " exclaimed His Majesty. " Priend, why do you sit in such a place ? " he asked the farmer. " It is a nice clean place, Your Majesty, and good enough for a poor man like me," replied the farmer. "Observe the humility of the man," interposed the jackal. " You will stay in the palace this evening," said the king. " There are a few matters concerning which I wish to converse with you. To-morrow, if convenient, I shall go and see your abode." That evening the king, the farmer, and the jackal talked much together. As will be supposed, the farmer constantly betrayed his humble position, but the clever jackal contrived to arrange matters so that the king on the whole was rather favourable to the match. But what about the morrow? The jackal had been revolving the matter over in its mind during the night. As soon as the king and the farmer started it asked for permission to go on ahead. It ran as fast as it could to the farmer's house- and set it on fire, and when they drew near, went forth to meet them, crying, " king, come not any farther, I beseech you. The man's house and pro- perty are destroyed. Some enemy's hand must have done this. Both of you turn back, I pray you." So the poor simple king turned back. In due time he married his daughter to the ignorant farmer.^ 2 Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. 226-236; p. 299 ; also Mongolian tale in same Chilian story, "Don Juan Bolon- journal, vol. iv. p. 32. dron," in Folk-Lore Journal, vol. iii. ( i89 ) A STUPID BOY} A POOK widow's misery was increased by the knowledge that her son, her only son, around whom she ha4 built up many many hopes, was a half-wit. One day she sent him to the hdzdr with some cloth, and told him to sell it for four rupees. The boy went, and sat down in the most public thoroughfare of the city. " How much do you want for that piece of cloth ? " asked a man. " Four rupees," replied the boy. " All right ; I'll give you six rupees for it. It is worth it. Here, take the money." " ITo, no," said the boy ; " its price is four rupees." " You scamp ! " exclaimed the man angrily, and went on. He thought the boy was joking with him. On reaching home in the evening he informed his mother of this incident, and she was grieved that he had not taken the money. Another day she sent him to the hdzdr, and advised him to saldm everybody, saying that nothing was ever lost by politeness, but, on the contrary, everything was sometimes gained by it. The stupid boy sallied forth, and began making saldms to everybody and everything he met — a sweeper, a horse, some little children, a house. A number of asses, too, passed by with loads on their backs, and he said "Saldm" to them also. " Hey ! you fool ! what are you doing ? " said the donkey-driver in charge. '' Don't you know that we say 1 Narrator's name, a PanditSni, collected for me by Paudit Anand Kol of Zaiuah Kadal, Srfuagar. igo FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. 'Fri friV"^ whereupon the boy commenced saying "Fri fri " to every person and thing. He passed a man who had . just spread a snare for a bird that he v,ery much wished to catch, when " Fri jri " shouted the boy, and most effec- tually frightened away the bird. " You blackguard ! what are you doing ? " said the man. " You should say ' Zag lag,' in a very soft tone." Then the boy began to say "Lag lag." He was wander- ing about crying " Lag lag," when he came across some thieves coming out of a garden, where they had just been stealing the fruit. " What do you mean 1 " said they. " Be quiet, you fool, or say something else. Go and shout, ' Let go one and take the other.' " So the boy did, and while he was shouting these words a funeral cortege passed by. "Be quiet," said some of the mourners. "Have you so little respect for the dead ? Get along home." At length, disappointed and disheartened, not knowing what to do or what to say, the half-wit returned to his mother and told her everything. ° Fri fri is an exclamatiou used for urging on donkeys. ( 191 ) FOUR PRINCES TURNED INTO STONES.^ Ik olden times there lived a king that had four sons, whom he ordered to patrol the country in turn by day and by night. One morning the eldest prince in the course of his wanderings came across a j'ogi, who was sitting by a pond, near which four horses were grazing. Seeing that the horses were of a better and different breed to any that his father possessed, the prince went up to the jogi, and said, " Jogi, who are you ? Whence have you come ? What do you want here ? " " I want you," replied the jogi. " Me ! " exclaimed the prince. " I am the eldest son of the king of this country, and my father has ordered me to look after this place, and to see that nobody wants for anything. Tell me if you are in need." " prince," replied the jogi, " I want nothing except you. But if you need anything, then tell me, and I will procure it for you." " jogi, I wish to ride one of your beautiful horses," said the prince. " Very well," said the jogi. " Take it, but be careful to return it this evening, when I shall see you, and hope to hear some of your experience during the day." So the prince took the horse and rode off. As soon as he had mounted, the animal ran away, as fast at it could to a jungle, and there stopped by a little vegetable garden, which was so fenced round on every side that nobody could enter it. ' After riding a little farther into the jungle 1 Narrator's name, Makund B&yfi, Suthii, Srinagar, ■who heard it from a Musalm&n. 193 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. the prince turned to go back. On the way he saw that all the sticks of the fence had changed into sickles ^ and were cutting the vegetables. He was astonished to see this, but could not tell the reason of it. On reaching the jogi's place in the evening the good man asked him if he had had a pleasant ride and what he had seen. " I have seen," he replied, " a garden fenced in on aU sides with an impenetrable fence; and I have seen the sticks of this same fenCe changed into sickles and cutting the vegetables." " Well, what does it mean ? " asked the jogt. " I don't know," the prince replied. " Don't know ! " repeated the j'ogi, " and you commis- sioned by your father to supervise affairs ! Be turned into a stone." And it was so. That very moment the prince, became a pillar of stone.* 2 The word here "was drot, a small sickle with teeth, used by gardeners and grassoutters. s Concerning metamorphoses of human beings into stones, cf. Old Deccan Days, pp. lo, 55, 75 ; Indian Fairy Tales, p. 140 ; MadanakamArd- jankadai, p. 149: and Vana-parva, the third book of the Mahdllidrata, where Damayanti is said to have cursed a hunter, who was at once changed into a stone ; a Greek story, "Das schloss des Helios" (Schmidt's Grieckische Maerchen, Sagen and Tolkslieder, p. io5) ; the tale of the " Two Brothers," in Grimm's House- hold Stories, p. 204 ; Indian Anti- quary, vol. xix. pt. oxcvii. p. 191; R.A.S. Journal, vol. six, p. 398; also "Tale of Four Princes" and "The Wicked Queens," in this collection. In the Rishindrda it is said that one spring ShetoNHru'ddin, accompanied by some of his disciples, visited the' Pit Pantsai. He had reached a place at the foot of the mountain called Zezah Nir, now called L^l GhulSm, where a ,black dev was in the habit of seizing passers by and eating them. The dev^s name was Dahk&dti. In consequence of this the SheWs dis- ciples turned to him in great distress and besought him to deliver them. The SheiA heard their petition, and taking hold of one of the ears of the dev, threw him over the mountain. As soon as the body touched the ground on the other side it was meta- morphosed into a stone, which may be seen there, in the form of a man, to the present day. If any person should doubt this thing, that it was or is not within the experience of God's saints, let him 'read the following: — " Auliyd rd hast qudrat az Il&h Tirijastah h&z garddnad zi rdh. '' , Several of these stones, called in Kashmiri dumats, are to be seen about the valley. People think them to be as old as the Pindavas, and believe they are the petrified bodies of wicked men, whom some good folk in oldea times cursed because they were troubled by them. Near Hari Parbat, a hill in Srinagar, are five or six of these stones, which people declare were formerly chatdi-farosh (sellers of matting), whom Lakshmi, the goddess, cursed because they would not sell some matting cheap. There is one, also, at Zewan, in the Wular pargana — the petrified body of a giir (a milkman) ; and there is another in the dal (lake) near Srina- gar ; while near Shupiyon there are a lot of them in a ring, that are said to be the metamorphoses of a wedding party. In Kashmir, at any rate, this FOUR PRINCES TURNED INTO STONES. 193 The next morning the second son, while looking for his brother, passed by the jogi's place, and seeing the horses, he stopped and inquired who the jogi was, and whence he came. » " I am travelling in this country for a while," the Jogi replied. " These four horses are mine. Would you like to ride one of them ? Yesterday the king's eldest son came to me and asked permission to take one of the horses. I caused him to be turned into stone, because he could not explain something that he saw during his ride." " Indeed ! " the second prince exclaimed ; , " and what did he see?" Then the jogi told him, and promised that if hescould explain why the sticks of the fence were Changed into sickles that cut the vegetables, he would restore his brother to life and former self." " You ask a hard thing," said the prince. " How can I explain what I have never seen ? But if I may use one of your beautiful horses, I will go and examine this thing, and give you an answer." Accordingly he mounted one of the horses and rode away. - On reaching the jungle he saw a newly-born calf suckling its mother. He tarried a long time looking at this strange sight, and then returned to the jogi. " Well, what have you seen ? " the holy man inquired. " jogi," the prince answered, " I have seen a calf giving milk to its mother." " Do you know what this means ? " asked the Jogi. " No," said the prince. "What ! you don't know ?" The prince did not reply a second time ; consequently the Jogi cursed him, and he became a pOlar of stone. On the following morning the third prince came by idea of metamorphosis into stone ous metamorphosis folk-tales are to would appear to be a popular at- be explained as folk attempts at ex- tempt to account for the existence of plaining the existence of monolithes remarkable and unexplained mono- in other parts of the world, lithes. Perhaps some of our numer- K 194 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. the place where the /o^r was staying, and attracted by the horses, went up to the jogi and asked him who he was and how he had] obtained such beautiful animals. Evading these questions, the good man begged him to sit down ; and when, in course of conversation, he got to know that this young man also was a son of the king of that country, and was searching for his two brothers, he in- formed him what had happened to these princes. " But," he added, " they shall be restored to their former selves, if you can tell me why the sticks of the fence were changed into sickles and why the calf gave suck to the cow." " Thank you," replied the prince. " If you will lend me one of your horses I will go and see these strange things." " Certainly," said the jogi. " Take one of the horses and go and see ; but mind and come back by the evening." So the prince rode off, and as he entered the jungle he saw a man carrying a load of wood on his back, who, not content with what he had already gathered, still went on picking up whatever lay in his path. " What does this mean ? " thought the prince. " What shall I say to the jogi when he questions me ? " Alas ! alas ! this prince too was unable to explain the strange sight, and therefore was turned into a pillar of stone. The next morning the last and youngest brother appeared and saluted the jogi. " jogi" he said, " have you seen my three brothers ? " " Yes," he replied. " They are all there— look," and so saying, he pointed to the three pillars of stone. " I meta- morphosed them because they could not explain a few things that they saw in yonder jungle. But I will restore them to their former selves if you can tell me the meanino- of these things." Hereupon he related what the princes had seen. " I will try," said the prince, "if you will please allow me to use one of your horses. I should like to ride to the jungle and see for myself." FOUR PRINCES TURNED INTO STONES. 195 Permission having been given, the prince started. On reaching the jungle he noticed a pond, from which water was flowing and filling other ponds. Presently the big pond was empty, having exhausted itself over these other ponds. When he returned in the evening he told the jogi what he had seen, and confessed his inability to explain its meaning. Consequently he too was metamorphosed into a pillar of stone, When the king of the country found that not one of his sons had been heard of for several days he suspected that some harm had happened to them, and went in search of thein. In the course of his wanderings he passed by the jogi. "Jogi," said he, "haye you seen or heard anything of my four sons ? " The jogi pointed to the four pillars of stone. " What ! " exclaimed the king. " You do not mean to say that they have been changed into stones ? " ' " There they are," replied the jogi. " I metamorphosed them because they could not tell me the meaning of some sights that they saw in the jungle. However, they shall be restored if you can explain those things for them. You can have one of my horses if you like to go to the jungle." " No, thank you," said the king. '' But if you will tell me what my sons' difficulties were, I will try to unravel them." Then the jogi told him, " The eldest prince saw a 'garden of vegeta,bles fenced all round so that no man could enter it ; and the sticks of the fence thereof became sickles, and cut the vegetables." Then the king replied, " This is a picture of the man in whose care some money has been placed, and when the owner of the money asks for it, the man hides or spends the money, so that the owner cannot get. at it." Directly the king uttered these wprds the eldest prince appeared, standing before him, and alive and well. " The second prince saw a calf giving milk to a cow," said the jogi. 196 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " Strange that he was not reminded of a woman who lives on her daughter's hire," said the king ; and on saying this the second prince stood up before him. " The third prince saw a man with a load of wood on his back, and as the man walked he picked up other sticks and added them to the load," said the jogi. " One thinks of those people who are never satisfied with their wealth, but are always adding every cowrie they can get," said the king ; and no sooner had the king spoken these words than the third prince was restored, and stood before him. " Your youngest son saw a pond that had emptied itself to supply six other ponds," said the jogi. " Just like the world," said the king. " One man may spend and be spent for the sake of others, and what return does he get ? " As soon as he said this the youngest prince stood before him. Glad and happy, the king and his four sons then re- turned to the palace. Soon after this His Majesty gave up the government of the country to his sons, and devoted himself entirely to the religious life. ( 197 ) THE BRAVE PRINCESS.^ There were two great and wealthy kings. The one had a very handsome son, and the other had a most beautiful daughter. Both these, the prince and princess, were of a marriageable age ; arid so the two kings were sending and inquiring everywhere for suitable partners. As luck would have it, one day the messengers of these two kings met, and in course of conversation each told the other the purport of his errand. They were very much surprised and rejoiced when they found that their errand was the same, that the two kings were of a fairly equal position in the, world, and that the prince and princess were in every way a good match.^ When the kings heard of the success of their messengers they immediately communicated with one another. A match was arranged ; the day was fixed ; and the bride- groom went to the house of the father of the bride. After the usual preliminaries the wedding took place, and every- thing passed off splendidly. But now a cloud came over the scene. How short- lived is joy ! No sooner does a man snatch at it than it disappears and the hand closes on a shadow. Alas ! alas ! while the prince was returning with his bride he halted in a certain garden that happened to be the favourite resort of a company of fairies. These creatures came to the place at night, and when they saw the prince they were so fascinated with him that they determined to make him 1 Narrator's name, Makund Blyti, a Bam," and "How the Princesa SutM, Srinagar. Found her Husband, " in this ooUec- 2 Of. tale of "Prince who Became tion. igS FOLK-TALES OP KASHMIR. their own, and therefore charmed him into a death-like sleep. In vain the princess and others tried to rouse him on the following morning. They thought he was dead, and wept and mourned for him exceedingly, as for one whose spirit had departed, and with whom they should not converse any more. It was a terrible time. Meanwhile Sudabror and Budabror^ came and perched on a tree close to the little company of mourners, and com- menced talking together. Sudabror said, "This prince should not be buried." " Why ? " said Budabror. " Because he is not dead," replied Sudabror. " In a few days perhaps he will revive." These words fell like nectar in the ears of the princess, who at once gave orders to leave the corpse as and where it was, and promised to tell them afterwards why she had thus ordered. Accordingly the prince was left in the garden, and the people went away to their homes — the sad bride and her retinue one way, and the people belong- ing to the prince another way. Great was the grief of the king and queen when they heard the cruel fate of their son-in-law. The poor princess wept day and night, and would not be comforted. Every minute she was looking for the return of her husband ; but he did not come. At length she could not bear her grief any longer, and there- fore craved permission from her father to leave the palace for a while and to wander about the country whitherso- ever she wished. The king did not like to grant her request, but eventually he was moved to do so at the advice of his ministers, who thought that unless the princess had her wish she would become insane. The princess wandered here and there on the highway be- moaning her sad lot. " Have you seen the prince ? Have you seen the prince ? " she inquired from every passer-by. Thus many days were spent, and nobody could tell her anything of the object of her anxious search. At last an 3 These birds appear in the story of the " Two Brothers." THE BRA VE PRINCESS. igg old man approached. " Have you seen the prince ? " she asked. " I have passed thrdugh a garden/' replied the old man, " and in this garden I saw a handsome youth sleeping on the ground. Wondering why he had selected juch a spot for a rest, I stopped, and behold ! within a few minutes I saw some fairy-Uke women come and place a wand under his head, and he sat up and talked with them, and then they took the wand and placed it under his feet, and the youth fell back into sleep again. This I saw, and I wondered what this strange sight might be." "Very curious!" exclaimed the. princess. "Can you direct me to the garden where this youth lies sleeping ? " " Yes," replied the old man, who at once led her towards the ill-fated spot. On their arrival they found the body of the prince lying on the ground, apparently lifeless. Quickly seizing the wand that was placed under his feet, the princess removed it and put it under his head, when, as the old man had said, the prince awoke and sat up.* " Who are you ? " he said to the princess. " I am your wife," she answered. " Do you not know me?" " How did you get here ? " he said. " By the help of yonder old man," she replied, pointing to her guide, who had tarried at a little distance from fear. "Get up and come — escape with me from this terrible place." " Alas ! I cannot," he said, " for the fairies will soon discover my absence, and come after me and kill me. Oh ! if you love me, place the wand under my feet, and go." " Never," she said. " Then hide yourself quickly in the hollow of that tree, for you are not safe here now. The fairies may return at any moment." * Cf. Folk-Tales of Bengal, p. 8i ; pp. igo-211. In English fairy tales a Indian Antiquary, vol. i. pp. 115- "sleep-thorn" or other somniferous 219 ; and the same journal, vol. xvi. piece of wood is generally employed. 200 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. The princess did so, and as soon as she had got within her hiding-place the fairies came. " Ah ! what do I smell ? " said one. " Some human being has been here," said another. On this two or three of them went to try and discover the stranger who had dared to invade their retreat, but they were unsuccessful. They then woke the prince and asked him if he knew of any human being that had ven- tured near. Of course he told them, " No." " But we are certain there is somebody here near," they said, " for the smell of a human being fills the air. Any- how, we will leave here to-morrow for another place." So the next morning the fairies explored the garden, which was of immense size, and found another retreat for themselves, where they thought they would be free from the intrusion of any human being ; and while they were away the prince called the princess, and said, " What will you do now, my wife ? They will take me away to another place, where you will not be able to come, and I shall never see you again. Ah me ! ah me ! " "Not so," replied the brave princess. "See, I will gather some flowers. Strew these," she continued, giving him a little bouquet of a certain kind of flower. " I shall then be able to track you." The prince took the flowers and hid them in his clothes, and the princess ran away to the hollow in the tree. In a little while the fairies appeared in sight, and beckoned to the prince to come after them. As the prince went he now and again dropped a flower. The following day the princess carefully followed the track until she reached a very large and grand building, which looked like a palace. This was the abode of a dev who in- structed the fairies in all manner -of magic. Nothing daunted, the princess entered the building, and not find- ing anybody inside, she sat down on one of the low seats and rested herself. THE BRA VB PRINCESS. 201 Within an hour the dev arrived. Seeing the princess, he thought she was his daughter, whom some other dev had recently taken away hy force. " My darling daughter," ' he exclaimed, rushing up to her, " how did you get back ? How did you escape from that wretch ? " The princess quickly perceived the circumstances of the case, and replied, " Yes, I contrived to get out of his clutches while he was asleep." " My darling ! my darling ! " he exclaimed. For some time the princess lived in the dev's house, and was recognised by him and all the fairies as his daughter. She had full power to do what she liked and to go where she liked ; and at her earnest request the dev taught her many of his tricks : how to make a man dead and then alive again, how to find anything that had been hidden, and several others. One day, by virtue of her extra- ordinary powers, the princess noticed her husband con- cealed in an ornament that was hanging from the ear of one of the fairies. This earring she pretended to like very much, and asked the fairy to give it to her. The fairy refused ; but at last, fearing to offend her teacher's daughter, she gave the earring to her, on the condition that it should be returned on the morrow. The princess promised. As soon as the fairy was out of sight the princess extricated her husband. " beloved, do you know me ? " she asked, when the prince looked round on her and on everything with great surprise. " Do you not know me ? I am your wife. For your sake I have left my father's house ; for your sake I have dared to visit this garden and to follow you even to this dev's abode ; for your sake I have endured his kisses and caresses. Oh ! do you not know me ? " Then the prince, having recoveredhis senses, recognised her, and wept for joy. " Come, come now," she said, " I will tell you what we must do. The dev and all the people thoroughly believe that I am his daughter, who was carried away forcibly by 202 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. another. I shall take you to him, and profess that while I was escaping from the dev I met you, and overcome by your beauty, I married you. I shall also inform him of your royal station, and entreat him to sanction the mar- riage. He will be very glad when he hears this. Do not be afraid. Come and see." The princess was not disappointed. The dev was ex- ceedingly happy to hear of his daughter's good fortune, and made a great feast in her honour, to which he invited all the members of the fairy community. Por some weeks the prince and princess stayed with the dev, and then the prince quite naturally expressed a great wish to visit his home, and the princess wanted to go with him. Much as the dev wished to keep them both with him, he did not think it reasonable to refuse his per- mission, and so loaded them with presents and bade them return to him as soon as possible. Amongst other things he gave them a pith, which, on any person sitting in it and wishing, would go to the place wished for. This was the very thing for the prince and princess, who at once packed their treasures in it, and then, saying farewell to their (beloved ?) Ihrif, and to all the fairies who had assembled to witness their departure, they sat in the pith and began to float away in the air in the direction of the palace of the father of the princess. This was soon reached. There was much joy in the palace and in the city that day and for long afterwards because the king's daughter had returned, and the prince, her handsome husband, was not dead, but was alive and well, and was with her. ( 203 ) THE THREE PRINCES} Once upon a time there lived a king, who was celebrated for his learning, power, and prowess. This king had three sons, who were all in every way worthy of such a father ; for they were brave, and clever, and handsome, and wise, and good. One day the king, wishing to arrange for a successor to his throne, summoned the wazirs, and bade them help him in the matter. " Take the princes," he said, " and thoroughly examine them, and the one whom you approve I will appoint to sit on the throne after me." In the course of a few days the wazirs waited on His Majesty with their answer. The chief wazir was spokes- man, and said — " Concerning the appointment of a successor let the king not be angry, and we will speak. Our counsel is to send the princes out into the world and bid them to trade, and it shall be that whoever among them amasses the greatest fortune shall be king." Upon this all the wazirs bowed their heads in token of their unanimous approval, of the plan. " Be it so," said the king, and immediately told his pleasure to the princes. When everything was ready the three princes started. They all travelled together to the sea, and there took ship for some foreign country. As soon as they reached their destination they parted. One went in this direction, another in that, and the third in another ; but before they 1 Kanator's name, Makond Eflyii of Suth6, Srinagar. 204 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. separated they each hound themselves to return by a certain time to the spot whence they had parted. The two elder brothers went and traded with their money, and gained immense wealth, but the youngest brother wandered along the sea-coast, encamping here and there as it pleased him. While he was meditating what he should do with his money, a gosdin came and stayed with him for three days. The holy man was so pleased with the respect and attention shown to him, that he determined to reward the prince. " I am very grateful for your piety and goodness," he said. " Tell me your name, whence you came, and whither you are going." The prince explained everything' to him. " I understand," said the gosdin. " You must stay here. Do not go any farther, but remain here till your brothers return. Send your servants into the city to buy as much corn as possible, and when they bring it throw some of it into the sea every day till it is all gone. Then wait, and you shall reap an abundant harvest." Saying this, the holy man blessed him and departed. The prince acted according to the advice of the gosdin. He bought an immense quantity of corn, and had it piled up near his encampment. Every day for about six months he threw a certain measure of it into the sea, till the whole was spent. " Now," thought he, " I shall have my reward." He waited in great expectation for several days, but nothing appeared. " The gosdin has deceived me," he said to himself. " I am a ruined man ! Why was I so foolish as to listen to his wicked advice ? What will my father and my brothers say to me when they hear that I have thrown all my money into the sea ? How they will laugh at me ! I shall never be able to show my face to them again ! Ah me ! Ah me ! I will now go to another country. The day after to-morrow I will leave this cursed place." THE THREE PRTNCES. 205 But these words were hastily spoken. When all was ready, and the prince and his retinue were about to start, something happened. • The corn that the prince had thrown into the river had been eaten by a big fish,^ and as the news of the prince's liberality spread fat and wide in the waters, shoals upon shoals of fish came together to the place. The king of the fish ^ also came with them. At last the supply was suddenly stopped. " Why is this ? " the king-fish asked. " We have been receiving corn for the last six months, and now for several daiys we have had nothing. Has the prince been rewarded for his kindness to us ? " " IsTo ! " said the whole company. " We have not . received any order to that effect." " Then hear the order/' said the king-fish. " Go imme- diately and recompense the prince. Eaph one of you take a ruby and give it to him." Away went all the company of fishes and deposited each one a ruby on the shore near to the place * where the prince was standing and looking mournfully across the sea. Attracted by the great noise in the water, the prince turned towards them, and saw the long row of rubies on the sand. " Wicked man that I am ! " he exclaimed. " Why am I thus rewarded ? My little faith does not deserve this." Saying this, he at once gave an order to have all the preparations for departure stopped. "I shall remain here," said he, "till my brothers return. Pitch the tents again." While the encampment was once more being got ready he and his head-man were occupied in collecting the long row of precious rubies which the fishes had brought. " Be careful," he said to the man, " that nothing of this , matter reaches the ears of the people of the city or any other person whom we may meet. Let no mention of it 2 Kashmiri, matsh (Sanskrit, mats- in Tibetan Tales, p. 291, the Leyia- ya), a fish; the fish avatdra of than. Vishnu. ^ Of. Chap. xvi. of HiMydtu's ' In Indian Fairy Tales, p. 67, the Sdlihln ; Indian Fairy Tales, p. 66 ; alligator appears as king of the fishes ; Folk-Tales of Bengal, p. 221. ' 2o6 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. be, made to my brothers either. I charge you ; see to it that you fulfil your trust. You and the rest of my retinue shall not go unrewarded if you obey me." The man promised, and every day after this, as long as the prince was in that place, the fishes were daily fed with abundance of corn. Now, in order that his valuable treasures might not be discovered, the prince had them placed in cakes of dung, which were dried in the sun.^ After a while the day arrived for him to leave, so that he might reach the place where he was to meet his brothers by the appointed time. He was so punctual, that he arrived there a day or two earlier than the other two princes. " Well, what luck ? " they said to each other when they all met. Said the eldest prince, " I have been trading as a cloth merchant, and have gained such-and-such wealth," men- tioning an enormous sum of money. " Well done ! " exclaimed the other two brothers. Said the second prince, "I have been trading as a baniyd, and have amassed such-and-such money," also mentioning an enormous amount. " Well done ! " exclaimed the other two brothers. Then spoke the youngest prince. " You see, brothers, my , fortune," and he pointed towards several loads of dung-cakes. " Hie, hie ! " cried the other two princes. " What made our brother choose such a disgusting and unprofitable business,?" As soon as possible a ship was hired, and the three princes, with their attendants, set sail for their own country. Now, it happened that a most foolish arrange- ment had been made about wood for the voyage. Before they had got half-way they had run short of that 5 Kaghmiri Luiar or Drambar (if ordure for cooking and for heating a bi" one). Those used by potters their little braziers, as any one -will are called Munar or Kond, which soon discover who comes into close generally have a little hole in the contact with them (in the winter) or middle. Poor jjeople and others burn visits their houses at cooking-time. THB THREE PRINCES. 207 indispensable article, and therefore the two elder princes and the captain of the ship came to the youngest prince and begged him to allow them to use some piles of his dung-cakes, promising to pay him as soon as they landed. The youngest prince consented, and the next morning gave them sufficient for the rest of the voyage, after having taken out the ruby that was in each of the cakes. Thus in due time the ship arrived at her destination, and the royal passengers disembarked. They immediately started for their father's palace, and the day after their return the king summoned the whole populace to a grand meeting to witness the appointment of his successor to the throne. Accordingly there was an immense gathering. The, king, attended by all his court, sat in state, and the people crowded round on all sides. Then the princes were sum- moned before His Majesty and the people to show their wealth and tell their experience. Pirst came the eldest prince, who in a loud voice declared all that he had done and what fortune had attended him. Afterwards came the second prince, and did likewise. And when the people heard their words they cried, " Let him be king ! Let him be king ! " But when the youngest prince appeared and showed his piles of dung-cakes the king and all the people laughed at him, and told him to go. "Be not hasty, my father," he said, and then he turned and frowned on the people. " You laugh," he said to them all ; " but presently you will repent of your laugh- ter. See, in each of these dung-cakes there is a ruby whose price is beyond value ; " and he broke open one of the cakes and let fall a ruby. " Look here ! Look here ! Look here ! Look here ! " he shouted several times, and each time broke one of the dung-cakes and let fall a ruby ! ® Then all the people wondered ! "I have never .seen such rubies before," said the king. " Truly their value cannot be estimated. This my ^ Sometimes Taluables (taken on a Cf. other tales in this collection ; also joumey)areplaoedinbreadorinfruit. introduction to Baital Paohisi. 2o8 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. youngest son has got more wealth than the other two princes and I and all the people put together. He shall be king." " Yes, yes, let him be king ! " was the reply of the whole assembly; and after this they were dismissed to their homes. Not long afterwards the old king died and was cre- mated, and the younger prince reigned in his stead, while the other two princes were appointed to the two chief positions under him.' 8 ^ Why are Kashmins so fond of often inquire about the 6od! saTnundar "ship" stories? (i.) Perhaps the (great sea) and the iadi johaz (the extensive communication carried on great ships), that sail upon it. The by boat in the Valley is responsible Tibetans, too, have sea stories, for much of the idea. (2. ) Tin- ^ Folk-tales often make the younger doubtedly, too, the Sindibad tales or youngest son the most fortunate, have somewhat influenced the people, — perhaps as a recompense for his who are constantly reading and re- position in the family, which is one of peatihg them. Very few Kashmiris inferiority, and sometimes of poverty, have seen the sea or a ship, but they Cf. Folk-Lore Journal, vol. iv. p. 73. ( 209 THE DILIGENT KING} Often it happens that wicked men pursue their evil course and prosper, while the righteous are hindered in their doings. Once upon a time there lived a very kind and just king, whose great desire was, that his people should prosper in every way. One day he suddenly discovered that the inhabitants of his country were getting less and less. How to account for it he did not know. The laws were just and good ; the taxes were very light ; and the crops generally very prosperous. Why, therefore, this sudden depopulation ? In order to inquire the cause the king disguised him- self as a faqir and went about the country. In this way he learned that a great jinn was constantly visiting the different towns and villages, and making depredations wherever he went. In the course of his peregrinations the king came across this monster, though he recognised him not, because he appeared to him as an ordinary man. His Majesty had reached a barren, desolate spot some distance from the city, when he saw a man kneeling on the ground with his eyes shut and his fingers in his ears, and beating the earth with his head. " man," said the king, " what are you doing ? Are you mad ? " " No, no," replied he. " I have come here to meditate. My eyes I keep shut, that I may not look upon any- thing which the eyes ought not to see; my ears do I close, that I may not hear anything wrong ; and with my head, do I beat the groutid, thalt all insects may be ^ Narrator's name, Pandit Chandra Kol of Srinagar. 2IO FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. frightened away, lest I tread on one, and so be guilty of slaying life." " holy man," said the king, " where do you live 1 " " Yonder," replied he. " Come, return with me and stay the night, if you have nothing better to do. I perceive that you too are a man whose thoughts are not altogether occupied with the things of this world." The king accepted, and so they both went to the holy man's house, on arriving at which he ordered his wife to get some warm water and wash their guest's feet, while he went outside for a minute or so. Filled with pity for the stranger, the woman, while bathing his feet, told him that her husband was a Mmydgar^ and would slay him, as he had done hundreds of people la;tely. She advised him to take three kulichas, and to go immediately. Her husband would be back presently, and on his return would ask for him, and not finding him, would set a hunting dog after him. But he was not to be afraid, she continued, because if he threw down one of the kulichas the dog would eat it and return. The himydgar would then send another dog, when he was to throw down another kulicha. Afterwards a third dog would overtake him, when he was to throw down the third kulicha. By that time he would have reached the city, whither the dogs would not follow him. The king thanked the woman and departed. He ran as fast as he could. A dog soon came after him, and then another, and another — great ferocious brutes, that would have torn him to pieces if he had not diverted their attention with the kulichas. When he rea'ched the city he went to his palace, and resuming his royal gar- ments, without delay summoned a company of soldiers, and ordered them to go and slay the kimy&gar and bring his wife to him. So the kimydgar died, and his wife was appointed to the charge of the king's zandna. Hence- forth there was peace and prosperity in the country. 2 Au alchemist, a deceiver. ( 2H ) THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS."^ One day a young prince was out practising archery with the 'son of his father's chief wazir, when one of the arrows accidentally struck the wife of a merchant, who was walking about in an upper room of a house close by. The prince aimed at a bird that was perched on the window-sill of that room, and had not the slightest idea that anybody was at hand, or he would not have shot in that direction. Consequently, not knowing what had happened, he and the wazir's son walked away, the wazir's son chaffing him because he had missed the bird. Presently the merchant went to ask his wife about something, and found her lying, to all appearance, dead in the middle of the room, and an arrow fixed in the ground within half a yard of her head. Supposing that she was dead, he rushed to the window and shrieked, " Thieves ! Thieves! They have killed my wife." The neighbours quickly gathered, and the servants came running upstairs to see what was the matter. It happened that the woman had fainted, and that there was only a very slight wound in her breast where the arrow had grazed. As soon as the woman recovered her senses she told them that two young men had passed by the place with their bows and arrows, and that one of them had most deliberately aimed at her as she stood by the window. On hearing this the merchant went to the king, and told him.what had taken place. His Majesty was much enraged at such audacious wickedness, and swore that ' Narrator's name, Shiva B5,y(i of Eenaw&I, Srlnagar. 212 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. most terrible punishment should be visited on the offender if he could be discovered. He ordered the merchant to go back and ascertain whether his wife could recognise the young men if she saw them again. "Oh yes," replied the woman, "I should know them again among all the people in the city." " Then," said the king, when the merchant brought back this reply, " to-morrow I wiU cause all the male inhabitants of this city to pass before your house, and your wife will stand at the window and watch for the man who did this wanton deed." A royal proclamation was issued to this effect. So the next day all the men and boys of the city, from the age of tens years upwards, assembled and marched by the house of the merchant. By chance (for they both had been excused from obeying this order) the king's son and the waz'ir's son were also in the company, and passed by in the crowd. They came to see the tamdshd. As soon as these two appeared in front of the merchant's window they were recognised by the merchant's wife, and at once reported to the' king, " My own son and the son of my chief wazir J " exclaimed the king, who had been present from the commencement. " What examples for the people ! Let them both be executed." " Not so. Your Majesty," said the wazir, " I beseech you. Let the facts of the case be thoroughly investigated. How is it ? " he continued, turning to the two young men. " Why have you done this cruel thing ? " " I shot an arrow at a bird that was sitting on the sill of an open window in yonder house, and missed," answered the prince. " I suppose the' arrow struck the merchant's wife. Had I known that she or anybody had been near I should not have shot in that direction." "We will speak of this later on," said the king, on hearing this answer. "Dismiss the people. Their pre- sence is no longer needed." THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 213 In the evening His Majesty and the wazir had a long and earnest talk about their two sons. The king wished .both of them to be executed ; but the wasir thought that the prince only should be punished, and he suggested that, since the kind's anger was such that he could never look on his son's face again, the prince should be banished from the country. This finally was agreed to. Accordingly, on the following morning a little company of soldiers escorted the prince out of the city. When they reached the last custom-house the wazir' s son overtook them. He had come with all haste, bringing with him four bags of muhrs on four horses. " I am come," he said, throwing his arms round the prince's neck, "because I cannot let you go alone. We have lived together, we will be exiled together, and we will die together. Turn me not back, if you love me." " Consider," the prince answered, " what you are doing. All kinds of trial may be before me. Why should you leave your home and country to be with me ? " "Because I love you," he said, "and shall never be happy without you.'' So the two friends walked along hand in hand as fast as they could to get out of the country, and behind them marched the soldiers and the horses with their valuable burdens. On reaching a certain place on the borders of the king's dominions the prince gave the soldiers some gold, and ordered them to return. The soldiers took the money and left; they did not, however, go very far, but hid themselves behind rocks and stones, and waited till they were quite sure that the prince did not intend to come back. Qn and on the exiles walked, till they arrived at a certain village, where they determined to spend the night under one of the big trees of the place. The prince made preparations for a fire, and arranged the few articles of bedding that they had with them, while the wazir' s son went to the laniyd and the baker and the butcher to get 214 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. something for their diuner. For some reason he was delayed; perhaps the tsut was not quite ready, or the haniyd had not got all the spices prepared. After waiting, half an hour the prince became impatient, and rose up and walked about. He saw a pretty, clear little brook running along not far from their resting-place, and hearing that its source was not far distant, he started off to find it. The source was a beautiful lake, which at that time was covered with the magnificent lotus fiower and other water plants. The prince sat down on the bank, and being thirsty, took up some of the water in his hand. Fortunately he looked into his hand before drinking, and there, to his great astonishment, he saw reflected whole and clear the image of a beautiful fairy. He looked round, hoping to see the reality ; but seeing no person, he drank the water, and put out his hand to take some more. Again he saw the reflec- tion in the water which was in his palm. He looked around as before, and this time discovered a fairy sitting by the bank on the opposite side of the lake. On seeing her he fell down insensible. When the wazir's son returned, and found the fire lighted, the horses securely fastened, and the bags of 7nuhrs lying altogether in a heap, but no prince, he did not know what to think. He waited a little while, and then shouted ; but not getting any reply, he got up and went to the brook. There he came across the footmarks of his friend. Seeing these, he went back at once for the money and the horses, and bringing them with him, he tracked the prince to the lake, where he found him lying to all appearance dead. , " Alas ! alas ! " he cried, and, lifting up the prince, he . poured some water over his head and face. " Alas ! my brother, what is this ? Oh ! do not die and leave me thus. Speak, speak ! God, I cannot bear this ! " In a few minutes the prince, revived by the water, opened his eyes, and looked about wildly. THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 21; " Thank God ! " exclaimed the wazir's son. " But what is the matter, brother ? " " Go away," replied the prince. " I don't want to say anything to you, or to see you. Go away." "Come, come; let us leave this place. Look, I have brought some food for you, and the horses, and everything. Let us eat and depart." " Go alone,'' replied the prince. " Never," said the wazir's son. " What has happened to suddenly estrange you from me ? A little while ago we were brethren, but now you detest the sight of me." " I have looked upon a fairy," the prince said. " But a moment I saw her face ; for when she noticed that I was looking at her she covered her face with lotus petals. Oh, how beautiful she was ! And while I gazed she took out of her bosom an ivory box, and held it up to me. Then I fainted. Oh ! if you can get me that fairy for my wife, I will go anywhere with you." " brother," said the wazir's son,, " you have indeed seen a fairy. She is a fairy of the fairies. This is none other than Gul'izar of Shahr-i-'Aj.^ I know this from the hints that she gave you. Prom her covering her face with lotus petals I learn her name, and from her showing you the ivory box I learn where she lives. Be patient, and rest assured that I will arrange your marriage with her." When the prince heard these encouraging words he felt much comforted, rose up, and ate, and then yent away gladly with his friend. On the way they met two men. These two men be- longed to a family of robbers. There were eleven of them altogether. One, an elderly sister, stayed at home and cooked the food, and the other ten — all brothers — went out, two and two, and walked about the four different ways that ran through that part of the country, robbing those travellers who could not resist them, and inviting 2 Gul'izar or GuVuzdr (Persian), rosy-cheeked ; Shahr-i-'Jj, the city of ivory. 2i6 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. others, who were too powerful for two of them to manage, to come and rest at their house, where the whole family- attacked them and stole their goods. These thieves lived in a kind of tower, which had several strong-rooms in it, and under which was a great pit, wherein they threw the corpses of the poor unfortunates who chanced to fall into their power. The two men came forward, and politely accosting them, begged them to come and stay at their house for the night. "It is late," they said, "and there is not another village within several miles." " Shall we accept this good man's invitation, brother ? " asked the prince. The wazir's son frowned slightly in token of disapproval ; but the prince was tired, and thinking that it was only a whim of his friend's, he said to the men, " Very well. It is very kind of you to ask us." So they all four went to the robbers' tower. Seated in a room, with the door fastened on the outside, the two travellers bemoaned their fatei " It is no good groaning," said the wazir's son. " I wiU climb to the window, and see whether there are any means of escape. Yes! yes!" he whispere"d, when he had reached the window-hole. " Below there is a ditch surrounded by a high wall. I will jump down and recon^noitre. You stay here, and wait till I return." Presently he came back and told the prince that he had seen a most ugly woman, whom he supposed was the robbers' housekeeper. His plan was to explain every- thing to this wretched creature, and then get her to release them on the promise of her marriage with the prince. He would bring her back with him to their room. She would certainly demand this promise as payment for their escape. At first the prince was to pretend to demur, but afterwards he was to comply. The prince consented. When the wazir's son came up to the woman she wept. " Why do you weep ? " he asked. THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 217 "Because of the short time you have to live," she replied. " Weep not," he said, " but come and be married to the prince. Come now and ask his consent to this plan." They went, and on reaching the room the wazirs son besought the prince to promise to marry the woman ; but he refused, saying that he would sooner rot in the tower than give his hand to such as she was ; whereupon the wazir's son fell at his feet and besought him more earnestly, till the prince yielded. Glad and happy, the woman then led the way out of the enclosure by a secret door. " But where are the horses and the goods ? " the wazir's son inquired. "You cannot bring them," the woman said. "To go out by any other way would be to thrust oneself into the grave." " All right, then ; they also shall go out by this door. I have a charm, whereby I can make them thin or fat." So the wazir's son fetched the horses without any person knowing it, and repeating the charm, he made them pass through the narrow doorway like pieces of cloth, and when they were all outside restored them to their former condition. He at once mounted his horse and laid hold of the halter of one of the other horses, and then beckoning to the prince to do likewise, he rode off. The prince saw his opportunity, and in a moment was riding after him, having hold of the other horse. " Stop, stop ! " shrieked the woman, " Leave me not. My brothers will discover my act and kill me." " Eun along, then," the wazir's son shouted. " Look, we are not riding so very fast." The woman ran as fast as she could, and managed to keep within a fair distance of the riders. When the wazir's son perceived that they were out of range of danger he dismounted, and seizing the breathless woman, he tied her to a tree and whipped her. "Now," said 2i8 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. he, " you ugly creature, if your brothers find you, you can say that we are devs, and thus escaped." On, on they rode, until they reached a village, ■where they stayed the night. The following morning they were off again, and asked for Shahr-i-'Aj from every passer-by. At length they came to this famous city, and put up at a little hut that belonged to an old woman, from whom they feared no harm, and with whom, therefore, they could abide in peace and comfort. At first the old woman did not like the idea of these travellers . staying in her house, but the sight of a muhr, which the prince dropped in the bottom of a cup in which she had given him water, and a present of another muhr from the wazir's son, quickly made her change her mind. She agreed to let them stay there for a few days. As soon as her work was over the old woman came and sat down with her lodgers. The wazir's son pretended to be utterly ignorant of the place and people. "Has this city a name ? " he asked the old woman. " Of course it has, you stupid. Every littl^ village, much more a city, and such a city as this, has a name." " What is the name of this city ? " " Shahr-i-'Aj! Don't you know that? I thought the name was known all over the world." On the mention of the name Shahr-i-'Aj the prince gave a deep sigh. The wazir's son looked as much as to say, " Keep quiet, or you'll discover the secret." " Is there a king of this country ? " continued the ivazir's son. " Of course there is, and a queen, and a princess." " What are their names ? " " The name of the princess is Gul'izar, and the name of the queen" The wazir's son interrupted the old woman by turning to look at the prince, who was staring like a madman. " Yes," he said to him afterwards, " we are in the ri"ht country. We shall see the beautiful princess." THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 219 One morning the two travellers noticed the old woman's most careful toilette : how careful she was in the arrange- ment of her hair and the set of her Jcasdhah and puts. " Who is coming ? " said the loazir's son. "Nobody," the old woman replied. "Then where are you going ? " " I am going to see my daughter, who is a servant of the princess Gul'izar. I see her and the princess every day. I should have gone yesterday, if you had not been here and monopolised all my time." " Ah-h-h ! Be careful not to say anything about us in the hearing of the princess." The wazir's son asked her not to speak about them at the palace, hoping that, because she had been told not to do so, she would mention their arrival, and thus the princess would be informed of their coming. On seeing her mother the girl pretended to be very angry. " Why have you not been for two days ? " she asked. "Because, my dear," the old woman answered, "two young travellers, a prince and the son of some great vjazir, have taken up their abode in my hut, and demand so much of my attention. It is nothing but cooking and cleaning, and cleailing and cooking, all day long. I can't understand the men," she added; "one of them especially appears very stupid. He asked me the name of this country and the name of the king. Now where can these men have come from, that they do not know these things ? How- ever, they are very great and very rich. They each give me a muhr every morning and every evening." After this the old woman went and repeated almost the same words to the princess; on the hearing of which the princess beat her severely, and threatened her with a severer punishment if She ever again spoke of strange men before her. In the evening, when the old woman had returned to her hut, she told the wazir's son how sorry she was that she could not help breaking her promise, and how the 2 20 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. princess had struck her because she mentioned their coming and all about them. " Alas ! alas ! " said the prince, who had eagerly listened to every word. "What, then, will be her anger at the sight of a man ? " " Anger ? " said the wmir's son, with an astonished air. " She would be exceedingly glad to see one man. I know this. In this treatment of the old woman I see her request that you will go and see her during the coming dark fortnight." " God be praised ! " the prince exclaimed. The next time the old woman went to the palace Gul'izar called one of her servants and ordered her to rush into the room while she was conversing with the old woman ; and if the old woman asked what was the .matter, she was to say that the king's elephants had gone mad, and were rushing about the city and hdmr in every direction, and destroying everything in their way. The servant obeyed, and the old woman, fearing lest the elephants should go and push down her hut and kill the prince and his friend, begged the princess to let her depart. Now Gul'izar had obtained a kind of charmed swing, that landed whoever sat on it at the place whither they wished to be. " Get the swing," she said to one of the servants standing by. When it was brought she bade the old woman step into it and desire to be at home. The old woman did so, and was at once carried through the air quickly and safely to her hut, where she found her two lodgers safe and sound. " Oh ! " she cried, " I thought that both of you would be killed by this time. The royal elephants have got loose and are running about wildly. When I heard this I was anxious about you. So the princess gave me this charmed swing to return in. But come, let us get outside before the elephants arrive and batter down the place." " Don't believe this," said the wazir's son. " It is a mere hoax. They have been playing tricks with you." THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 221 " You •will soon have your heart's desirp," he whispered aside to the prince. " These things are signs." Two days of the dark fortnight had elapsed, when the prince and the. wazir's son seated themselves in the swing, and wished themselves within the grounds of the palace. In a moment they were there, and there too was the object of their search standing by one of the palace gates, and longing to see the prince quite as much as he was longing to see her. Oh, what a happy meeting it was ! " At last," said Gul'izar, " I have seen my beloved, my husband." " A thousand thanks to God for bringing me to you," said the prince. Other appointments were arranged of course, and then the prince and Gul'izar kissed one another and parted, the one for the hut and the other for the palace, both of them feelipg happier than they had ever been before. Henceforth the prince visited Gul'izar every day and returned to the hut every night. One morning Gul'izar begged him to stay with her always, as she liked not his going away at night. She was constantly afraid of some evil happening to him — perhaps robbers would slay him, or sickness attack him, and then she would be deprived of him. She could not live without seeing him. The prince showed her that there was no real cause for fear, and said that he felt he ought to return to his friend at night, because he had left his home and country and risked his life for him, and, moreover, if it had not been for his friend's help he would never have met with her. Gul'izar for the time assented, but she determined in her heart to get rid of the wazir's son as soon as possible. A few days after this conversation she ordered one of her maids to make npildv. She gave special directions that a certain poison was to be mixed into it while cooking, and as soon as it was ready the cover was to be placed on the saucepan, so that the poisonous steam might not escape. 222 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. When the pildv was ready she sent it at once by the hand of a servant to the wazir's son with this message: — " Gul'izar, the princess, sends you an offering in the name of her dead uncle." On receiving the present the wazir's son thought that the prince had spoken gratefully of him to the princess, and therefore she had thus remembered him. Accordingly he sent back his saldm and expressions of thankfulness. When it was dinner-time he took the saucepan of pildv, and went out to eat it by the stream. Taking off the lid, he threw it aside on the grass and then washed his hands. During the minute or so that he was performing these ablutions, the green grass under the cover of the saucepan turned quite yellow. He was astonished, and suspect- ing that there was poison in the pildv, he took a little and threw it to some crows that were hopping about. The moment the crows ate what was thrown to them they fell down dead.* " God be praised," exclaimed the wazir's son, " who has preserved me from death at this time ! " On the return of the prince that evening the wazir's son was very reticent and depressed. The prince noticed this change in him, and asked what was the reason. " Is it because I am away so much at the palace ? " The wazir's son saw that the prince had nothing to do with the send- ing of the pildv, and therefore told him everything. "Look here," he said, "in this handkerchief is some pildv that the princess sent me this morning in the name of her deceased uncle. It is saturated with poison. Thank God, I discovered it in time ! "' " brother ! who can have done this thing ? Who is there that entertains enmity against you ? " " The princess, Gul'izar. Listen.' The next time you go to see her, I entreat you to take some snow with you ; and just before seeing the princess put a little of it into * Cf. Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. 90, tale " Lach pf Rupees for a. Bit of 157; Indian Fairy Tales, 212; the Advice " in this coUeotion. first story in Baital Pachisl; also THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 223 Ijoth your eyes. It will provoke tears, and Gul'izar will ask you why you are crying. Tell her that you weep for the loss of your friend, who died suddenly this morning. Look ! take, too, this wine and this shovel, and when you have feigned intense grief at the death of your friend, bid the princess to drink a little of the wine. It is strong, and will immediately send her into a deep sleep. Then, while she is asleep, heat the shovel and mark her back with it.* Eemember to bring back the shovel again, and also to take her pearl necklace. This done, return. Now fear not to execute these instructions, because on the ful- filment of them depends your fortune and happiness. I will arrange that your marriage with the princess shall be accepted by the king, her father, and all the court." The prince promised that he would do everything as the wazir's son had advised him; and he kept his promise. The following night, on the return of the prince from his visit to Gul'izar, he and the wazir's son, taking the horses and bags of muhrs, went to a graveyard about a mile or so distant. It was arranged that the wazir's son should act the part of a faqir, and the prince the part of the faqir s disciple and servant. In the morning, when Gul'izar had returned* to her senses, she felt a smarting pain in her back, and noticed that her pearl necklace was gone. She went at once and informed the king of the loss of her necklace, but said nothing to him about the pain in her back. The king was very angry when he heard of the theft, and caused proclamation concerning it to be made through- out all the city and surrounding country. " It is well," said the wazir's son, when he heard of this proclamation. " Fear not, my brother, but go and take this necklace, and try to sell it in the bdzdr." The prince took it to a goldsmith and asked him to buy it. " How much do you want for it ? " asked the man. * Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, p. 134. 224 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " Fifty thousand rupees," the prince replied. " All right," said the man ; " wait here while I go and fetch the money." The prince waited and waited, till at last the goldsmith returned, and with him the kotwdl, who at once took the prince into custody on the charge of stealing the princess's necklace. " How did you get the necklace ? " the kotwdl asked. " A faqir, whose servant I am, gave it to me to sell in the Idzdr," the prince replied. "Permit me, and I will show you where he is.'' The prince directed the kotwdl and the policemen to the place where he had left the wazir's son, and there they found the faq{r with his eyes shut and engaged in prayer. Presently, when he had finished his devotions, the kotwdl asked him to explain how he had obtained possession of the princess's necklace. " Call the king hither," he replied, " and then I will tell His Majesty face to face." On this some men went to the king and told him what the faqir had said. His Majesty came, and seeing the faqir so solemn and earnest in his devotions, he was afraid to rouse his anger, lest peradventure God's displeasure should descend on him, and so he placed his hands together in the attitude of a supplicant, and asked, " How did you get my daughter's necklace ? " " Last night," replied the faqir, " we were sitting here by this tomb worshipping God, when a woman, dressed as a princess, came and exhumed' a body that had been buried a few days ago, and ate it. On seeing this I was filled with anger, and beat her back with that shovel, which was lying on the fire at the time. While running away from me her necklace got loose and dropped. You wonder at these words, but they are not difficult to prove. Exa- mine your daughter, and you will find the marks of the burn on her back. Go, and if it is as I say, send the princess to me, and. I will punish- her." THE IVORY CITY AND ITS FAIRY PRINCESS. 225 The king went back to the palace, and at once ordered the princess's back to be examined. " It is so," said the maid-servant ; " the burn is there." "Then /let the girl be slain immediately," the king shouted. "No, no, Your Majesty," they replied. "Let us send her to the faqir who discovered this thing, that he may do whatever he wishes with her." The king agreed, and so the princess was taken to the graveyard. " Let her be shut up in a cage, and be kept near the grave whence she took out the corpse," said the faq^ir^ This was done, and in a little while the faqir and his disciple and the princess were left alone in the graveyard. Night had not long cast its dark mantle over the scene when the faqir and his disciple threw off their disguise, and taking their horses and luggage, appeared before the cage. They released the princess, rubbed some ointment over the scars on her back, and then sat her upon one of their horses, behind the prince. Away they rode fast and far, and by the morning were able to rest aiid talk over their plans in safety. The wazir's son showed the princess some of the poisoned jpildv that she had sent him, and asked whether she had repented of her ingratitude. The princess wept, and acknowledged that he was her greatest helper and friend.' A letter was sent to the chief wazir telling him of all that had happened to our heroes since they had left their country. "When the wazir read the letter he went and informed the king. The king caused a reply to be sent to the two exiles, in which he ordered them not to return, but to send a letter to Gul'izar's father, and inform him of everything. Accordingly they did this ; the prince wrote the letter at the wasir's son's dictation. ' On reading the letter Gul'izar's father was much enraged with his wazirs and other officials for not discovering the presence in his country of these illustrious visitors, as he p 226 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. was especially anxious to ingratiate himself in the favour of the prince and the wazir's son. He ordered the execu- tion of some of the wazirs on a certain date. " Come," he wrote back to the wazir's son, " and stay at the palace. And if the prince desires it, I will arrange for his marriage with Gul'izar as soon as possible." The prince and the wazir's son most gladly accepted the invitation, and received a right noble welcome from the king. The marriage soon took place, and then after a few weeks the king gave them presents of horses and elephants, and jewels and rich cloths, and bade them start for their own land; for he was sure that the king would now receive them. The night before they left the wazirs and others whom the king intended to have exe- cuted as soon as his visitors had left came and besought the wazir's son to plead for them, and promised that they each would give him a daughter in marriage. He com- plied, and succeeded in obtaining their pardon. Then the prince, with his beautiful bride, Gul'izar, and the wazir's son, with his numerous beautiful wives, the daughters of the wazirs, attended by a troop of soldiers, and a large number of camels and horses bearing very much treasure, left for their own land. In the midst of the way they passed the tower of the robbers, and with the help of the soldiers they razed it to the ground, slew all its inmates, and seized the treasures which they had been amassing there for several years. At length they reached their own country, and when the king saw his son's beautiful wife and his magnificent retinue he was at once reconciled, and ordered him to enter the city and take up his abode there. Henceforth all was sunshine on the path of the prince. He became a great favourite, and in due time succeeded to the throne, and ruled the country for many many years in peace and happiness.^ ' 5- Compare the first tale of Baital Madanakamdrdjan&adai (Dravidian Pachisi; IndianFairy Tales, pp. 207- NigMs). 215 ; also whole of the introduction to ( 227 ) A STRANGE REQUEST.^ One day a king was shooting in a jungle, when he came across &faqir. " Saldm ! " said he. " Can I do anything for you ? " " No, thank you," replied the fagir. " Can I do any- thing for you ? " " Yes," said the king. " I want a wife exactly like my- self in appearance and height." "Alas !" said \hQ fagir, "you have askefd a hard thing; nevertheless I can do it for you. But be warned; the woman will prove unfaithful." " Never mind," said His Majesty. " If you, can grant me this request, please do so." On this the fagir arose, and flourishing an axe, clave the king's head in two, and then buried the body. "0 God," cried he, "hear my prayer, and cause the king to appear again and a woman exactly like him in height and appearance." The prayer was heard. The king rose again, and after him a woman like him. In a little while His Majesty had a special palace built for his new wife in the jungle, and went to live with her there as often as he could. But, alas ! the woman proved faithless, as the fagir had said. One day, when the king was absent, she noticed one of the wazirs passing by. He was a young and handsome fellow, and the woman immediately fell in love with him. She beckoned to him to come to her, and he went. In this way they often met, and became very much attached to one another. One ' Narrator's name, Pandit Anand Kol of Zainah Kadal, Srinagar. 228 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. morning they were nearly discovered. The king happened to reach the place when everybody thought he was far away. Therefore they decided to arrange so as to preclude every possibility of discovery. Their plan was to contract with a potter called Kital to dig a subterranean passage from the city to the palace, in order that the wazir might come and go just as he liked. This was done privately, and for a time all went well. At length, however, their wickedness was found out. The wazir prepared a great feast, and invited the king to grace the company with his presence. The king accepted, and went. The woman also was present, but in disguise. However, His Majesty recognised her. " Is it a dream ? " thought he. " No, it is she. I will make a little mark on her clothes, whereby I shall be able to tell on my return whether I am deceived or not." So presently he just touched the corner of her wrap with a little turmeric, and then passed on as if nothing had happened. On reaching his palace at night he found the woman there waiting for him, and the stain was on her wrap. "Adulteress!" he cried, and drew his sword; and with one stroke he severed her head from her body. On the following morning he resigned his throne and became afaqir. ( 229 ) THE UNJUST KING AND WICKED GOLD- SMITH.^ Once upon a time a king was walking in his garden, when a stag broke through the fence and began to run about and trample down the flowers. On seeing this the king was exceedingly angry, and ordered his servants to surround the place and catch the animal. He himself also rode after it, with a drawn sword in his' hand. Suddenly the stag escaped from the garden. Off it went, as only stags can go, and the king riding close after it. His Majesty followed it for several miles, right up to the border of his territory, but did not overtake it. Not wishing to go farther, he stopped there, and being very hot and thirsty, dismounted and stripped himself for a bathe. While he was bathing some wicked person stole his horse and clothes. Here was a strange position for a king to be in! "What shall I do?" thought His Majesty. " How can I return to my palace naked ? I cannot do it. I should be a laughing-stock to my people for many a day." Accordingly His Majesty determined to wander about the neighbouring king's country. In the course of his wanderings he picked up a pearl necklace of great value. "Thank God, thank God!" he exclaimed. "I shall be able to get some clothes and a horse with this. I will go into the city and try to sell it." So he walked on and on till he reached the chief city of that king, and at once sought out the head goldsmith there. " Sir," said he, " will you buy a pearl necklace ? I have a very valuable one to dispose of. I found it one morning as I was crossing a stream." 1 Narrator's name, Shiva B^yfi, Eena-wS,ri, Srinagar. 230 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " Show it to me," replied the goldsmith. " You thief ! " he contitiued when he saw the necklace. " How did you steal this ? I made two necklaces like this for the king, and could not discover what had become of one of them. You' impudent thief ! Come with me to the king." Thus saying, he called a policeman, and bade him bring the fellow after him to the king. His Majesty heard the goldsmith's petition, and commanded the man's feet to be amputated. When the queen of that country, who was as humane and just as her husband was cruel and unjust, heard of the stern order of her husband she remonstrated with him. " How could you give such a terrible order,'' she said, " when there seemed to be so little evidence to sup- port the case ? ■ And those goldsmiths are generally such wicked men. You know how they lie and deceive to make money. Truly, I would as soon have believed the poor man's words as the words of that goldsmith." " Hold your tongue," said the king. " What business have you to interfere with my affairs ? " " I shall not be quiet," said the queen. " Lately I have been much grieved by your' sternness in the darhdr. Your counsellors are displeased with you, and your people are ready to rebel. If you continue in this course you will bring youp country to ruin." The king was very angry with the woman, and told her to leave the room. On the following morning he ordered her to be sent out of the country with the man whose feet had been cut off.^ The queen minded not this thing. On the contrary, she was very glad to be released from such a husband. She went to the footless man and in- formed him of the king's order, and then put him into a long basket and carried him on her back to some place without the city, where she tended him, like a wife, till 2 Favourite form of punishment, der Vol&slitteratur der turkoschen Cf. several tales quoted in Folk-Lore Stamme Siid-Siieriens, vol. iii. pp. Journal, vol. iv. 308-349; story of ,347-354; also tale of "Karm y4 "Nuru'ddin 'All and Badru'ddin Dharm" in this collection. Hasan " in Arcibian Nights ; Proben THE UNJUST KING AND WICKED GOLDSMITH. 231 his wounds were healed. She soon got very fond of him, and as he reciprocated her affections, she became his real wife, and a little son was born to them. For a living she used to cut wood and go and sell it in the city. One day, while she was away in the city, her husband fell asleep, and the little boy, who had been left in his care, taking advantage of the occasion,' crawled to the brink of a well that was near and tumbled in. When the man awoke and saw not the child his grief knew no bounds. He was like a wild fellow. " Some beast has devoured my child," he cried. " What shall I do 1 " In the evening his wife returned. She too was grieved beyond expression ; but being a brave and sensible woman, she controlled herself, and tried to comfort her husband by saying, " This is written in our lot." At night the king could not sleep for thinking of, and wishing for, his little boy. And happily for him that he could not sleep, because about the end of the second watch two birds called Sudabror and Budabror came and perched on a tree close by their open door, and began talking together about them. " What a world of trouble is this ! " remarked Sudabror to his friend. "Listen to what has happened to this man. He has been obliged to leave his country; he has lived like a beggar in another country, where he was most unjustly punished; and now he is bemoaning the loss of his beautiful infant son. The boy was drowned in that well yesterday afternoon." " What trouble for these poor creatures ! " said Budabror. " Can nothing be done for them ? " " Oh yes," replied Sudabror. " If the king would jump into this well he could easily rescue the boy, and would regain his feet too." The king heard all that the birds had said, and was very much surprised and glad. As soon as the day dawned he told his wife what had happened, and asked her advice. 232 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. " Obey the birds, of course," she said, " and jump into the weU." The man did so, and thus savedhis child and regained his feet. Some time after this the king met his chief wazir, who had been wandering about everywhere inquiring after his master ever since His Majesty had left. From him the king learnt that all the people were longing for his return. Accordingly he went back, accompanied by his wife and chUd, and sat on the throne again, and governed the country as before. The first thing he did after his return was to send his army to fight with the king who had so ill-treated him. His army was victorious, and the other king, very much ashamed of himself, was obliged to come and beg for mercy. He said that he had thus acted because of the wicked goldsmith, whom he would immediately cause to be executed. So the king, pardoned him and let him go. Henceforth all was peace and joy. His Majesty lived very happily with the other king's banished wife, had many children, and finally died at a good old age, much to the grief of all his people. ( 233 ) THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.^ In olden times there lived a king, who one day went to the Phak pargana to hunt. He was near the village of Dachhigam, when he saw a stag, to which he gave chase, and followed it for several miles, till it disappeared into some woods and was lost. His Majesty was very angry and disappointed at this bad luck. As he was returning to his camp he heard a cry, as of some person weeping, behind the hedge on the roadside. He looked to see who it was and found a most beautiful woman about seventeen years of age, and was fascinated with the sight. " Who are you ? What are you doing here ? " he asked most tenderly. " Oh, sir," she replied, I am the daughter of one of the kings of China.^ My father was taken prisoner in battle, 1 Narrator's name, Makund B4y(i Trith his ministers and friends as to Suthii, Srinagar, who heard it from what he should do, but they could a Pandit living at N4gS,m. not help him. He then sought ad- 2 (o.) Tradition says that Kashmir vice fiom faqirs. At that time there was once a tributary of China ; and lived in Kashmir a very famous faqir because there was not much money by the name of Bahidin, who begged in the valley and cattle was difficult the king not to be distressed, and of transport, men and wonien were promised to arrange the matter for sent yearly as tribute to that country. , him. This faqir, by virtue of his "When Zainu'Idbadxn obtained posses- sanctity, flew over to China in the sion of Kashmir he declined to pay twinkling of an eye, and brought the tribute, whereupon the Sh&h-i- back the ShAh-i-Chin lying on his Chin sent a parwdna, censuring him, bed to his own ihumble abode. In and threatening him that if he did the morning, when the Sh^h awoke not quickly comply with the custom and found himself in a meagre hut, of his predecessors in the valley he he was very much surprised, would make war on him, and ruin "Oh, holy man," said he to the him and every one and everything be- faqir, "I perceive that you have done longing to him. ~ this thing. Tell me, I pray you, why Now Zainu'l^badln had heard of you'have brought me here. " the Chinese, of their vast numbers, "I have transported you hither," and power, and cleverness, and there- replied Bah&din, "in order that you fore was somewhat frightened by might meet face to face with Zainu- these stern words. He took counsel 'libadin, and promise him that you 234 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. and 1, fearing to become the slave of my father's enemies, fled. I first came to some place, where I attempted to drown myself in a well, but the villagers were apprised of my state, and came and saved me. Afterwards I came here. You have heard my story ; now please tell me yours." " Fair maiden," he replied, " I am the king of this country, and am now out on a hunting excursion. Lucky day that brought me in your path." , On this the girl wept. "Why do you weep, pretty maiden?" continued the king. " king, I weep for my father, for my mother, and for my country. I weep for myself. What shall I do here ? Friendless and homeless, how can I live ? " she replied. " Weep no more," said he. " Henceforth I will look after you. Come to my palace and spend your days." " That gladly will I do," said the girl. " ISTay, ask me to be your wife. I. can refuse you nothing." " My beloved, my darling,'' said the king, " come with me." Accordingly a marriage was arranged, and the king will abolish this wicked custom. Give countries. Cf. Yigne's Travels in it up, and God will bless you, and Kashmir, &o., vol. ii. pp. 199-202. the people of this country •mil thank Several allusions to China occur you." also in Kashmiri songs, &c. For ex- The Sh3,h-i-Chin was pricked to the ample: Mang i roi Machin, "The heart by these words, and cutting his bloom on your cheeks is that of finger, so that the blood oozed out, China,;" KusManichhuhdmutchdnih he called for a pen and some paper, iumiahrangjcaranah! "WhatMani and at once wrote an order declaring has been and painted your eyebrows ? ' ' Kashmir an independent state. Then This is, of course, the celebrated Bah&diu presented him with some Persian painter, who went in disguise peaches, apricots, walnuts, and other to China, whom Yigne makes out to fruits, and caused him to arrive at have been the preacher of the Mani- his country again. When the 8h4h chsean heresy, 'for he travelled," says related to his people what had hap- Mirkhond, "through Kashmir into pened to him and what he had seen, India, and thence proceeded to Tur- his people would not believe him; kestan, Kathal, and China." but afterwards, when he showed (c. ) It should also be noticed that them the different fruits that the it is a common way of explain- ' faqir had given him, they were con- ing the origin of unknown girls iu vinced, and applauded his deed. Musalm^n tales, to call them women (5.) Nasim-ffiita, who accompanied of China, handmaidens of the Em- Mr. Vigne to Iskirdo, tells many peror in China. Cf., en passant, the stories of the Chinese and their story of ' ' Aladdin, or the Wonderful doings in Tibet and surrounding Lamp " in Arabian Nights. THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. 235 Became more and more fond of his wife from China. He built a beautiful five-storeyed building for her on the banks of the Dal,* close to Ishibar * and spent as much time as he possibly could with her, to the entire exclusion of his other wives. Little did he know then what a terrible creature she was on whom he was lavishing his affection ; and little did he know the awful disease that living with her had brought on him. By-and-by, however, he began to feel great pains in his stomach, and sent for the hakims, some of whom advised him this and some that ; but none of them could cure him. At last a jogi, who was in the habit of flying over to this country every day to get some water from the Dud Ganga^ and some earth from Harl Parbat® for his master and teacher, noticed the grand building that the king had constructed, and wishing to rest, went and entered it ; and putting the sacred water in one corner of the room, and the sacred earth in another corner, and a box of precious ointment- under his pillow, he stretched himself on the king's bed, and was soon asleep. Meanwhile His Majesty arrived, and was much surprised to find the jogi sleeping on his bed.- He noticed the little ointment-box under the pillow, and the sacred water and earth, and wondered what they meant. Curious to see M^hat the jogi would do when he awoke, he sat down and waited. The Jogi did not keep him very long. How astonished he was to see the king, and how terrified when he could not find the little box of ointment and the sacred water and earth ! The king had taken them. "Do not be afraid, O Jogi," said he. "I have got all your things safely. Tell me how and why you came here, and you shall have them again." Then the Jogi told him everything, and received back the things, and bowing to the king, left the palace. He flew back as 3 The city lake close to Srinagar. ^ A hill in Srinagar on which stands * A village on the eastern side of the fort protecting the city. In the the lake. It contains a very sacred month of March there is a Hind(i spring. festival in honour of Sh&rika held on ^ A sacred stream crossed on the this hill, way to Bi&mfL. 236 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. fast as possible to Ms master, who asked him the reason of his delay, whereupon the jogi related to him how he had been discovered sleeping in the king's bed, and how His Majesty had spoken to him. " A good man ! " exclaimed the teacher when he heard these words. " I am thankful that he gave you back the sacred ointment and the other things. Come, lead me to him." Accordingly they both flew to this country by the aid of the ointment, and went before the king. " king," said the Jogi, " my master and teacher has come to see you, and to thank you for returning those things to me." Then said the rishi, " Yes, to thank you I have come, Oking. Be pleased to ask anything at my hands and it shall be done for you." "0 holy man," replied the king, prostrating himself before him, "1 have been caught with a disease in my stomach which all the skill and learning of the hakims have as yet failed to alleviate. If you can cure me of this disease I shall be eternally grateful to you." " Let me examine your body," said the rishi, looking earnestly at him. " Have you recently married a wife ? " " Yes," replied the king, and related to him the circum- stances of meeting with his new wife and everything about her. "I suspected this," said the rishi. "0 king, you are really very ill. Forty days more without relief would have killed you. But now you are safe. I can cure you. Do what I tell you, and fear not. Order your cook to put extra salt into your wife's dinner this evening, and see that there is not any water in the room where she will sleep.^ You yourself keep awake all the night and watch, and tell me in the morning whatever happens. Be not afraid. No harm shall come to you." His Majesty implicitly followed the rishi's directions. ' Cf. Folk-Lore Journal, vol. iv. p. 24. THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. 237 As was expected, the ■woman got very thirsty in the night, and rose up to drink some water ; but not finding any water in the room, she first looked to see if her husband was asleepi ,and then assumed the shape of a snake and went out. She went to the lake to drink. When she had done this she returned, and changing herself back to a woman, lay down to sleep again. , The king saw all this, and in the morning informed the rishi. When the rishi heard everything he said, " king, this is not a woman, but a vihd. Listen. If for the space , of one hundred years the sight of no human eye falls on a snake a crest forms on its head, and it becomes a sJidhmdr; if for another.hundred years it comes not into the sight of a naan, it is changed into an ajdar; and if for three hundred years it has never been looked ,on by a human being it becomes a vihd. A mhd can stretch itself to any length, possesses enormous power, and can change its appearance, at will; it is very fond of assuming the form of a woman, in order that it may live with men.^ Such is your wife, king." " Horrors ! " exclaimed the king. " Would that I had known this before. But is there no way of escape from this wretched creature ? " " Yes, certainly," replied the rishi; " but you must be patient. Go regularly to your wife, and act towards her Just the same as you have always done. Otherwise she will suspect you, and will destroy you. One breath of hers would blast the whole country. Meanwhile build a house oilaehh,^ and cover the lachh with a white washing, so that it may not appear. The house should contain four rooms — a sitting-room, dining-room, bedroom, and bathrooin, and in one corner of the dining-room there should be a ■big strong oven with a cover. When everything is quite ready pretend that you are ill, and get the hahim to pre^ scribe forty days' solitary confineinent in the house of lachh, and to strictly order nobody but the woman to visit you." ' Cf. Indian Antiquary, vol. xi. pp. " A resinous substaooe, the l©si,3,of 230-235. Tarnishes and lacquers. 238 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. All of wMch was done, aud the woman was very glad to have the king all to herself, and to do everything for him in his sickness. This went on for a few days, when the rishi got to speak to the king. He advised him to heat the great oven in the dining-room, and to order the woman to make a special kind of bread for him. Then while she was busy looking to see how the bread was progressing, he was to pitch her into the furnace, and shut it up as soon as possible, lest by any means she should escape and destroy the whole country. This also was done, and to increase the force of the heat,, the house too was ignited.^" " You have done well," said the rishi, when he heard what the king had done. " Now go to your palace, and wait there for two days, and on the third day come to me, and I will show you a wonderful sight," On the third day His Majesty, accompanied by the rishi, went to the place where the fire was, and found nothiag but ashes. " Look carefully," said the rishi, " and you will find a pebble amongst them." "Yes," replied the king after a few minutes' search; " here it is." " It is well," said the rishi. " Which will you have, the pebble or the ashes ? " " The pebble," answered the king, "Very well," said the rishi. "Then I will take the ashes." Whereupon he carefully collected the ashes into his wrap and disappeared with his disciple, and the king went to his palace. From that hour His Majesty was cured of his disease. The pebble that he had chosen turned out to be the sangi- pdras,^^ the stone which, on touching any metal, immedi- ately converted it into gold. But what particular virtue 1" MiyS;!! Singh, Sikh governor of wife because she was accused of in- the Valley in Ranjit Singh's time, is trigue. said to have baked alive his favourite " The classical Sparsha-numi, THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. 239 there was in the ashes he never knew, as he never saw the rishi or the jogi again.^^ A VARIANT.^ 'Aht MaedIn Kh^e^ a former king of Kashmir, was one day hunting in the jungle near Shalimar,^ when two old men came up to him and said, " king, be pleased to hear us. We beseech you to proceed no farther, lest you be swallowed by a fierce ajdar that frequents this place." " Nonsense," said the king. "Nay, king, but we have seen the monster," said they. " It goes down to the lake every evening to drink water, and comes by way of this jungle. Be warned, we pray, you, and return." " Very well," said the king, and turning his horse rode back to the palace. On arrival he sent for his wazirs to tell them what he had heard, and to ask their advice as to what steps he should take for the destruction of the monster. They sidvised him to order several sheepskins filled with lime to be thrown along the way by which the ajdar came down to the lake, and also to have two pits dug and filled with oil near to the , place where the monster was wont to, drink. Their idea was, that the ajdar would suppose the. sheepskins of lime, to be real sheep and would swallow them, and consequently get very thirsty ; and then, thinking the oil-pits to be filled with water, would quench its thirst from them. A burn- ing heat inside would of course ensue, and the ajdar 12 Compare variants Wide-Awake speak of Mm as a king, yet 'Ali Stories, pp. 189-195, 330-332 ; tale of Harden Kh^n was only governor of "Lower than the Beasts," in Oesta Kashmir in the Emperor Shah Bomanorum ; Kashmiri Proverbs Jah&n's days (cir. 1650). He was and Sayings, pp. 184-186 ; and In- a Persian noble, and the same as dian Notes and Queries, vol. iv. p. acted as governor of ZandahSx for 153. , some time. 1 Narrator's name, Pandit Anand ' The name of the famous royal Kol of Srinagar. ' gardens by the TaySba hill, on the 2 Although the people invariably shores of the City lake. 240 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. ■would die. The king approved of the idea, and there- fore it was carried into execution, and the ajdar was slain. 'All Mardan Khin went to see the carcass, and ordered the soldiers to fire on it. He also, with the help of the two old men, discovered its cave and entered it. Within the place was a closed door, which he .opened. This door led into a room, where he found a peculiar little box ; and inside this little box there was a pebble. This pebble chanced to be the veritable sangi-pdras by the touch of which everything is immediately changed into gold. ANOTHER STORY.^ Once upon a time a man set out to climb the TaMt-i- Sulaiman.^ Feeling very thirsty on the way up, the day being rather hot, he took a pear out of his pocket and began to peel it. While doing so the knife slipped and cut his hand. The man cleaned off some of the blood with the knife, and then rubbed the knife against a stone and put it back in his pocket. On reaching the top of the hill he sat down, and feeling rather hungry, took out another pear, and was going to skin it, when he noticed that the blade of his knife had been turned into gold. How could this have happened? Undoubtedly on the way up the hill he had rubbed it against the sangi-pdras. He retraced his steps with all speed, but, alas ! he could not find the stone again, so, for all we know, it probably remains somewhere about the TaMt to this day. 1 Narrator's name, LSI Chand of is called by the Pandits Sir-i-Shur, or Khunamuh, in the Wnlar parsrana. Shiva's Head, or Shankar&charja, 2 A hill near Srinagar, about looo after the great Hindu ascetic of that feet above the level of the Valley. It name. ( 241 HOW THE WICKED SONS WERE DUPED} A VEET wealthy old man, imagining that he was on the point of death, sent for his sons and divided his property among them. However, he did not die for several years afterwards ; and miserable years many of them were. Besides the weariness of old age, the old fellow had to bear with much abuse and cruelty from his sons. Wretched, selfish ingrates! Previously they vied with one another in trying to please their father, hoping thus to receive more money, but now they had received their patrimony, they cared not how soon he left them — nay, the sooner the better, because he was only a needless trouble and expense. This, as we may suppose, was a great grief to the old man. One. day he met a friend and related to him all his troubles. The friend sympathised very much with him, and promised to think over the matter, and call in a little while and tell him what to do. He did so ; in a few days he visited the old man and put down four bags full of stones and gravel before him. " Look here, friend," said he. " Your sons will get to know of my coming here to-day, and will inquire about it. You must pretend that I came to discharge a long- standing debt with you, and that you are several thousands of rupees richer than you thought you were. Keep these bags in your own hands, and on no account let your sons get to them as long as you are alive. You will soon find them change their conduct towards you. Saldm. I will come again soon to see how you were getting on." When the young men got to hear of this further in- ^ Narrator's name, Shiva B^yti, EenawSrl, Srinagar. Q 242 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. crease of wealth they began to be more attentive and pleasing to their father than ever before. And thus they continued to the day of the old man's demise, when the bags were greedily opened, and found to contain only stones and gravel ! ( 243 ) A STUPID HUSBAND AND HIS CLEVER WIFE.^ A MEKCHAIJT when dying called his beloved and only son to his bedside and said, " Dear son, I am about to depart, and shall not return. Tou wiU be left alone in the world. I charge you to remember five pieces of advice which I now give you. Walk not in the sunshine from your house to the shop. Let jpildv be your daily food. Take unto yourself a fresh wife every week. On wishing to drink wine go to the vat and drink it. If you want to gamble, then gamble with experienced gamblers." Having spoken these words the merchant groaned and gave up the ghost. Now the son, although good and obedient in all things, ' was also a very stupid fellow. He did not in the least comprehend his father's real meaning. He thought that these words were to be understood literally, and there- fore immediately set about erecting a covered way from his house to the place of business. It cost him a large sum of money, and seemed most needless and ridiculous. Some of his friends suspected that he was mad, and others that he was proud. However, he minded not their remarks and coldness, but finished the building, and every day walked beneath it in the shade to and fro from his house to the shop. He also ordered the cook to prepare jpildv for him every day, and ate nothing else, as his father had directed him. In the matter of getting a fresh wife every week he 1 Narrator's name, Pandit Makund BAyu, Snthii, Srinagar. 244 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. experienced very great difficulty. Some of the wives, by reason of their ugliness, or bad tempers, or slovenly man- ners, or unfaithfulness and other wickednesses, deserved to be turned off. But there were others who were beauti- ful, and good, and kind, and loving, and clean, and tidy, , and these the young merchant found it extremely hard to get rid of. He had to provoke them to anger or to in- difference before he could invent an excuse for sending them away. Many many poor women were thus ruined by him. At last an exceedingly clever woman heard of the deceased merchant's advice, and having perceived the true meaning, she determined to try and arrange for her marriage with the young merchant. Being both beautiful and clever, she soon succeeded. The young merchant could not detect any fault in her or her work, though he was constantly on the watch for anything wrong. She did everything strictly according to his wishes, and was exceedingly careful about her speech, and dress, and manner, and work. Six days thus passed. On the seventh and last day 6f the week, his last opportunity, the young merchant ordered her to have some fish joildv ready for his evening meal, intending to grumble with it, and to pretend that he wanted a different kind of fish to that prepared. His wife promised that it should be ready for him as soon as he returned. Soon after he left she went to the hdzdr and purchased two or three kinds of fish. At the proper time she pre- pared them in different ways, some with spices, and some without spices, some with sugar, some with salt, and so on. On the young merchant's return the dinner was waiting. " Is dinner ready ? " he shouted. " Yes," replied the wife, and immediately put a dish of steaming sweet pildv in front of him. " Oh ! " he said, looking up in a rage, " I want a salt pildv." A STUPID HUSBAND AND HIS CLEVER WIFE. 245 " Very well," she replied. " I thought perhaps you would, and so got that also ready. Here it is," and she set a big dish' of steaming salt pildv before him. " Yes, yes," said he, still in a rage apparently, " but not this kind of fish. It is all bone." "Very well," she replied; "then have this kind." " But I don't mean this kind," he shouted ; and he looked as if he would like to throw the contents of the dish at her head. " I would sooner eat dung than this." " Thenjbave it," she replied, " by all means." Saying this, she kicked aside a small basket and dis- covered to his astonished gaze the dung of some animal that had been prowling about the place while she was pre- paring the dinner, but which she had not had time to remove, and therefore had thrown a basket over it, lest her husband should notice it and be offended. Thoroughly defeated, the young merchant then said no more. After eating a little from two or three of the dishes he went to bed. During the night his wife made him promise to visit her father's house on the morrow, and to spend the day there. In the morning the young merchant and his wife went together to the house of the latter. On arrival the wife told her parents all that had happened to her and all her secrets, and begged them not to cook anything special on account of their visit, but to prepare simply some phuhu- rih,^ and give it to her when she should ask for it. They said that they would do so. When they had been there some hours she took her husband into a little room, and asked him to wait there for the dinner, which would be ready presently. The young merchant waited a long time, until at last he got so hungry that he went and called his wife and entreated her to bring something to eat. " Yes," she said, " in a few minutes. We are waiting for other guests, who ought to have been here a long time ' The plural of phuhur, burnt rice or bread. 246 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. ago. As soon as they arrive the food will be served up." " But I am too hungry to wait," said the young mer- chant. " Give me something to eat at once. I do not wish to eat with these people, if your parents will excuse me. "Very weU," she replied; "but there is nothing but jphuhurih. If you like to have that, I will go and bring it." " All right," he said. « Bring it." So she went and fetched some phuhurih, and he ate it gladly. When he had finished the plateful he said, " The taste of this pMihurih is better than pildv to me at this time." Deeming it a good opportunity, she said, " Oh, why, then, do you always eat pildv in your house ? " " Because my father ordered me to do this, just before he died," he replied. " Nonsense," said she, " you have mistaken his mean- ing." " No, I have not," he said. " He advised me on several other points also." He then told her all that his father had said to him. " Well ! " she exclaimed. " On this account you built the covered way from the house to the shop, you eat pildv every day, and marry a wife every week ! Are you really so stupid as to suppose for one moment that your wise and kind father wished you thus to understand him ? Why, such a course of life wUl very soon bring you to ruin, besides making your life miserable and youi name a reproach in the land ! Listen ! When your father advised you to go and come from your shop in the shade he meant that you should attend to your business, rising up early and retiring late, if you wished to prosper and to become great. When he told you to eat pildv every day, he meant that you should be economical in the way of food, and eat only to satisfy hunger. When he said. A STUPID HUSBAND AND HIS CLEVER WIFE. 247 ' Marry a new wife every week,' he meant that you should not he too much with your wife. When the wife is away you want her. If you saw your wife only once a week you would return to her as to a new wife and enjoy her society more." " Alas ! alas ! " he cried, " what have I been doing ? How foolishly have I acted ! my dear father, that I should have thus misunderstood you ! My dear wife, you have spoken wisely. Henceforth I will endeavour to atone for my stupidity. But you have not explained the rest of my father's words, that I may know what else to do." " I will teU you," she replied. " But let us first go and bid my pareiits good-bye. I will explain the meaning to you on the way home." As they were walking back she turned aside to a gambling-den, and showed her husband the" wretchedness and villainy depicter' on the countenances of nearly every one of the company.' "Look," she said, "&t their terrible condition and be warned. Your father evidently wished you to see such a sight, that you might shun the path that leads to this state." Then she took him to a large wine-shop that was near their house, and pointing to the immense vats of wine, told him to. climb one of them and drink to his heart's content. He went up the ladder and looked over into the vat, but the stench was so great that he did not wish to remain there a moment, much less to drink. " I will not drink any of the wine to-day," he said on reaching the bottom of the ladder. " This is precisely the conclusion your father wished to arrive at," she said ; " and therefore he told you to go and drink the wine from the vat whenever you wished to drink it." " I see, I see," he replied. " Let us go home." ( 248 ) THE PRAYERFUL FAQIR} Once upon a time there lived a poor man with his two children, a son and a daughter. He was so reduced in circumstances that he had not food or clothing for them, and was obliged to beg alms from house to house in almost a nude condition. One day, in the course of their peregri- nations in quest of food, they met with a very holy, con- tinent, and virtuous /ag'^r, concerning whom it was reported that he never failed to obtain direct answers to his prayers. On seeing this -holy man they made their saldms, and begged him to pray for the relief of their poverty. The faqir directed them to a certain place, saying that if they would enter that place one by one and heartily offer up their prayers it should be granted them. ".But be very careful," he added, " and only ask for one thing." Then tYiefaqir departed. The daughter was the first of the trio to enter. She lifted up her voice and prayed for beauty, and her request was vouchsafed. She came forth to her father and brother a blushing, beautiful girl, with whom the king, who at that moment happened to be passing by, was thoroughly fascinated. His Majesty stopped, at once offered marriage, and was accepted. The quickly-found lovers rode off together. But the father did not quite agree to this sudden separation from his daughter, and, besides this, he was exasperated by her remaining so long within the praying- place. Accordingly, full of angry thoughts, he entered this place, and asked most earnestly that the Mighty One would afflict his disobedient, faithless daughter with a 1 Karrator'a name. Pandit Kail^ Kol, TunkipUr, Srinagar. THE PRAYERFUL FAQIr. 249 sore.^ This prayer also was accepted, and the king noticing the sore upon his fair lady's neck, became dis- gusted with her and cast her off on the way. At last the boy went within the place appointed and prayed thus : — " Merciful One, grant me two things. I wish to be a king, and I wish to be wealthy." This prayer, however, being contrary to the directions of the/ag^r, was refused. Then the wretched beggar with his recreant daughter and foolish son went on their way in the same state as they came, hungry and ^dnsalQ^B. 2 Cf. Folk-Tales of Bengal, pp. 113, 114, ( 250 ) UNITY IS STRENGTH.^ A TEEEIBLE famine,^ like a great ogre, stalked through the land of Kashmir, committiag the most fearful depredation on every side. There was much distress and lamentation in many families whose dear ones had been slain or wounded by his cruel hand. At such a time a company of four brothers determined to fly from the country. On a certain day, having packed up whatever was necessary for the way, they started on their journey. They had proceeded some distanc/e, when they came to a spring, whose crystal waters invited them to stop and rest a while. The place was abundantly shaded by a large tree, in the long spreading branchps of which a little bird was singing most merrily and sweetly. It was a lovely spot wherein to rest. Conversation as to their future prospects was indulged in freely, and various plans were suggested and talked over, till all were fast asleep. About midnight they were suddenly aroused by the shrill, insinuating cries of the little bird. The elder brother, in his rage, ordered one of the party to catch the. bird, a second to take out his knife and kill it, and the third to get some wood ready for a fire whereby to cook it. All immediately bestirred themselves, rose up, and went quickly to fulfil their elder brother's commands. Now this bird was an intelligent creature, and therefore had perfectly comprehended all that had been said. So, while the three brothers were going about to fulfil their 1 Narrator's name, BahtuS.n, a badness of the roada and the diffi- carpenter living in Srinagar. culty of transport, are sometimes 2 Notwithstanding the usual fer- very terrible, especially as they are tility of the soil famines occur oc- usually followed by ah outbreak of casionally, and the consequences to cholera or some other epidemic. the inhabitants, chiefly from the UNITY IS STRENGTH. 251 several tasks, it said to the eldest of the party, "Why do you wish to catch me ? Why do you send for a knife and ■wood ? " The young man replied, " It is my intention to kill you, and afterwards to roast and eat you." In a voice tremulous with terror the poor bird entreated for its life. " Spare, oh ! spare me, and I will show- you a treasury of wealth." " Very well," said the man. " I will spare you if you will fulfil your promise." "Then my life is spared," said the bird. "Dig, dig- around the trunk of the tree, and you will find treaslire untold." The four brothers did so, and found as the bird had said. " What reason have we now for continuing the journey? We have," said they, " enough and to spare. Let us go back to our country." Four other brothers, of another family who were living in the neighbourhood of the grand building wherein the four wealthy brothers had taken up their abode, chanced to hear of the extraordinary manner in which they had met with their wealth, and they too, being driven to great straits by the famine; determined to visit the spring, the scene of the late find, and try their luck. They went ; they saw the spring ; they rested under the shadow of the big tree; they heard the pretty warblings of the bird; and sweated with curiosity and expectation. At length the eldest brother ordered his brethren to do as the eldest brother of the other party had ordered his brothers ; but they would not obey him. One said, " I cannot go." Another replied, " Wherefore should I bring a knife ? " And the third pleaded, " I am too tired to fetch any wood. Go and get it yourself." When the little bird saw the unwillingness and dis- obedience it said to the eldest brother, " Go back. Your 252 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. - errand is in vain. You will never obtain anything till you have first obtained command over your brethren. The men who preceded you were successful because they were united. They had but one wiU, one mind, one eye, one ear, one body." ( 253 )' THE PI R OF PHATTAPUR.^ A PlR ^ once visited a certain village of which he was the spiritual guide to see his disciples. On his arrival they all gathered round to welcome him, and all promised to send him food. However, when evening had come, each one, hoping that some others would look after the pir, did not bother. The consequence was the jpir got nothing, and was obliged to fast. Por his own credit's sake he could not go out and beg. During the night a great wind sprang up and constantly burst open the door of the mosque where he was staying. Each time he thought that somebody had come, and rose up to receive them ; but, alas ! it was only the wind. On the following morn- ing his disciples gathered round him and asked whether he had been comfortable, when he reproached them for their negligence ; whereupon the people began to abuse one another for not bringing some food for the jpir. " Chdnih pirah korih nikdh! Chdnih pirah korih hrim niwdnj Chdnih pirah korih rani ! " ^ said they, which words mean, " May your pir's daughter be married ! May your pir's daughter be carried off by a dog ! May your ^^r's daughter (have lots of) husbands ! " Of course all the abuse fell on the head of the pir, who was so disgusted with them that he took up his wrap and went. 1 Narrator's name, L&l Singh of special powers of pleading before Kh&danyar, near Bdramula. Phatta- God. This conviction, of course, has purisavillageinthe BAngilparjcamos. to be supported, encouraged, and 2 These pirs (spiritual guides!) are connived at; otherwise the poor a wretched lot of fellows — ignorant, ignorant, superstitious villagers would negligent, sensual, selfish. They are withdraw their support, supported by the inhabitants of their ^ This is one of the worst forms of different villages, and are thought Kashmiri abuse. to be possessed of sanctity and of ( 254 ) THE SAGACIOUS GOVERNOR. 1.1 One day the governor was sitting in darbdr, when a crow came flying into the hall and made a great noise. The servants in attendance turned it out two or three times, but it persisted in flying in and making a great " caw, caw," as before. " Evidently the bird has a petition," said the governor. " Inquire what is the matter." Accordingly a soldier was sent on this errand, and as he left the hall the bird came and flew, along before him. It led the way to the Guri Daur,^ where a woodcutter was lopping a poplar, upon a branch of which the crow had built its nest. " Caw, caw, caw ! " said the bird most lustUy when it arrived at the tree, and then flew up to its nest. The soldier at once saw what was the matter, and ordering the woodcutter to stop his work, returned and told the governor. II.3 Another day, when the governor was present in darhdr, two men came and presented their petitions. They both claimed a certain foal. It was a very curious case. According to the custom of the country, they, being townsmen, had sent their ponies (mares) to the hills to 1 Narrator's name, Mihtar Sher ^ Narrator's name, Mihtar Sher Singh, Officiating Governor, Srinagar. Singh, Officiating Governor, Srina- 2 The native racecourse near Sher gar. Garhi, Srinagar. THE SAGACIOUS GOVERNOR. 255 graze. Both of the mares were with young, and while they were in the shepherd's charge gave birth to two foals, one of which was stillborn and the other lived. However, the living colt sucked milk from both. The shepherd was not present at the time of its birth, and therefore when he came and saw this he could not tell to which mare the colt belonged. Of course, when the season was over and the owners came for their ponies, both of them claimed the colt ; and as neither of them seemed inclined to give way to the other, they went to the court about it. After a little deliberation the governor ordered the men to take both the ponies and the colt down to the water, and to put the colt into a boat and paddle out into the middle of the river. " The mother of the colt," said he, " will swim after it ; but the ' other pony will remain on the bank." Thus was the case decided. III.* A MAN refused to support his mother, who was a widow and had no other son. So the poor old woman, not know- ing what else to do, went to the governor, and falling on her knees, before him, begged him to help her. " my lord," she cried, " I am a widow, and have only one son, who declines to give me a little food and clothing, or even a corner in his house to lie down in. What shall I do ? I cannot work. My eyes are failing and my strength is gone. Your honour is famous for wisdom and under- standing. Please advise me." On hearing her complaint the governor summoned the son of the old widow, and sharply upbraided him fo^' not supporting her, to whom he was indebted beyond . repayment. " I do not owe her anything," replied the young man. " She never lent me a pd^sa. On the contrary, she owes ■* Narrator's name, Pandit L^l Chand, of Kliimamuh, in theVihi parg&na. 2s6 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. me very mucli. I have entirely supported her for the last three years. But now I cannot provide for her any longer. I have a -wife and family of my own to feed and clothe and care for." " For shame ! " said the governor. " Is it necessary that I should tell you how much you owe your mother ? — yea, even your life and health and strength? Who carried you about every moment for nine long weary months ? Who suckled you for twice that time ? Who taught you to walk ? Who taught you to talk ? Who fed you with food convenient for you ? Who saved you from many a fall, from many a burn, and from many a scald ? Who pounded the rice and prepared your food for several years, till you were able to marry and get a wife to do these things for you ? " " These are things that every mother has to do and likes to do," said the young man. " She would not wish to live if she could not perform them." " True to a certain point, but " Here the governor stopped, and turning to one of the wazirs in attendance, ordered him to see that this young unthankful fellow pounded four sers of rice ^ with a skin of water fastened round his stomach, and to beat him if he did not accom- plish the task well and quickly. The man soon got tired. The perspiration ran down over his face and neck. At last he could not lift the pestle any more; and the rice was not half pounded. Thwack, thwack, thwack, came down the whip on his bare shoulders, but it was no good, he could not pound another grain. He was then carried before the governor in a dead-alive condition. " I need not say anything more to you," said the governor to hiili. "You have learnt something of what your mother endured for you. Go and repay the debt with kind words and kind deeds." ■^ It is the wife's business to pound the rice for her household. THE SAGACIOUS GOVERNOR. 257 IV.6 A MusalmIn owed some rupees to a Pandit, but refused to pay him. At length the case was carried before the governor, who heard what they had to say, and then put both the men into separate rooms. In a little while he ordered the Pandit to appear, and asked him whether his claim was a true one. The Pandit replied in the affirmative. " Then take this knife and go and cut off the man's nose for his dishonesty," said the governor. But the Pandit begged to be excused, saying that he did not care so much for the money that he would cut off a man's nose for it. Then the governor ordered him to return to his place, and, as soon as he was out of hearing, sent for the Musal- man, and asked him if he owed the Pandit anything. The man replied in the negative. " Then take this knife and go and cut off the Pandit's ear for his false accusation," said the governor. The wicked Musalman took the knife, and left with the intention of doing so. But the governor called him back. " I see," said he ; " you must pay the sum demanded by the Pandit, and a fine besides. Tell me no more lies. The man who would not scruple to deprive a fellow-creature of an ear for a trifle is not the man to be trusted." 8 Narrator's name, Mihtar Sher Singh, OfiSoiating Governor, Srinagar. ( 2S8 ) THEIR ONLY RUBY} Once upon a time there lived a king who was obliged to banish his son on account of the young man's extravagance and wickedness. The prince left the country, attended by three friends, who would not be separated from him. He took with him a bag of rubies for the expenses of the way. Unfortunately, however, this bag was stolen one night while he and his companions were asleep, so that only one ruby was left to them which one of the party happened to have with him. On reaching the city the four friends visited the hdzdr and tried to sell it, and while they were arguing with a merchant concerning its price the king of that country passed by. " What have you there ? " asked His Majesty. " A ruby that we wish to sell, but we cannot find any person rich enough to buy it, king," replied the prince. " Show it to me," said the king. When His Majesty saw the beautiful stone he was desirous of having it, and therefore pretended that it was his, and that the young man must have stolen it from his treasury. " This is mine," he exclaimed. " I recognise it. You must have stolen it." And then, turning to the officer in command of the detachment of soldiers who were with him, he ordered the men to be seized and put in ward till further inquiries had been made. The prince and his companions were much astonished at this behaviour. " Hear our story, king," they said, "and you will change your opinion concerning us. We are not thieves, but honest men. One of us is the son of a king, as great in honour and power and wealth as Your 1 Narrator's name, Pandit Anand R4m, Eenawdrl, Srinagar. THEIR ONLY RUBY. 259 Majesty. Banished from his country, he has wandered hither ; and the rest of us are his friends, who have elected to follow him. Between us all we have only this one ruby. Take not from us, we beseech Your Majesty, our only means of subsistence." Touched with pity for them, the king promised that the ruby should be returned to them if they could point out the box it was in. His Majesty had five boxes prepared, and put a ruby in each. In one of the boxes, of course, he put the ruby belonging to the prince's friend. When the time of ordeal arrived, the prince and his companions prayed earnestly to be guided to the right box, and immediately they had prayed the box that con- tained their ruby flew open of its own accord. Surprised and pleased at this wonderful thing, the king not only gave them their own ruby, but four other rubies too, and invited them to stay at his palace. Here the prince behaved himself so well and became so popular, that the king gave him his daughter in marriage and appointed him his heir, while the prince's companions were honoured with high offices under him. ( 26o ) THE JACKAL-KING} Once upon a time the jackals assembled together to elect a king for themselves. The lions had a king, the tigers had a king, the leopards had a king, the wolves had a king, the dogs and other animals had their kings ; so they thought that they too ought to appoint one, who should be their chief, who should guide them in counsel and lead them forth to war. " Elect your king," cried the old jackal, anxious to begin the meeting. Whereupon all the jackals shouted, " You are our king ! You are our king ! You are our senior in age and superior in experience. Who is there so fit as yourself to rule over us ? " And the old jackal consented, and by way of distinction allowed his fur to be dyed blue, and an old broken win- nowing fan to be fastened round his neck. One day the king was walking about his dominions attended by a large number of his jackal subjects, when a tiger suddenly appeared and made a rush at them. The whole company fled and forgot their old king. His Majesty tried to escape into a narrow cave, but, alas ! his head stuck in the hole, by reason of the winnowing fan that was around his neck. Seeing their leader thus, the tiger came and seized him, and carried him away to his lair, where it fastened him by a rope so that he could not run away. In a short while, however, the jackal-king did escape and get back to his subjects, who again wished him to be their king and to reign over them. But the jackal ^ Narrator's name, Makund BS,yti, Suthfi, Srinagar. • THE JACKAL-KING. 261 had had enough of it, and therefore replied, " No, thank you. I am quite satisfied. Once being a king is quite sufficient for a man's lifetime." ^ 2 Cf. J&taha Book, vol. ii. (No. 241) padesha, iii. 7 ; A. 'Weber, Indische p. 293 ; Tibetan Tales, pp. lxv.-3S6 ; Studien, iii. pp. 349-366 ; also J3ic- Pancha-tantra, i. 10, and Benfey's tionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and remarks thereon, pp. 224, 225 ; Hito- Sayings, pp. 192, 193. ( 262 ) THE BLACK AND WHITE BEARDS ."^ Two men, though differing much in age, had formed a very thick friendship with one another. They were constantly in each other's society, and had not a secret between them. The elder of the two possessed a fine beard, as black as charcoal, but the younger man's beard was quite grey. " Why has your beard not turned grey before now ? You are nearly twice my age," said the younger to the other one day as they were out for a walk. " The secret is this, my friend," replied the other. " My house is a paradise, and my wife a pleasant plant therein, whose branches are constantly bearing fruit, — comfort and joy, and the perfumes of whose blossoms fill the house with an odour of sanctity and love. In such a dwelling man does not quickly become old. Come and see my abode." The young friend most readUy complied. To tell the truth, he was somewhat suspicious of the old man's story ; his own experience was so diametrically opposed to it. Other conversation beguiled the rest of the way to the house. On their arrival the black beard produced a hand- kerchief full of sand, and giving it to his wife, ordered her to make bread of it, while he and his companion took a stroll outside. The good wife tried to blind her mind to the fact of the impossibility of the thing. Her duty was to endeavour to carry out her lord's behests. " Perhaps it may be," she said to herself, and set to work cheerily. The stroll being over, the two friends re-entered the 1 Narrator's name, Pandit TVaBah Kol of Kahipiirah, in the Kruhgn pargana. THE BLACK AND WHITE BEARDS. 263 house, and the old man inc[uired for the bread that he ordered. " Sir," said the woman, " I tried my hest, but all to no purpose. Please do not be angry. I could not do more than I have already done." The old man then beckoned his friend to come aside, and said to him, " Notice how meek my wife is." " Yes, indeed ! " replied he. " But I will show you still more of her meekness and patience," said the husband ; and then turning towards his wife, ordered her to go to the top storey of the house and bring down some of the water-melons that were there. The woman went, but only found one water-melon, which she brought and placed before her husband. She thought that he had probably told a falsehood, — he knew there was only one water-melon in the place, but had spoken as if there were many, in order that he might appear great before his guest. " Go up," said he, " and bring down a larger one." The woman took the melon away, and brought it back again. " There is another better than this in the loft. Go up and bring it," said he. The woman went, and returned again with the same melon. This order was repeated ten times in various ways, and ten times the good dame climbed the stairs. Afterwards the old man nodded to his friend to come upstairs with him, and showed him what his wife had done. Poor woman ! she was quite fatigued by her exer- tions, and sat down at the bottom of the ladder almost ready to faifit. " Have I not a good wife ? " asked the proud husband. " You have," replied his friend. " I see the secret of your black beard — the dye of home-joy, home-peace, and home-contentment, a wonderful triple mixture, warranted to keep a man young for ever. Now come and see my zandna." 264 FOLK-TALES OP KASHMIR. -" All right," said the other. So away they went to the young grey-headed man's house. When they entered the place a woman came forward with angry countenance and shrieked out, "Where have you been ? Where have you been wasting your time, while I toil here in this dingy hole ? " Her husband was too frightened to say anything. Presently, however, when there was a lull in the storm, he asked in a kind manner for some food for himself and guest. The woman sulkily placed before them some scraps, which were left over from her and the children's meal — cold, grizzly scraps, fit only for the grovelling pariahs that infested the neighbourhood. But the poor man wanted some meat, and told her so. Kow the woman had been conjuring up all manner of grievances against her husband, until a sea of anguish tossed and raged within her breast. She could not restrain any longer ; so, taking up a big earthenware pot, wherein some rice was being prepared, she took deliberate aim at her husband's head ; and as if this was not enough, she angrily demanded the price of the broken pot that lay in shreds around his feet. Poor fellow ! he was glad to make his exit. On getting outside he said to his friend, " My house is as a bad smell to me. I loathe the place. This is the cause of my broken spirit and scraggy, prematurely grey beard." ^ 2 Cf. Dictionary of Kashmiri Proverbs and Sayings, pp. 39, 40. ( 265 ) THE STORY OF A WEAVER.-^ Once upon a time there lived a weaver who made a beautiful piece of cloth every year and presented it to the king, who was so pleased with it that he always gave him two thousand rupees in return. This weaver was a most ambitious man. Although the king and the court praised his workmanship, yet was he not satisfied, but strove each year to weave such a piece of cloth as both in texture and beauty should excel the cloth of the previous year. One day a thief got to know all about the weaver's affairs, and determined to possess himself of the next piece of cloth, and go to the king and get more praise than he. " The first night after he has finished it I will enter the house and steal it," he said within himself. This weaver was a religious man also. The neighbours constantly heard him ejaculating this prayer, " God, keep my tongue from evil words." The thief too heard him, but he was too wicked a fellow to care much about anything. These words, however, had a great effect over him, as we shall see. At length the piece of cloth was ready, and as there was plenty of time, it being only the second watch of the day when it was finished, the weaver washed and put on his best clothes, and took it to the king. " What a take-in ! " exclaimed the thief, when he met the weaver going with the cloth to the palace. "The man might have waited a little after finishing it." When His Majesty saw the cloth he was more pleased - A Musalm4u story, collected for me by Pandit BS,lak Tok of Fateh Kadal, Srinagar. • 266 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. with it than with any other of former years, and gave the weaver four thousand rupees. "Such workmanship de- mands our fullest encouragement," he said to his wazirs and others around. " But tell me how we can best use this beautiful cloth." One wazir replied, " Your Majesty should make a table- cloth of it, so that it may always be before you." Another wa%ir replied, " Have a turban made from it. Such cloth is worthy to cover the head of a king." Another said, " Your Majesty should have the saddle of your favourite horse covered with it." But the king did not agree to any of these suggestions. At last he turned to the weaver, and asked him what he should do with the cloth. " God has given you under- standing to make it. Perhaps you can also tell me' what use to make of it," he said. " king, reserve it for your funeral. Let it cover your corpse when they carry you to the grave," replied the weaver. On hearing these words the king became very angry. He thought that the man was wishing for his death. " Keep it for my own funeral pall ! " he repeated. " The man is evidently plotting my death. Take the fellow and behead him." "0 king, king, stay the sentence, I beseech you. Give thy servant permission, and I will speak," shouted the thief, who was present, and had seen and heard everything. " Let the man come forward," the king said. " king," pleaded the thief, "I pray you have mercy on this weaver. Every hour he prays to God to preserve his tongue from evil words, and now by chance he has been stricken by his own tongue." " Very well," said His Majesty, " I will forgive him ; but let him be more careful in future, and never speak to a kins of death." ( 267 ) THE ROBBERS ROBBED.^ In olden times there lived a great and wealthy king, whose greatness and wealth were the envy of the world. Many kings had assayed to fight with him and had been defeated, till at last he began to think that he was unconquerable, ' 'and became careless and indifferent as to the state of his army. Meanwhile another powerful king had been care- fully training his forces. He saw the condition of affairs, and determined to do battle with this king. The two armies met on a large plain, and fought bravely for several days. For some time the battle seemed to be equal, but at last the great and wealthy king was slain and his forces scattered. The strange king then entered the city and reigned in his stead. His first act was to banish the late king's wife and her two sons. They were sent out of the country without the least means of subsistence, so that the queen was obliged to pound rice for a ser of, rice a day, while the two boys got what they could by begging. One day the woman advised one of her sons to go to the jungle and cut some bundles of wood for sale. The eldest went ; and while he was engaged in cutting wood he saw at a little distance a small caravan of loaded camels and mules attended by several men, who evidently were robbers. The boy was frightened, because he thought they would kiU him if they knew he was there. So he climbed up into a tree to hide himself. I'he caravan halted by a small hut in a part of the jungle near to this tree. He saw the men unload their beasts and place all the bundles inside the hut, the door of which opened and shut by itself at the mention of a certain charm that he ' Nanator's name, Shiva B4yu, Renairdri, Srinagar. 268 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. heard quite plainly. He saw all this, and remembered the words of the charm, and determined to enter the hut him- self as soon as the robhers departed. Accordingly on the morrow, when the robbers were well out of sight and hearing, he came down from the tree, went to the hut, and uttered the words of the charm that he had heard. The door immediately opened to him, and he entered. He found immense piles of valuable treasure in the place — ^gold and silver, and precious stones, and sundry articles of curious workmanship were stored up there in abundance. He arranged as much of the treasure as he could place on a camel that he found graz- ing near, and then, repeating the charm, shut the door and went home. His mother was delighted to see the result of her son's day's work. The following morning the younger prince thought that he also would visit this jungle and try his luck. So he quickly learnt the words of the charm and started. He arrived at the jungle, and climbed the same tree near the hut, and waited there patiently for the robbers' coming. Just before dark they appeared, bringing with^ them several loads of treasure. On reaching the hut they entered by means of the charm, as before. Great was their surprise and anger when they found that some per- son had been to the place and taken some of the things. They uttered such terrible oaths, and vowed such fearful vengeance on the offender, that the prince up in the tree trembled exceedingly, and began to repent his adventure. In the morning the robbers again left ; and as soon as they were well out of the way the boy descended the tree and went and repeated the charm whereby the door of the hut was opened. The door obeyed, and he entered. But, alas ! the door closed as soon as he was inside, and would not open again, although the boy shouted till he was hoarse, and begged and prayed that he might be set free. Evidently the poor boy had omitted or added something to the words of the charm, and thus brought this mis- THE ROBBERS ROBBED. 269 fortune on himself. Terrible must have been his feelings as he counted the hours to the robbers' return, and tried to imagine what they would do to him, when they saw him there ! It was vain to hope for escape. He was shut up in a prison of his own making, and mtist bear the consequences. ^Before nightfall sounds of approaching footsteps were heard, and presently the door opened and the robbers came in. A savage gleam of delight passed over their countenances as they saw the youngster crouching away in a corner and weeping. "Oh! oh!" they exclaimed. " This is the thief that dares to intrude into our quarters, is it ? We'll cut him into pieces and strew them about the place, - that others may fear to follow in his steps." This they really did, for they were bloodthirsty and had no feeling, and then went to sleep. The next day they started off on their marauding expeditions as usual, as if nothing had happened. While they were absent the eldest prince arrived to see what had become of his brother, and to help him in carrying away the spoil. His grief was inexpressible when he saw the pieces of flesh strewn about the place. " They shall rue this," he exclaimed, and caused the door of the hut to be opened by means of the charm and entered. He collected the most valuable articles that he could lay hands on and put them into a sack. After- ward's he emptied the contents of another sack on the ground outside the hut, and placed the pieces of his brother's corpse in it. And then, having repeated the charm and shut the door, he took up the two sacks, threw them over his shoulder, and walked home. On reaching honie he had the pieces sewed up in a cloth and buried. When the robbers returned that evening and discovered what had happened they were very angry. They resolved to find the thief, and took an oath to rob no more until they had accomplished their desire. They went to the city, and lodged in different parts of the Mzdr, in order 270 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. that they might ascertain if any one was living there who had suddenly become rich. One of the robbers happened to meet with the tailor who had made the grave-clothfes for the young prince who had been so foully slaughtered, and heard from him that the mother and brother of the boy seemed to have got a lot of money lately, but how he could not say. Some people said that they were members of some royal family, but he did not know. Accordingly the robber went and found out the house where the queen and prince were living. He marked it, so that he might know it again, and then hastened to inform the rest of the band. However, the prince had fortunately noticed the mark, and guessing what it meant, went and marked several of the adjoining houses in the same way. He thus thoroughly nonplussed the robbers. "This plan will not do," they said. "One of us had better get to know through the tailor where these people live, and then go to the house and cultivate their friend- ship. An opportunity, for despatching the prince would soon be afforded." This was agreed to unanimously, and the leader of the robber band was voted to the work. He soon made friends with the young prince and his mother, and was received into the house at all times as a welcome guest. One day, however, the woman observed a dagger hidden beneath his coat, and from this and one or two other things that she afterwards noticed, decided in her mind that the man was no friend, but an enemy and a robber. She wished to be rid of him. Consequently one evening she suggested to her son and his friend that she should dance before them, and they agreed. In her hand she had a sword, which she waved about most gracefully. Now she approached the robber, and now she receded slowly and smoothly, and accommodated her gestures to a song, till at length she saw her opportunity, and running against the robber, struck off his head. THE ROBBERS ROBBED. 271 " What have you done, mother ? " exclaimed the prince, who was horror-struck. "I have simply changed places with our friend," she replied. "Instead of him murdering you, I have mur- dered him. Look ! Behold the dagger with which he would have slain you." " mother," said the prince, " how shall I ever he able to repay you for your watchfulness over me. I did not notice anything wrong about the man. I never saw his dagger before. This must be one of the robbers, come to wreak vengeance on me for taking some of their treasure." When the robber band knew of the death of their leader they divided the spoil and retired to their different villages. The young prince married, and became a banker and prospered exceedingly.^ 2 Cf. story of "Ali Baba and the Mountain," in Grimm's Kinder und Forty Thieves" in Arabian Nights; Hav^mdrchen. and its European variant, " Simeli ( 272 ) THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT."- HIS CONVEESION AND AFTEE-ADVENTUEES. In times gone by there lived a very great and wealthy merchant. Some affirm that he was a Kashmiri, and resided in Srinagar ; others say, " No, he came from far ; " while others again refuse to believe that there is anything Kashmiri about the story. But, however this may be, we will hear the tale and judge for ourselves. Well, this great and wealthy merchant had a most clever and learned son ; but, alas ! the son was a confirmed gambler. The merchant knew not what ta do with him. Every scrap of money or valuable that came within his reach the son gambled away. He was shown the folly of the thing ; he was warned that the family and business would be ruined if he continued in it ; friends also spoke to him earnestly and affectionately ; but all to no purpose, for the gambling propensities developed more and more every day.^ Perceiving this, the merchant was exceedingly sorrowful. Grief bent his back, stamped wrinkles on his brow, and caused his legs to tremble as he walked. This trouble was bringirfg him down to the grave. The thought of his speedy dissolution, when the immense fortune that he had amassed by dint of the greatest skill in trading and 1 Narrator's name. Pandit Makund other countryman in the world. The B&yu, Suthti, Srinagar. Bajnit, a Hindi work on the science 2 Several tales in which gambling of government, says: — "Cut ofi a extraordinary and its attendant ruin gambler's nose and ears and remove crop up are to be met with in many him from the country in order that In(San Folk-tales. The native oer- other men may not gamble. Although tainly has a great taste for gambling, a gambler's wife and children may be whether with cards, dice, chess, lot- in the house, do not consider them as teries, or horse-racing, and in a few being there, because it is not known years will be as proficient as any when he may lose them." THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 273 most strict ecouomy in general expenses would pass into the hands of such an unscrupulous gambler as his own son, weighed terribly on his mind, threatening its sanity. How could such a disaster be avoided ? " It were better,' he exclaimed one day in a paroxysm of grief, "to bury the treasures in the earth, than that he should have them and waste them in a day. I know what I will do. I will hide my money and valuables in the ground, and then, pretending that I am not so rich as people imagine, I will curtail expenses, and at my death I will appear to leave but little for those who come after me." When he got opportunity he dug several holes in the ground-floor of some of the lower rooms of the house, and put his gold and treasures into them.* Then he carefully noticed the different places and made a list of them, which list he afterwards enclosed in a golden bracelet and gave to his son's wife, saying, " Take great care of this, for it will be as a charm to you ; but if after my decease your husband should be reduced to very great straits, you can give it to him to sell." Then the old merchant was comforted. He felt sure that his son would soon spend the little money and pro- perty that he would obtain at his death, and get to know the misery of poverty ; and then his daughter-in-law would give him the golden bracelet, and tell him what his father had said. On opening the bracelet he would see the list of valuables, and taking them out of the ground, would find himself a rich man again, and then, perhaps, would give up gambling, and live quietly and happily the rest of his life. In a little while the merchant died. Great was the grief in the city, and great was the grief in his family, for the old man was very much respected and beloved by 5 Kashmiris, like all other Orientals, Musalmfi,ns believfe that God looks are very fond of hiding money and after it, and will not permit it to valuables in the ground. Pandits pass into the hands of any except think that a snake watches over the those in whose qismat the discovery treasure, and will not allow any but of it has been written, the rightful owner to touch thereof. S 274 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. every one. His son faithfully performed all the necessary funeral rites and srdddhas^ For ten successive days- after his father's death pindas ^ were offered, together with libations of water, &c., to the preta,^ and then thrown into the river, and on the eleventh day a great srdddha was performed. On this occasion there was much feasting and feeing of the hrdhmans, who had been invited to assist in the celebration ; large sums of money were also distributed among the crowds of beggars of all classes who had flocked to the place in expectation of the same. For six months these srdddhas were regularly performed, and each time were marked by much feasting and largesse ; and therefore we are not surprised to hear that at the conclusion of that period, when the young merchant began to examine his monetary position, he found that there was scarcely a cowrie remaining to him. What with paying his father's and his own debts, and what with the enormous expenses incurred by the funeral ceremonies and srdddhas, he really had nothing which he could call his own.'' In his distress he went to his mother, but he got very little sympathy from her. She only reproved him more than before for not listening to his father's advice. " Oh that I had given up the wretched practice which has hastened my dear father's death, and brought the family and myself to ruin ! " he exclaimed. "It is of no use smiting the ground when the jackal has gone," said his mother. " Be up and doing, and by a life of industry and economy redeem your position." " Yes," he replied, " I will renounce this gambling, and I will work hard and save money, and I wiU send you all that I may be able to put by. But meanwhile advise my * Funeral obsequies, consisting in monies and srdddhas. Some Hindfis offering rice, fruit, &c., to the manes spend more than they can afford, of ancestors. under the false idea that a debt is 5 Balls made of flour or rice offered warranted by the great solemnity of to the manes; they are afterwards the occasion, which is one of vast thrown into the river or given tq cows, merit in popular estimation. Cf . the « The spirits of the dead. most interesting chapter on "Sick- ' Incredible sums of money are ness, Death, and Shrad" in Eindiis often spent on these funeral cere- as they are. THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 275 wife to go to her father's house, where she will get the best of food and clothing and every care." He then went to his wife and wished her farewell. On hearing the reason of his sudden departure she offered him the golden bracelet, and told him all that his father had wished about it. But he would hot take it, because his father had given it to her, and because he feared that he should be tempted to speculate with it ; " and besides this," he added, " it was given to you as a charm." So the young merchant started in quest of a living ; the wife was sent to her own home ; and the liiother stayed behind to look after the house and the few things that were left in it, and supported herself by spinning. He wandered about for sonae time till he reached a certain city. Here he soon got employment under a great merchant of the place. At first he found it very difficult and trying work, because he had been brought up in rather a luxuriant way, and had not been accustomed to serve ; but afterwards, when he had gained the confidence of his master, and had therefore been placed by him in a more responsible and affluent position, he got on very happily. He regularly laid aside the greater part of his earnings, intending to forward it to his mother in the best way he could. One day it happened that his master told him of the approaching marriage of his son. " I have arranged for his marriage," he said, " with the second daughter of a rich merchant who lives in the same city as you came from." This rich merchant turned out to be none other than the servant's father-in-law, and the second daughter the servant's sister-in-law. However, he pretended to have no special interest in the matter beyond his master's pleasure and his young master's prosperity and happiness, and quietly awaited the day. In due time his master and young master and several other relations and friends started for the home of the 276 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. bride, which they reached safely. He, the deceased merchant's son, also accompanied them. They found the house in a state of great confusion. Preparations ■ were being concluded on a grand scale for the coming event, and servants were rushing about hither and thither inside the house, while outside crowds of all kinds of people were waiting in great hope of a tamdshd and bakhshish; for the house was rich and had a great name in the country. During the evening dinner was served, and when the company sat down to the feast, the servant, whp was the son of the deceased merchant, also sat down, but he kept on his working clothes and sat down as last of all, and in the lowest place. He did so from a feeling of pride ; he would not court recognition from his rich relations, much as he would have liked to have seen his dear wife again. Nevertheless he saw his wife, for she had the superin- tendence of the dinner arrangements. At her order the servants divided the food and distributed it among the numerous guests. When all except him had been served, the deceased merchant's son found that every bit of meat had been eaten, and that only vegetables and rice re- mained. However, he said nothing, though his heart was inexpressibly sad. There was a dinner worthy of a king, and his own beautiful wife having the arrangement of it ; but nothing of it was for him, though others, many of whom were very wicked men and of comparatively small position, had their fill. He might have been under the ground — thus was he ignored and forgotten. Well might he take his brass vessel of rice and vegetables, and leaving the banquet-room, o-o downstairs and out into the courtyard, and there, placing Ids dinner on a 'window-sill, lie down and weep. In an hour or so the guests began to depart, but the poor man still lay there weeping. At last, when about two hours of the night had passed, his wife came into the courtyard, and after seeing that food was given to nume- rous beggars and others assembled, she beckoned to one man and told him to wait by the door, as she had a little THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 277 ■work for him to do. Then she re-entered the house, and presently brought out a lighted lamp,* and a large brass tray piled up with sweetmeats and other delicacies. G-iving the tray to the man, she bade him to follow her. The man placed the sweetmeats on his shoulder and did as he was ordered. The deceased merchant's son, who had seen and heard -everything, also went after them, but unawares. On the way the man stumbled and fell down, aud the ' trayful of sweetmeats also fell down and was broken, and its contents spilt. The woman was very angry at this, and sharply reproving the man for his carelessness, ordered him to go back with her quickly to the house, and get another trayful. They both went and got some more; and the deceased merchant's son waited quietly till they came again. Meanwhile he worked himself into a great state of excitement, wondering at his wife's strange be- haviour, and who was the person so dear to her that she denied herself rest and sleep, ventured her reputation, and risked her father's anger for him, and did not mind re- turning to the house for another trayful of sweetmeats in order that this person might not be disappointed. Very soon they again arrived at the place, the woman (his wife) in front carrying a lighted lamp, and the man with the tray of sweetmeats walking after. They passed the deceased merchant's son, who followed at a convenient distance. Presently they reached the house of another great merchant. Here the woman took the tray, and ordering the man to go, knocked at the door. Now it happened that this merchant was exceedingly enraged about something just then, and did not want to be interfered with by any person ; and so, when he heard the woman's knock on the door, he rushed forward and struck her with a stick, besides abusing her fearfully for coming and disturbing him at that inopportune hour. From the stroke of the stick the woman's gold bracelet 8 Z)azawun shama, a lighted diwd. 278 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. "was broken — the bracelet which her father-in-law had given her before his death. " Be not so angry, my dearest," she said. " It is not my fault that I have arrived so late. My sister's wedding was celebrated to-day, and then as we were coming along a knave of a fellow whom I asked to bring you some sweetmeats stumbled and dropped them, and we had to return and get a fresh supply." The merchant was silent, and so the woman, who as yet stood in the doorway from fear, picked up the golden pieces of her bracelet and went inside. Her husband, the deceased merchant's son, crawled up stealthily to the door and sat there. He saw the merchant and the woman sitting together and eating the sweetmeats, and when they had eaten as much as they wished, he heard the merchant ask her to show, him the broken bracelet, saying that perhaps he could get it mended. The woman gave him the gold pieces, on examining which he found the late merchant's list, and pulling this out, he read it, and looked very much surprised. Noticing the expression of surprise on his face, the wonjan asked him what was the matter. The merchant said, " Your husband was a very unfortu- nate man. Gambling ! Gambling ! How foolish ! Clever idea of the old merchant ! " " How do you know ? What idea ? " inquired the woman. "Why, this paper tells me so," replied the merchant. " Everything is written here. It appears that your father- in-law was a very wealthy man, as we all thought him to be, but were afterwards assured that he was not. He was afraid to reveal all his wealth to his son, your husband, lest the gambler should speculate with it and lose every- thing ; and so he dissembled matters. He pretended that he was worth so much money only (mentioning a small amount), and hid the rest, the great bulk of his wealth. You will find the different hiding-places of this gold and treasure in the ground-floor of your husband's house. THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 279 See, here is a list of the different places and of what things are buried in each. Your father-in-law was a wise man. He thought, ' My son will certainly continue gambling till he is thoroughly ruined, and then maybe he will learn a lesson. This golden bracelet, I know, like all the other get-at-able valuables, will be turned into money, and then this hidden wealth will be discovered. Hearing that he has become rich again, he may be more careful in future. Oh that he may remember with what great trial and labour I have gained this wealth, and take care of it as though it were the result of his own economy and toil ! ' " " Ah ! now I see," said the woman, " why my father-in- law gave me the bracelet and charged me so strictly con- cerning it before he died. I was to give it to my husband only when he had reached a state of /the direst distress." Embracing the woman, the merchant asked her whether she loved her husband more than she loved him. The woman replied, " I love you more, because my hus- band has troubled me very nauch, and has gone I know not whither. The gods only can. tell whether I shall ever see him again." "Then," said the mferchant, "I know all about your father-in-law's house. I 'will go there and get the treasure, and afteryvards, when it is all safely locked up here, I will tell you, and we will live together in ease and pleasure all our lives." The woman agreed, and begged him to do all this quickly ; " for," said she, " I long to be with you always." The state of the wretched husband, who was sitting outside the half-open door, and had heard and seen every- thing, can be more easily imagined than described. With mingled feelings he walked back to his own house; he was grieved because of his wife's unfaithfulness, but he was rejoiced at the prospect of being a rich man once more. Thus sorrow and joy, joy and sorrow, fought against -one another within his breast, so that he hardly knew 28o FOLK.TALES OF KASHMIR. ■what to do, to laugh or to cry. In an hour or so he reached his home, and saw his dear mother, and was welcomed by her as one alive from the dead. After some conversation as to all that had happened to them both since they had been separated, the young mer- chant explained how it was that his father had died so comparatively poor. • "This wealth must be exhumed, dear mother," he added ; " and since its whereabouts are known to others, and those others are no friends of ours, but confirmed enemies, it is necessary that we get spades and begin the work this very night." Before midnight they had found all the treasure — ^gold, silver, and precious stones — a great heap, the value of which could not be reckoned ; and long before the dawn of the next day they had re-buried the things in other holes, and filled up the old places with stones and rub- bish. The next morning the late merchant's son was going about in genteel, respectable clothes as usual, and his mother was squatting by the door spinning as for her living. The young merchant at once gave up the other merchant's service and lived with his mother. In the course of a week the other merchant, who had discovered all about the deceased merchant's hidden wealth, disguised himself, and pretended that he had just arrived from some foreign country, and had brought some diamonds and other valu- ables as a present for His Highness the Eaja of that country. Hearing this, the Eaja gave him an interview, and when he saw the presents, he was exceedingly pleased with the merchant, and said he should be 'glad to help him in any way. The merchant thanked him, and said that he should be grateful for a place to live in, where also he could keep his goods. The Eaja promised that he should reside in one of his own houses. But this the merchant did not wish; he wanted a house in the city, and told His Highness so, and begged that he would order THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 281 some person to help him in the choice of a place. So the Eaja ordered his chief waeir to accompany the merchant to the city, and to give him whatever house he might select. They had walked about together the greater part of the day, and had seen all kinds of houses, but not one of them had been approved of by the merchant ; and so they were thinking of returning to the .palace, when they came by the deceased merchant's house. " This is a fine .building," said the merchant, '^and is in a good and busy part of the hdzdr. Whose is it ? " The wazir said, he thought the house had belonged to a certain deceased merchant, and was now inhabited by the widow, who would most likely be very glad to sell or rent it. Accordingly they knocked at the door and asked who was there. The young merchant appeared and bade them to come in. " My friend," said the wazir, " wishes to rent this house. How much money do you ask for it ? " The merchant's son replied, "Two thousand rupees a month." " Very well," said the merchant ; " agreed." The wazir, however, had not been accustomed to see such a monstrous bargain concluded so easily, and there- fore remonstrated. " No, no. Two thousand rupees ! Tush ! the fellow is mad. It is more than I would give for the place for a year. Take the house, and don't pay the man a cowrie for his impudence. I will see that you are not bothered by him." But this mode of settling the matter, however much it might have recommended itself to the merchant on any other occasion, was not pleasing to him just then. " Two thousand rupees ! What is that," he thought, " in com- parison with the immense treasure concealed under the ground of the lower apartments of the house ? " And so it was arranged. The merchant paid down the &■ 282 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. sum demanded, and the young mercliant and his mother vacated the place and went elsewhere. On the earliest opportunity the merchant dug up the earth in the several places enumerated in the list that was discovered inside the golden bracelet, but he found nothing except stones. " What a misfortune is this ! " he exclaimed. " Either the deceased merchant has written this list to deceive, or else some one got clue of this secret, and has been here before me. Cursed be this place ! Qursed be all who have any connection with it! Cursed be they in their family, and cursed be they in their work ! I am ruined ! I am ruined ! " So saying, he seized his shawl and shoes, and rushed like a madman to his own house, which, as we have seen, was a little distance outside the city. As soon as it was known that the merchant had gone, the deceased merchant's son and mother came again and took up their abode in the house. Gradually the young merchant revealed his wealthy position, so that nobody's suspicions might be aroused, and in a little while he was accounted one of the chief traders of the country, and was respected quite as much as his father had ever been. " The gods be praised that you have become great and wealthy in the land," said his mother to him one day. " Is it not meet that you should now send for your wife ? " " Speak not to me on this matter," he replied. But his mother was resolute, and went to the wife's parents and got them to promise to try to persuade her son to send for his wife again. In a day or two they invited him to come and stay with them, and so pressed their invitation that eventually he went. Great prepara- tions were made for the reception of such an illustrious member of the family as he had now become. The house was grandly furnished, the best of provisions were obtained, the father and mother were most attentive, while the wife was all smiles and affection, and could not look at him enough or do enough for him, for he had been absent such THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 283 a long time, she said, and she thought that she should never see him again, and therefore she constantly wept. At night, when the husband and wife were sleeping together in the same room, and when all was perfectly quiet, the young merchant started violently in his sleep and shrieked. " Oh ! " he exclaimed, " is it true ? Can it be true ? " and then fell back on his bed again. Presently he recovered, and said, " I have dreamed ; but oh ! such a, dream ! " His wife, of course, asked him what he had been dream- ing about. " I saw," he replied, " as though there was a great mar- riage in this house. Your sister was being married to the son of a merchant who had come from some distant country. I thought that I was one of the head servants of that merchant, and accompanied him and the bride- groom to the marriage. I sat down to dinner with the rest of the guests. You were superintending the distribu- tion of the food, and so managed that every one should have meat and spices with their rice and vegetables except me, who appeared as the least of all in your sight. For very shame I smothered my feelings, and taking up my vessel of rice and vegetables, went out into the courtyard and sat down among the beggars and others assembled there. After a while you came and distributed some food to those beggars, and then, calling one of them, bade him to wait and help you to carry some sweetmeats to a certain person whom you wished to visit. I saw you come forth from the house with a lighted lamp and give a loaded tray to the man, and then start ; and I followed you. In the midst of the way the man tripped, and dropped the tray, spilling its contents. And then I saw you go back and fetch another trayful of sweetmeats and start again. I watched you both till^ you reached the door of a certain merchant, when you took the sweetmeats, and, telling the beggar to go, knocked at the door. Evidently the merchant was in a great rage because you arrived so 2S4 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. late ; for I saw him strike you, and in the striking a golden bracelet that my dear father gave you was broken to pieces. All this I saw in my dream as plainly as I see you now ; and therefore I started." By the time he had got thus far in the narration of his dream the woman had borne as much as, or more than, she was able. The thought that she had been detected, and that her husband was relating no dream, but what was only too true, was more than she could bear ; she there and then died from fear. When the young merchant noticed that his wife did not move, but was as one petrified, staring at him with eyes ready to burst out of their sockets, he was afraid, and said, " I must have killed the woman ! " There was no feeling of sorrow, for all love went on the remembrance of his wife's unfaithfulness. There was only a fear as to what his father and mother-in-law might say, and what un- favourable remarks his fellow-citizens might pass about him when the circumstances of the case were known. " I must get the body away," he said to himself. So he put it in a big shawl, which he threw over his shoulder, and carried to the house of the merchant who had seduced the woman, and depositing it there on the doorstep, knocked at the door. The merchant, thinking that it was the woman coming to him as usual, opened the door in a great rage, and com- menced reproving her for staying so long with her husband. He did all this without noticing whether the woman was there or not. Presently, when nobody answered or came in, he got up again to see who was there. When he saw the dead body only he was very greatly astonished, and thought that the woman must have died since she knocked at the door. He took up the corpse, and wrapping it in a thdn ^ of jjMf,^" laid it in one of the large open cupboards in his shop. " 2%d» (also Hindustani), a piece of coarse •woollen cloth manufactured cloth measuring about nine yards in Kashmir. Cf. Vigne's Travels in English. Kashmir, p. 127. '" Put {paiia, in the plain?) is a THE YOUNG GAMBLING MERCHANT. 285 All this the young merchant saw from the outside of the window, and then returned. It was quite late the next morning before the young merchant awoke, and even then he would not have got up if his father-in-law had not sent to inquire the reason of his not appearing at the morning meal. " I was very tired," he said by way of excuse, " and could not sleep the first part of the night, owing to the strange behaviour of my wife, who got off the bed and went out, I know not where." Hearing this, his mother-in-law, who was thoroughly aware of her daughter's intimacy with the other merchant, and had, in fact, somewhat encouraged it, thinking that the girl's husband was dead, made some apology for this strange behaviour. "Perhaps the girl is ill," she remarked, " and therefore went to sleep in another room. I will go and inquire.'' While she was inquiring the young merchant asked his father-in-law to take him to his shop, as he wished to buy several things which he had not in stock in his own shop. The father-in-law agreed, and they started at once. The young merchant saw all the goods, but did not find what he wanted. Then the father-in-law offered to take him to the- house of another merchant, a great friend of his, who would most likely have the goods that he required. " It is a long way," he said, " but the road is pleasant, and the merchant is very clever and affable, and you ought to make his acquaintance." So they both wended their steps in the direction of the house of this very clever and affable merchant. This personage chanced to be none other than the very man who had seduced the deceased merchant's son's wife. Strange coincidence brought about by Param-eshwar for the destruction of this wicked man ! On their arrival the merchant welcomed them most heartily, and gladly showed them most of his goods and treasures. But there were 286 FOLK-TALES OF KASHMIR. some thdns of put and pieces oi pashmina,^^ silk, and other materials in a little inner room, whicli the young merchant happened to get a glimpse of, and wished very much to see. " Those are ordinary goods," the merchant objected, " and like many others that you have seen, and therefore there is no need to fetch them." However, the late merchant's son persisted, and even went forward in the direction of the room. Then the merchant, seeing that he could not possibly avoid showing the goods, and hoping that somehow the thdn of put in which the corpse was concealed would escape attention, had the cloths and other things brought out. Alas! among other rolls of cloth, the bulky piece of put was opened, and the dead body discovered"! Imagine the condition of the three onlookers. The father of the woman so horrified that he fell down in a fit ; the merchant, his friend, so trembled with fear as to the results of this discovery, that he had to support himself by leaning against the wall ; while the young merchant rushed about the place apparently in the direst grief, shouting, " My wife is dead ! My wife is dead !" and calling for the deputy-inspector to investigate the case and punish the murderer. " Oh, keep quiet, keep quiet, my friend ! " said the mer- chant. " You will bring the blood of this woman on my head by your shouting." " Let me alone ; I will explain everything to the police," said the young merchant, shaking off the hand, which had been placed tenderly on his shoulder. " friend, consider ! What profit will there be to you from the death of another ? The gods know that I am guiltless." 11 Pashmina is a fine kind of wool- other qualities are generally called len cloth manufactured in Kashmir. Kashmiri phamb ; though these, as About 20,ooo people are thought to well as the former, are found only be engaged in its manufacture. The on the animals who roam the wind- finest goat's wool employed is brought swept steppes of Central Asia. Cf . from T