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

his youngest wife

bore him a son; a son so fair and so beautiful that there was no one

on earth to match him. When the boy grew up, they began to think about

his marriage and the Raja said that he would only marry him to a bride

as fair and as beautiful as himself. It did not matter whether she were

poor or rich, all that was needful was that she should be a match for

his son in looks. So messengers were sent out to all the surrounding

kingdoms to look for such a bride. They searched for years; nine years,

ten years passed and still no bride was found to match in looks the

Prince. After ten years had passed the Prince heard of this search and

he went to his father and announced that he did not wish to marry; and

that if he ever should wish to do so, he would find a wife for himself.

 

The Raja was very angry at this and said that the Prince wished to

bring him to shame; every one would say that the Raja was too mean

to arrange a marriage for his only son. But the Prince was obstinate

and persisted that he did not wish the Raja to take any steps in the

matter. At this the Raja grew more and more angry, until at last he

ordered the Prince to be taken to prison and kept there, until he

promised to marry any one whom his father chose.

 

Every day the warders asked whether he would yield and every day he

refused; and it is impossible to say how long he would have languished

in prison, had not the wife of the Parganna of the Bongas come one

night to the prison with two other bongas. They began to talk about

the Prince's hard case. The warders heard them talking, but could see

no one. The Bonga Parganna's wife proposed that they should provide

a _bonga_ bride for the Prince, for it was certain that no human

bride could be his match for beauty. The two bongas agreed that it

was a good idea but the Prince had declared that he would not marry

and that was a difficulty. "Let him see the bride I offer him and see

what happens" answered the old _Bonga's_ wife. So the next night when

the Prince was asleep a beautiful bonga maiden was brought to the

prison and when he awoke he saw her sitting by his side. He fell in

love with her at first sight and exchanging rings with her promised

that she should be his wife.

 

Then the warders, who had been watching, ran to the Raja and told him

that the Prince had agreed to marry. The Raja came and took the Prince

and his bride out of the prison, and the wedding was celebrated with

great rejoicings throughout the kingdom.

CI. (The Prince Who Found Two Wives.)

 

There was once a Raja who had an only son. When the Prince grew up the

courtiers proposed to the Raja that he should arrange for his son's

marriage; the Raja however wished to postpone it for a time. So the

courtiers used to laugh and say to the Prince "Wait a little and

we will find you a couple of wives;" the young man would answer,

"What is that? I can find them for myself. If you offered to find me

ten or twelve wives there would be something in it." The Raja heard

of his boasting like this and was very angry and said "Well if he is

so sure that he can find a wife for himself, let him do it;" and he

took no further steps to arrange for his son's marriage.

 

Now the Prince had a most beautiful voice and used also to play on

the one-stringed lute. He used often to sit up half the night singing

and playing to himself. One night as he sat singing, he heard a laugh

and looking round saw a beautiful _bonga_ girl. He asked who she was

and how she had come there, and she told him that she lived close

by and could not help coming to see who it was, who was singing so

beautifully. After that she used to visit the Prince every night,

but always disappeared before dawn. This went on for some weeks

and then the Prince asked her to stay and be his wife. She agreed,

provided he would first go to her home and see her relations. So

the next night he went with her; and found that her father was also

a Raja and very rich. He stayed there three or four days; while his

mysterious disappearance caused the greatest consternation at his own

home. However he returned quietly by night and was found sleeping as

usual in his bed one morning. Then he told his parents all that had

happened and how he had left his wife behind at her father's house.

 

Two or three days later the Prince fell very ill: every sort of remedy

was tried in vain. As he grew worse and worse, one day a messenger came

from his father-in-law and offered to cure him if he were removed to

his wife's house. So he was carried thither and when he arrived he

found that his wife was also very ill; but directly he was brought

to where she lay, at the mere sight of each other they both became

well again.

 

After some months the Prince and his wife set out to return to their

own home. They were benighted on the way; so they tied their horses

to a tree and prepared to camp under it. The Prince went to a bazar

to buy provisions and while there, was arrested on a false charge

and was sent to prison. The Princess waited and waited and at last

felt sure that something must have detained him against his will. She

would not leave the spot, and to make it less likely that she should

be molested, she dressed herself as a man.

 

Some days passed and the Prince did not return; then one morning an

old woman passing by came and asked for a light for her hookah, and

stayed talking for some time. The old woman was struck by the sweet

face and gentle voice of the stranger, and on her return told the

daughter of the Raja of that country that there was a strange young

man, who looked and talked very differently from any of the young men

of that neighbourhood. The Raja's daughter was curious to see him,

and the next morning she went with the old woman and talked with the

disguised Princess. Before she left she was deeply in love with him,

and directly she reached home she sent word to her father that she

had seen the man whom she must marry. "It is of no use to thwart

one's children," said the Raja and at once sent messengers to bring

the stranger to marry his daughter.

 

When the disguised Princess was brought before the Raja, she said

that she had no objection to being married provided that it was done

according to the custom of her own country, and that was that the

vermilion should be applied to the bride's forehead with a sword. The

Raja made no objection; so the Princess took her husband's sword and

put vermilion on it and then applied it to the bride's forehead; and

so the marriage was complete. But when the Princess was left alone

with her bride, she confessed that she was a woman and told her all

her history and how her husband had disappeared in the bazar.

 

Then the Raja's daughter went to her father and told him what had

happened and had enquiries made and speedily had the Prince released

from prison. Then the prince himself again put vermilion on the

forehead of the Raja's daughter, and a few days later set off home

with both his wives. This was the way in which he found two wives

for himself, as he had boasted that he would.

CII. (The Unfaithful Wife.)

 

Once upon a time there were two brothers and as their wives did not

get on well together, they lived separately. After a time it came

to the ears of the elder brother that the younger brother's wife

was carrying on an intrigue with a certain Jugi; so he made up his

mind to watch her movements. One night he saw a white figure leave

his brother's house and, following it quietly, he saw it go into the

Jugi's house, and creeping nearer, he heard his sister-in-law's voice

talking inside. He was much grieved at what he had seen, but could

not make up his mind to tell his brother.

 

One day the elder brother found that he had no milk in the house,

as all his cows had run dry; so he sent a servant to his brother's

house to ask for some milk; but the younger brother's wife declined

to give any, and sent word that her brother-in-law was quite rich

enough to buy milk cows if he wanted milk. The elder brother said

nothing at this rebuff, but after a time it happened that the younger

brother's cows all became dry, and he in his turn sent to his elder

brother for milk. The elder brother's wife was not disposed to give

it, but her husband bade her not bear malice and to send the milk.

 

After this the elder brother sent for the other and advised him to

watch his wife and see where she went to at night. So that night the

younger brother lay awake and watched; and in the middle of the night

saw his wife get up very quietly and leave the house. He followed her;

as the woman passed down the village street, some Mahommedans, who had

been sitting up smoking ganja, saw her and emboldened by the drug set

out to see who it was, who was wandering about so late at night. The

woman took refuge in a clump of bamboos and pulled down one of the

bamboos to conceal herself. The Mahommedans surrounded the clump but

when they saw the one bamboo which the woman held shaking, while all

the rest were still--for it was a windless night--they concluded that

it was an evil spirit that they were pursuing and ran away in a panic.

 

When they were gone, the woman came out from the bamboos and went on to

the Jugi's house. Her husband who had been watching all that happened

followed her: and having seen her enter the Jugi's house hastened

home and bolted his door from inside. Presently his wife returned

and found the door which she had left ajar, fastened; then she knew

that she was discovered. She was however full of resource; she began

to beg to be let her in, but her husband only showered abuse upon her

and bade her go back to the friend she had left. Then she took a large

stone and heaved it into a pool of water near the house. Her husband

heard the splash and concluded that she was drowning herself. He did

not want to get into trouble with the police,