Santal Folk Tales Part 6

she said, "to go and welcome your wives, and I have been abused. When will you learn wisdom?" Lelha ran into the house, and brought a ring, and giving it to his mother, said, "Take this ring, and place it in the lap of one of them." She took the ring, and gave it to one of Lelha's wives, and immediately they all rose, and followed her laughing, to their new home.

The elder ranis went and informed their sons of what had happened, but they said, "They are Lelha's wives. What can we do?"

X.

The Indarpuri Kuri whom Lelha had robbed of her hira now awoke, and at once missed her precious jewel. She knew that Lelha had stolen it from her, and summoning her army to her standard marched upon Lelha's father's capital, to which she laid siege, and before many hours had elapsed, the raja was a prisoner in her hands.

This Indarpuri Kuri said to him, "Will you give up the hiras and manis, or will you fight?" The raja sent the following message to his four sons, "Will you fight to retain possession of the hiras and manis, or will you deliver them up?" They were afraid, so they gave answer, "We will not. Lelha knows all about the hiras and manis. We do not."

The raja then sent and called Lelha, and enquired, "Will you shew fight, Lelha, or will you give up the hiras and manis?" Lelha replied, "I will fight. I will not part with the hiras and manis. I obtained them only after much painful toil, so I cannot deliver them up. Ask them to agree to delay hostilities for a short time, but inform them that Lelha will fight."

Lelha hurried to the further end of the garden, and taking the hair of the first Indarpuri Kuri in his hand said, "Oh! Indarpuri Kuri. Give me an army four times stronger than the one brought against me, so that I may make short work of my enemies." Immediately an army of 44,000 men stood in military array, awaiting his orders. The two armies joined battle, and Lelha discomfited the host of the Indarpuri Kuri, and she herself became his prize. She became his wife, and returned no more to her cavernous home in the solitary island. Lelha thus became the husband of four wives.

Then the raja called his five sons together and said, "In my estimation Lelha is the one best qualified to became raja of this kingdom. I therefore resign all power and authority into his hands." Lelha replied, "Yes, father, you have judged righteously. My brothers have caused me much distress. First, they pushed off the raised platform in your flower garden, but of that I did not inform you. Then they caused me, who was the finder of the hiras and manis, to fall into the river. You saw how they refused to fight, and threw all the responsibility upon me. They have used me spitefully. They have tried to make a cat's paw of me."

So Lelha was raja of all the country, and his brothers were his servants. One was in charge of Lelha's pipe and tobacco, another ploughed his fields, and the other two had like menial offices a.s.signed to them.

THE STORY OF SINDURA GAND GARUR.

In a certain village there lived a mother and her son. The boy tended goats in the forest. One day he found a spot of ground, where he thought rice would grow well. So he went home, and asked his mother to give him some seed to sow there. She said, "If you sow rice there it will all be destroyed. The elephants, or the wild jungle cattle, will eat it." But he begged so hard that at length she gave him some seed rice, which he sowed on the small plot of ground in the jungle. It sprang up and grew luxuriantly. Every day he drove his goats there, and spent the long hours in driving the birds and insects away from his little farm.

When the rice had grown to a good height the raja's son with his companion came and set up a mark near by at which they shot with their bows and arrows. The orphan boy was asked to join them, which he did, and so accurate was his aim, that he hit the mark every time he shot. The raja's son and his companion were astonished to see such good shooting, and they said, "The fatherless boy hits the mark every time."

The boy ran home to his mother weeping, and said, "Oh! mother, where is my father?" To keep him from grieving, she told a lie. "Your father,"

she said, "has gone on a visit to his relations."

The next day after he had again shown great skill with the bow and arrow the raja's son and his companion said, "The fatherless boy hits the mark every time." Hearing this he again went home weeping, and said to his mother, "Oh! mother, where is my father?" She replied, "He has gone to visit his friends." Every day the boy came crying to his mother asking where his father was, so at last she told him. She said, "Your father, child, was carried away on the horns of a Gand Garur [18]."

The boy then said to his mother, "Prepare me some flour. I will go in search of him." His mother tried to dissuade him, saying, "Where can you go in such a jungle as this?" He, however, insisted, and she prepared flour for him, and he set out.

After travelling many hours he entered the primeval forest, and presently darkness came upon him. After a short time he came to the dwelling of Huti [19] Budhi, and requested permission to pa.s.s the night there. This was accorded to him, and he lay down and fell asleep. During the night he was awakened by the Huti Budhi eating his bow and arrows. He called out to her "Oh! old woman, What have you been nibbling at since evening?" The Huti Budhi replied, "It is only some roasted grain, which I brought a while ago from the house of the Chief."

In a short time the nibbling sound was again heard, and he again enquired what she was eating. She returned the same answer as before. "Oh! my son, it is only roasted grain which the chief's people gave me." He did not know that all the time she was eating his bow and arrows.

When morning dawned he requested her to give him his weapons, and on his attempting to string the bow it broke in his hands. The Huti Budhi had eaten the heart out of the wood, and had left only the outer sh.e.l.l. He left her house planning revenge.

During the day he had an iron bow and iron arrows made. All was iron like the arrow heads. In the evening he returned to sleep at the Huti Budhi's house.

During the night he heard the Huti Budhi trying to nibble his bow and arrows. So he enquired what she was doing. The answer she gave was, "Do you think the Huti Budhi can eat iron."

When morning dawned he demanded his bow and arrows, and received them uninjured, but the lower part of the Huti Budhi's face was all swollen. She had been trying to eat the iron bow and arrows. Her lodger strung his bow, and having saluted her, went his way.

As he journeyed he entered another unexplored forest in the midst of which he discovered a lake, to which all the birds and beasts resorted to quench their thirst. He obtained this information by an examination of its banks, on which he saw the footprints of the various beasts and birds. He now took some flour from his bag, and having moistened it with water made a hearty meal, and then sat down to wait for evening.

As the sun went down the denizens of the forest began to come to the lake to drink. They came in quick succession, and as each made its appearance, he sang a.s.surance to it, that he harboured no evil design against it.

The quail led the way, and to it he sang,

"Oh! quail, you need not fear to drink, I'll not harm you, I you a.s.sure; But I will slay on this lake's brink, Cruel Sindura Gand Garur.

He sang in a similar strain to each bird as it came, naming it by its name.

At length the Gand Garur alighted on the edge of the lake to drink, and he at once drew his bow, and sent an arrow to its heart, for he had seen the dried and shrivelled corpse of his father still adhering to its horns. The Gand Garur being dead, he detached what remained of his parent's body from its horns, and taking it in his arms pressed it to his bosom and wept bitterly.

As he wept, Bidi and Bidhati descended from the sky and asked him the reason of his sorrow. So he told them all. They spoke words of comfort to him, and said, "Dip your gamcha cloth in the lake, and cover the corpse with it. And don't you cry, rather bathe and cook some food. And do not cook for one only, but prepare portions for two. And when the food is ready, you partake of one portion, and set the other aside. Then tap your father on the back and say, 'Rise father, here is your food.'" He did as his kind friends bade him, and the dead came to life again. The father sat up and said, "Oh! my son, what a lengthened sleep I have had." The son replied, "A sleep? you must be demented, you were pierced through by the horns of the Gand Garur, and your dried carcase was adhering to them. See I have killed it. It is lying here. Bidi and Bidhati instructed me how to proceed, and I have brought you to life again.

So they returned joyfully home singing the praises of Bidi and Bidhati.

THE TIGER AND ULTA'S MOTHER.

A tiger cub was in the habit of playing under the shade of a certain tree, in which was a crane's nest with a young one in it. The parent cranes brought frogs and lizards to their young one, and what it could not eat it used to throw down to the young tiger, and in this way the two became greatly attached to each other. After a time the tigress died, and left the cub alone in the world. The young crane felt much pity for its afflicted friend, and could not bear the thought of itself being in a better position. So one day it said to the tiger, "Let us kill my mother." The tiger replied, "Just as you please. I cannot say do it, nor can I say do not do it." When the mother crane came to give its young one food, the latter set upon her and killed her. The friends.h.i.+p between the two increased so that they could not be separated from each other. Day and night they spent in each other's society.

After a time the two said, "Come let us make a garden, and plant in it turmeric." So they prepared a piece of ground, and the crane brought roots of turmeric from a distance. They then discussed the matter as to which part of the crop each would take. The crane said to the tiger, "You, my brother, choose first." The tiger said, "If I must speak first, I will take the leaves." Then, said the crane, "I will take the roots." Having settled this point to their satisfaction, they began to plant. The tiger dug holes, and the crane put in the roots, and covered them over with earth.

A year pa.s.sed, and they again said to each other, "Which of us will take the roots, and which the leaves?" The tiger said, "I will take the leaves." The crane replied, "I will take the roots." So they began to dig up the plants, and cutting the leaves from the roots, placed each by themselves. The tiger collected an immense bulk of leaves, and the crane a large heap of roots. This done each surveyed the other's portion. That of the crane was of a beautiful, reddish tinge, and excited the envy of the tiger, who said to the crane, "Give me half of yours, and I will give you half of mine." The crane refused, saying, "I will not share with you. Why did you at first chose the leaves? I gave you your choice." The tiger insisted, but the crane was obdurate, and before long they were quarrelling as if they had been lifelong enemies. The crane seeing it was being worsted in the wrangle, flew in the face of the tiger, and pecked its eyes, so that it became blind. It then flew away, and left the tiger lamenting its sad fate. Having lost its sight it could not find its way about, so remained there weeping.

One day, hearing the voice of a man near by, the tiger called out, "Oh! man, are you a doctor?" The man stupefied with fear stared at the tiger, and gave no reply. The tiger again said, "Oh! man, why do you not reply to my question? Although you are a human being, have you no pity?" The man then said, "Oh! renowned hero, what did you ask me? I am terror stricken, so did not reply. You may devour me." The tiger replied, "If I had wished to kill you, I could have done so, but I mean you no harm." The tiger again asked the man if he possessed a knowledge of medicine, but he replied, "I do not." The tiger then asked, "Is there one amongst you who does know?" The man replied, "Yes." The tiger enquired, "Who is he?" The man said, "There is a certain widow with two sons, the name of one of whom is Ulta, who possesses a knowledge of medicine, she will be able to cure you." Having given the tiger this information the man went away.

The tiger went to the house of Ulta's mother, and hid himself behind a hedge. He said within himself, "When I hear any one call Ulta then I will go forward." Shortly after the tiger arrived Ulta's mother called Ulta, "Ulta, come to your supper." Then the tiger ran hastily forward, and cried, "Oh! Ulta's mother, Oh! Ulta's mother." But she was afraid, and exclaimed, "This tiger has done for us to-day." The tiger said to the woman, "Do you know medicine?" She replied, "Yes, Wait till I bring it." So hastily running out she said to her neighbours, "A tiger has come to my house. He is blind, and wishes me to cure his blindness." The neighbours said to her, "Give him some of the juice of the Akauna [20] tree. It will increase his blindness." So she quickly brought Akauna juice, and giving it to the tiger, said, "Go to some dense jungle and apply it to your eyes. Do not apply it here, or it will have no effect. Take it away. We are about to sit down to supper, and then my children will go to sleep. The medicine will cause you pain at first, but it will effect a complete cure."

The tiger hurried away to the jungle, and poured the akauna juice into his eyes. The pain it caused was as if his eyeb.a.l.l.s were being torn out. He tossed himself about in agony, and at last struck his head against a tree. In a short time, his blindness was gone. He could see everything plainly, and was delighted beyond expression.

One day several traders were pa.s.sing along a pathway through the jungle in which the tiger hunted. He was lying concealed watching for prey, and when the traders were pa.s.sing he jumped out upon them. Seeing the tiger they fled, and left behind them their silver, and gold, and bra.s.s vessels. The tiger collected all and carried them to Ulta's mother's house, and presenting them to her said, "All this I give to you, for through you I have again seen the earth. Had it not been for you, who knows whether I should ever have been cured or not." Ulta's mother was delighted with the generosity of the tiger. He had made her rich at once. But she was anxious to get rid of him, and said "Go away. May you always find a living somewhere." So the tiger returned to the jungle again.

Sometime afterwards the tiger was minded to take a wife, and sought his old friend Ulta's mother. On arriving at her house he called out, "Oh! Ulta's mother, where are you? Are you in your house?" She replied, "Who are you?" The tiger answered, "It is I, the forest hero. You cured my blindness." So Ulta's mother came out of her house, and said, "Wherefore, Sir, have you come here?" "I wish you," replied the tiger, "to find a bride for me." Ulta's mother said, "Come to-morrow and I will tell you. Do not stay to-day." So the tiger left.

Ulta's mother then went to her neighbours and said, "The tiger has put me in a great difficulty. He wishes me to find a bride for him." They said to her, "Is he not blind?" She replied, "No. He sees now, and it is that, which distresses me. What can I do?" They said, "Get a bag, and order him to go into it, and then tie up the mouth tightly, and tell him to remain still. Say to him, If you move, or make a noise, I will not seek a bride for you. And when you have him tied securely in the bag, call us." The next day the tiger appeared, and Ulta's mother told him to get into the bag, and allow her to tie it. So he went in, and she tied the bag's mouth, and said, "You must not move, lie still, or I shall not be your go-between." Having secured him, Ulta's mother called her neighbours, who came armed with clubs, and began to beat the helpless animal. He called out, "Oh! Ulta's mother, what are you doing?" She said, "Keep quiet. They are beating the marriage drums. Lie still a little longer." The tiger remained motionless, while they continued to beat him. At length they said, "He must be dead now, let us throw him out." So they carried him to a river, and having thrown him in, returned home.

The current bore the tiger far down the river, but at length he stranded in a cove. A short time afterwards a tigress came down to the river to drink and seeing the bag, and thinking it might contain something edible she seized it and dragged it up on to the bank. The tigress then cut the bag open with her teeth, and the tiger sprang out, exclaiming, "Of a truth she has given me a bride. Ulta's mother has done me a good turn, and I shall remember her as long as I live." The tiger and the tigress being of one mind on the subject agreed never to separate.