Folklore of the Santal Parganas - Cecil Henry Bompas (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📗

him to

take tobacco. The farmer did as they advised and in about a fortnight

the Strong man lost all his strength and became as other men. Then

his master dismissed him and he had to go back to his house and his

strength never returned to him.

 

 

LVII. (The Raja's Advice.)

 

Once upon a time an aged Raja lay dying. Before he breathed his

last he sent for his only son and gave him the following advice. "My

son," he said, "never go on a journey alone; do not associate with

low people, for if you do no one will respect you; never confide a

secret to your wife; do not tell outsiders the affairs of your house;

do not let village affairs go beyond the village street, and never

get into a rage."

 

The son succeeded to the Raja and shortly afterwards set out to pay

a visit to his wife's relations. He started alone and after going

some distance he remembered his father's injunctions never to go on

a journey alone. He had gone too far to go back and he saw no one

within call, so he looked about and presently found a crab hole. He

set to work and dug out the crab and fixing it in his _pagri_ continued

his journey.

 

By-and-bye he came to a river. Now in this river lived a crocodile,

which had leagued with a crow to destroy travellers crossing the

river. Whenever the crow saw anyone coming, it gave warning to the

crocodile, and the crocodile then seized the traveller as he entered

the river, while the crow pecked out his eyes. In this way they had

been the death of many travellers. So when the crow saw the young

Raja coming, it cawed to the crocodile, which hastened to the ford

and seized the Raja as he stepped into the water, while the crow flew

at his head. But the crab caught the crow by the leg and nipped it so

hard that the crow, in agony, called out to the crocodile to let the

man go, as it was being killed. So the crocodile released its hold

and the Raja struggled to the bank, and then caught the crow which

was held fast by the crab and wrung its neck. Then he went back home

with the crab, reflecting on the wisdom of his father's advice.

 

Later on, the Raja thought that he would put another of his father's

maxims to the proof and see what would happen if he told his wife

a secret. So he took a spade and buried an old earthen pot in the

corner of his garden. He let his wife see him and she promptly asked

what he was burying; he put her off, but that night she insisted so

much on knowing, that, after swearing her to secrecy, he told her

that a child had come straying to his house and he had killed it to

obtain good luck and had buried the body.

 

Time passed, and one day the Raja had a quarrel with his wife, he began

to beat her and she in return abused him and kept on calling out that

he was a murderer, who had buried a child in his garden. Their next

door neighbour heard all this and, directly she found the Raja's

wife alone, asked whether what she said was true. The Raja's wife,

being still in a passion, asserted that it was quite true. The story

was soon all over the town, and the townspeople rose and seized the

Raja and charged him with the murder. Then he took them to the garden

and made them dig up what he had buried and they found only an old pot.

 

So they had to pay him compensation for making a false charge, and

the Raja valued more than ever the advice given him by his father.

 

LVIII. (The Four Jogis.)

 

Once four Jogis were out on a begging expedition and came to a city

were a Raja lived. As they went along they discussed how they should

beg of the Raja; and while they were discussing the point, they saw a

field rat and one of them exclaimed "I know how I shall beg of him! I

shall say 'See, he throws up the earth, scrapety scrape!'" This did not

help the other three, but, further on, some frogs jumped into a pond as

they passed by, and one of the others at once said "I know what I shall

say! I shall say 'plumpety plump! down he has sat.'" A little later,

they saw a pig wallowing in the mud, and the third Jogi called out

"I have it! I shall say 'Rub away, rub away! Now some more water! Rub

away, rub away! I know, my boys, what you are going to do.'" The

fourth Jogi was still in perplexity but, when they came in sight of

the Raja's city, he exclaimed "I know what I shall say 'Highways and

byeways, what a big city! The kotwal is going his rounds, his rounds.'"

 

Then they got a man to write down these four forms of address on a

sheet of paper and presented it to the Raja. The Raja took it, and

read it, and could not make head or tail of it. And when the four

Jogis saw him looking so puzzled, they got frightened and took to

their heels, for they could not read themselves and were not sure of

what the paper really contained.

 

Now the Raja's chief officer was a Tehsildar, and he had also a Barber,

who shaved him every day, And that evening after the Jogis had run

away, the Tehsildar proposed to the Barber that, when shaving the

Raja the next morning, he should cut the Raja's throat and they could

then divide the kingdom between them, and the Barber consented. Not

content with this, the Tehsildar and the palace chowkidar that same

night tried to break into the Raja's palace and steal his money and

jewelry. They began to cut a hole through the mud wall of the Raja's

room, but it chanced that the Raja was so puzzled by the paper which

the Jogis had put into his hand, that he kept on reading it over and

over again, and just as the Tehsildar and chowkidar had half cut their

way through the wall, they heard the Raja saying "See, he throws

up the earth, scrapety, scrape!" At once they concluded that they

had been heard and they crouched down; the Raja went on "Plumpety,

plump! down he has sat." This made them think that they had been seen

and the chowkidar crept to the door to listen: he heard the Raja saying

"Highways and byeways, what a big city! The kotwal is going his rounds,

his rounds!" Then the chowkidar felt sure that he was discovered and

he ran off with the Tehsildar, without completing their burglary.

 

The next morning the Barber went to shave the Raja, and, while he was

sharpening the razor, the Raja again began to study the mysterious

paper, murmuring "Rub away, rub away, now some more water: Rub away,

rub away! I know my boy what you are going to do." The Barber thought

that the Raja referred to his rubbing water over his face for shaving,

and concluded that the Tehsildar had revealed the plot; so he threw

himself at the Raja's feet and confessed everything, swearing that

the Tehsildar and not he was to blame. The Raja at once sent for

the chowkidar to take the Tehsildar and Barber to prison. When the

chowkidar came in he found the Raja repeating "See he throws up the

earth, scrapety, scrape!" He at once concluded that the Raja was

referring to the burglary and he fell on his knees and confessed all

that had happened. This was news to the Raja, but he went and saw the

place where the wall had been partly cut through, and then he sent

all the guilty men to prison and despatched messengers to look for

the Jogis who had been the means of saving his life and property;

but the Jogis had been so frightened and had run away so far, that

they were never found.

LIX. (The Charitable Raja.)

 

There was once a Raja who was very charitable; he used to give a new

cloth and a good meal to every one who came and begged of him. But

one day a Jogi came and refused to take what was offered to him: he

demanded that the Raja should give him his kingdom and everything

that he had. The Raja thought it wrong to refuse the request, and

went out into the world with his wife and his two young children,

a beggar. For a long time they wandered about living on charity,

till their clothes were worn to rags, and then they chanced to hear

of a rich merchant who gave a cloth to any beggar who asked it of him;

so they resolved to go to him for help. When they reached the village

where the merchant lived, the Rani left the Raja with the two children

to cook some dinner and went to the merchant's house to beg for some

clothes; but when the merchant saw her he fell in love with her and

shut her up and would not let her go. To be saved from the merchant's

designs the Rani prayed that she might be smitten with disease and

at once she became very ill.

 

After waiting in vain for her return the Raja set off with his two sons

to look for her and presently came to a flooded river. He carried one

child across first but, as he was returning for the other, he was swept

away by the current and the children were left alone. A Goala woman,

going to the river for water, found them, and as she was childless

took them home with her and brought them up.

 

Meanwhile the Raja was carried down stream by the flood and was washed

ashore, bruised and wounded, a long way down. At the place where he

landed a large crowd was collected; for the Raja of the country had

lately died leaving no heir, and the widow had ordered all the people

to assemble in order that two elephants, belonging to the late Raja,

might choose his successor. The half-drowned Raja joined the crowd and

as he sat looking on, one elephant, passing by all