How they used to hustle and bustle and
struggle
and scramble !
Universal Anthology - v01
—why, in the usual way, of course !
"
"Oh, dear me! — my head is beginning to whirl again!
" Yes, you shall ! " returned the tiger, in a rage at the
jackal's stupidity : " I'll make you understand ! I am the tiger "
" "
no, I wasn't
dear ! dear !
Please don't be angry, my lord, but what is the usual way ? " At this the tiger lost patience, and, jumping into the cage,
cried, " This way ! Now do you understand how it was ? "
" Perfectly ! " grinned the jackal, as he dexterously shut the door ; " and if you will permit me to say so, I think
matters will remain as they were ! "
The Barber's Clever Wife.
Once upon a time there lived a barber, who was such a poor silly creature that he couldn't even ply his trade decently, but snipped off his customers' ears instead of their hair, and cut their throats instead of shaving them. So of course he grew poorer every day, till at last he found himself with nothing left in his house but his wife and his razor, both of whom were as sharp as sharp could be.
For his wife was an exceedingly clever person, who was continually rating her husband for his stupidity; and when she saw they hadn't a farthing left, she fell as usual to scolding.
238 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
But the barber took it very"calmly. " What is the use of making such a fuss, my dear ? said he ; " you've told me all
this before, and I quite agree with you. I never diI
never could work, and I never will work. That is the fact ! "
" Then you must beg ! " returned his wife, " for
starve to please you ! Go to the palace and beg something of the King. There is a wedding feast going on, and he is sure to give alms to the poor. " "
" Very well, my dear ! said the barber, submissively. He was rather afraid of his clever wife, so he did as he was bid, and going to the palace, begged of the King to give him something. "
asked the King ; " what thing? "
Now the barber's wife had not mentioned anything in par ticular, and the barber was far too addle-pated to think of any
" Something?
thing by himself, so he answered cautiously, " Oh, something ! " " "Will a piece of land do ? " said the King.
Whereupon the lazy barber, glad to be helped out of the
d work, I
will not
difficulty, remarked that perhaps a piece of land would do as well as anything else.
Then the King ordered a piece of waste outside the city should be given to the barber, who went home quite satisfied.
"Well! what did you get? " asked the clever wife, who was waiting impatiently for his return. " Give it me quick, that Imay go and buy bread ! "
And you may imagine how she scolded when she found he had only got a piece of waste land.
" But land is land ! " remonstrated the barber ; " it can't run away, so we must always have something now ! "
"Was there ever such a dunderhead? " raged the clever wife. " What good is ground unless we can till it ? and where are we to get bullocks and plows ? "
But being, as we have said, an exceedingly clever person, she set her wits to work, and soon thought of a plan whereby to make the best of a bad bargain.
She took her husband with her, and set off to the piece of waste land ; then, bidding her husband imitate her, she began walking about the field, and peering anxiously into the ground. But when anybody came that way, she would sit down and pretend to be doing nothing at all.
Now it so happened that seven thieves were hiding in a thicket hard by, and they watched the barber and his wife
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 239
all day, until they became convinced something mysterious was going on. So at sunset they sent one of their number to try and"find out what it was.
Well, the fact is," said the barber's wife, after beating about the bush for some time, and with many injunctions to strict secrecy, "this field belonged to my grandfather, who buried five pots full of gold in it, and we were just trying to discover the exact spot " before beginning to dig. You won't tell any one, will you ?
The thief promised he wouldn't, of course, but the moment the barber and his wife went home, he called his companions, and telling them of the hidden treasure, set them to work. All night long they dug and delved, till the field looked as if it had been plowed seven times over, and they were as tired as tired could be ; but never a gold piece, nor a silver piece, nor a farthing did they find, so when dawn came they went away disgusted.
The barber's wife, when she found the field so beautifully plowed, laughed heartily at the success of her stratagem, and going to the corn dealer's shop, borrowed some rice to sow in the field. This the corn dealer willingly gave her, for he reckoned he would get it back threefold at harvest time. And so he did, for never was there such a crop ! — the barber's wife paid her debts, kept enough for the house, and sold the rest for a great crock of gold pieces.
Now, when the thieves saw this, they were very angry indeed, and going to the barber's house, said, " Give us our share of the harvest, for we tilled the ground, as you very well know. "
"I told you there was gold in the ground," laughed the barber's wife, " but you didn't find it. I have, and there's a crock full of it in the house, only you rascals shall never have a farthing of it ! "
" Very well ! " said the thieves ; " look out for yourself to night. If you won't give us our share, we'll take it ! "
So that night one of the thieves hid himself in the house, intending to open the door to his comrades when the house folk were asleep ; but the barber's wife saw him with the corner of her eye, and determined to lead him a dance. Therefore, when her husband, who was in a dreadful state of alarm, " asked her what she had done with the gold pieces, she replied, Put them where no one will find them — under the sweetmeats, in the crock that stands in the niche by the door. "
240 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
The thief chuckled at hearing this, and after waiting till all was quiet, he crept out, and feeling about for the crock, made off with it, whispering to his comrades that he had got the prize. Fearing pursuit, they fled to a thicket, where they sat down to divide the spoil.
"She said there were sweetmeats on the top," said the
thief ; "
I will divide them first, and then we can eat them, for it is hungry work, this waiting and watching. "
So he divided what he thought were the sweetmeats as well as he could in the dark. Now in reality the crock was full of all sorts of horrible things that the barber's wife had put there on purpose, and so when the thieves crammed its contents into their mouths, you may imagine what faces they made and how they vowed revenge.
But when they returned next day to threaten and repeat their claim to a share of the crop, the barber's wife only laughed at them. "
" Have a care ! they cried ; " twice you have fooled us — once by making us dig all night, and next by feeding us"on filth and breaking our caste. It will be our turn to-night !
Then another thief hid himself in the house, but the barber's wife saw him with half an eye, and when her husband asked,
" What have you done with the gold, my dear ?
haven't put it under the pillow ? " she answered, " Don't be alarmed; it is out of the house. I have hung it in the branches of the nim tree outside. No one will think of looking for it there ! "
The hidden thief chuckled, and when the house folk were asleep he slipped out and told his companions.
" Sure enough, there it is ! " cried the captain of the band, peering up into the branches. " One of you go up and fetch it down. " Now what he saw was really a hornets' nest, full of great big brown and yellow hornets.
So one of the thieves climbed up the tree ; but when he came close to the nest, and was just reaching up to take hold of it, a hornet flew out and stung him on the thigh. He imme diately clapped his hand to the spot.
" Oh, you thief ! " cried out the rest from below, " you're pocketing the gold pieces, are you ? Oh ! shabby ! shabby ! " — For you see it was very dark, and when the poor man clapped his hand to the place where he had been stung, they thought he was putting his hand in his pocket.
I hope you
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 241
" I assure you I'm not doing anything of the kind ! " re torted" the thief; "but there is something that bites in this tree !
Just at that moment another hornet stung him on the
breast, and he clapped his hand there. " " Fie ! fie, for shame ! We saw you do it that time !
cried the rest. "Just you stop that at once, or we will make
you ! "
So they sent up another thief, but he fared no better, for
by this time the hornets were thoroughly roused, and they stung the poor man all over, so that he kept clapping his hands
here, there, and everywhere. " " Shame ! Shabby ! Ssh-sh !
bawled the rest ; and then one after another they climbed into the tree, determined to share the booty, and one after another began clapping their
hands about their bodies, till it came to the captain's turn. Then he, intent on having the prize, seized hold of the hornets' nest, and as the branch on which they were all standing broke at the selfsame moment, they all came tumbling down with the hornets' nest on top of them. And then, in spite of bumps and bruises, you can imagine what a stampede there was !
After this the barber's wife had some peace, for every one of the seven thieves was in hospital. In fact, they were laid up for so long a time that she began to think that they were never coming back again, and ceased to be on the lookout. But she was wrong, for one night, when she had left the window open, she was awakened by whisperings outside, and at once recognized the thieves' voices. She gave herself up for lost ; but, determined not to yield without a struggle, she seized her husband's razor, crept to the side of the window, and stood quite still. By and by the first thief began to creep through cautiously. She just waited till the tip of his nose was visible, and then, flash ! — she sliced it off with the razor as clean as a whistle.
" Confound it ! " yelled the thief, drawing back mighty quick ; " I've cut my nose on something ! "
" Hush-sh-sh-sh ! " whispered the others, "you'll wake some one. Go on ! "
"Not I " " " ! said the thief ; I'm bleeding like a pig !
" Pooh ! — knocked your nose against the shutter, I sup pose," returned the second thief. " I'll go ! "
But, swish ! — off went the tip of his nose too.
242 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
" Dear me ! " said he, ruefully, " there certainly is something sharp inside ! "
" A bit of bamboo in the lattice, most likely," remarked the third thief. " I'll go ! "
And, flick ! — off went his nose too.
" It is most extraordinary ! " he exclaimed, hurriedly retir
ing; "
off! " "
I feel exactly as if some one had cut the tip of my nose
said "the fourth thief. all are ! Let me go !
"
What cowards you
Rubbish !
But he fared no better, nor the fifth thief, nor the sixth.
" My friends ! " said the captain, when it came to his turn, " you are all disabled. One man must remain unhurt to pro tect the wounded. Let us return another night. " — He was a cautious man, you see, and valued his nose.
So they crept away sulkily, and the barber's wife lit a lamp, and gathering up all the nose tips, put them away safely in a little box.
Now before the robbers' noses were healed over, the hot weather set in, and the barber and his wife, finding it warm sleeping in the house, put their beds outside ; for they made sure the thieves would not return. But they did, and seizing such a good opportunity for revenge, they lifted up the wife's bed, and carried her off fast asleep. She woke to find herself borne along on the heads of four of the thieves, whilst the other three ran beside her. She gave herself up for lost, and though she thought, and thought, and thought, she could find no way of escape ; till, as luck would have it, the robbers paused to take breath under a banyan tree. Quick as light ning, she seized hold of a branch that was within reach, and swung herself into the tree, leaving her quilt on the bed just as if she were still in it.
" Let us rest a bit here," said the thieves who were carry ing the bed ; " there "is plenty of time, and we are tired. She is dreadfully heavy !
The barber's wife could hardly help laughing, but she had to keep very still, for it was a bright moonlight night ; and the robbers, after setting down their burden, began to squabble as to who should take first watch. At last they determined that it should be the captain, for the others had really barely re covered from the shock of having their noses sliced off; so they lay down to sleep, while the captain walked up and down,
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 243
watching the bed , and the barber's wife sat perched up in the tree like a great bird.
Suddenly an idea came into her head, and drawing her white veil becomingly over her face, she began to sing softly. The robber captain looked up, and saw the veiled figure of a woman in the tree. Of course he was a little surprised, but being a good-looking young fellow, and rather vain of his ap pearance, he jumped at once to the conclusion that it was a fairy who had fallen in love with his handsome face. For fairies do such things sometimes, especially on moonlight nights. So he twirled his mustaches, and strutted about, waiting for her to speak. But when she went on singing, and took no notice of him, he stopped and called out: "Come down,
I won't hurt you !
But still she went on singing ; so he climbed up into the
my beauty !
"
tree, determined to attract her attention. When he came quite close, she turned away her head and sighed.
" What is the matter, my beauty ? " he asked tenderly. " Of course you are a fairy, and have fallen in love with me, but there is nothing to sigh at in that, surely ? "
"Ah — ah — ah ! " said the barber's wife, with another sigh, " I believe you're fickle ! Men with long-pointed noses always are! "
But the robber captain swore he was the most constant of men; yet still the fairy sighed and sighed, until he almost wished his nose had been shortened too.
" You are telling stories, I am sure ! " said the pretended fairy. " Just let me touch your tongue with the tip of mine, and then I shall be able to taste if there are fibs about ! "
So the robber captain put out his tongue, and snip ! — the barber's wife bit the tip off clean !
What with the fright and the pain, he tumbled off the branch, and fell bump on the ground, where he sat with his legs very wide apart, looking as if he had come from the skies.
" What is the matter ? " cried his comrades, awakened by the noise of his fall. "'
"Bul-ul-a-bul-ul-vl 1 answered he, pointing up into the tree ; for of course he could not speak plainly without the tip of his tongue.
" What—is—the —matter ? " they bawled in his ear, as if that would do any good. "
" BiU-ul-a-bul-ul-ul ! said he, still pointing upwards.
244 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
"The man is bewitched ! " cried one ; "there must be a ghost in the tree ! "
Just then the barber's wife began flapping her veil and howl ing ; whereupon, without waiting to look, the thieves in a ter rible fright set off at a run, dragging their leader with them ; and the barber's wife, coming down from the tree, put her bed on her head, and walked quietly home.
After this, the thieves came to the conclusion that it was no use trying to gain their point by force, so they went to law to claim their share. But the barber's wife pleaded her own cause so well, bringing out the nose and tongue tips as witnesses, that the King made the barber his Wazir, saying, " He will never do a foolish thing as long as his wife is alive ! "
The King who was Fried.
Once upon a time, a very long time ago indeed, there lived a King who had made a vow never to eat bread or break his fast until he had given away a hundredweight of gold in charity.
— So every day, before King Karan — for that was his name
had his breakfast, the palace servants would come out with baskets and baskets of gold pieces to scatter amongst the crowds of poor folk, who, you may be sure, never forgot to be there to receive the alms.
How they used to hustle and bustle and struggle and scramble ! Then, when the last golden piece had been fought for, King Karan would sit down to his breakfast, and enjoy it as a man who has kept his word should do.
Now, when people saw the King lavishing his gold in this fashion, they naturally thought that sooner or later the royal treasuries must give out, the gold come to an end, and the King — who was evidently a man of his word — die of starvation. But, though months and years passed by, every day, just a quarter of an hour before breakfast time, the servants came out of the palace with baskets and baskets of gold ; and as the crowds dispersed they could see the King sitting down to his
breakfast in the royal banqueting hall, as jolly and fat and hungry as could be.
Now, of course, there was some secret in all this, and this secret I shall now tell you. King Karan had made a compact with a holy and very hungry old faqir, who lived at the top of the hill ; and the compact was this : On condition of King Karan
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 245
allowing himself to be fried and eaten for breakfast every day, the faqir gave him a hundredweight of pure gold.
Of course, had the faqir been an ordinary sort of person, the compact would not have lasted long, for once King Karan had been fried and eaten, there would have been an end of the mat ter. But the faqir was a very remarkable faqir indeed ; and when he had eaten the King, and picked the bones quite clean, he just put them together, said a charm or two, and, hey presto ! there was King Karan as fat and jolly as ever, ready for the next morning's breakfast. In fact, the faqir made no bones at all over the affair, which, it must be confessed, was very con venient both for the breakfast and the breakfast eater. Never theless, it was, of course, not pleasant to be popped alive every morning into a great frying pan of boiling oil ; and for my part, I think King Karan earned his hundredweight of gold handsomely. But after a time he got accustomed to the pro cess, and would go up quite cheerfully to the holy and hungry one's house, where the biggest frying pan was spitting and sputtering over the sacred fire. Then he would just pass the time of day to the faqir, to make sure he was punctual, and step gracefully into his hot oil bath. My goodness! how he sizzled and fizzled ! When he was crisp and brown, the faqir ate him, picked the bones, set them together, sang a charm, and finished the business by bringing out his dirty old ragged coat, which he shook and shook, while the bright golden pieces came tumbling out of the pockets on to the floor.
So that was the way King Karan got his gold, and if you
think it very extraordinary, so do I
!
Now, in the great Mansarobar Lake, where, as of course you
know, all the wild swans live when they leave us, and feed upon seed pearls, there was a great famine. Pearls were so scarce that one pair of swans determined to go out into the world and seek for food. So they flew into King Bikramajit's garden, at Ujjayin. Now, when the gardener saw the beautiful birds, he was delighted, and, hoping to induce them to stay, he threw them grain to eat. But they would not touch nor any other food he offered them so he went to his master, and told him there were pair of swans in the garden who refused to eat anything.
Then King Bikramajit went out, and asked them in birds' language (for, as every one knows, Bikramajit understood both beasts and birds) why was that they ate nothing.
it
;
a
it,
246 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
" We don't eat grain ! " said they, " nor fruit, nor anything but fresh, unpierced pearls ! "
Whereupon King Bikramajit, being very kind-hearted, sent for a basket of pearls ; and every day, when he came into the garden, he fed the swans with his own hand.
But one day, when he was feeding them as usual, one of the pearls happened to be pierced. The dainty swans found it out at once, and coming to the conclusion that King Bikramajit's supply of pearls was running short, they made up their minds to go farther afield. So, despite his entreaties, they spread their broad white wings, and flew up into the blue sky, their outstretched necks pointing straight towards home on the great Mansarobar Lake. Yet they were not ungrateful, for as they flew they sang the praises of Bikramajit.
Now, King Karan was watching his servants bring out the baskets of gold, when the wild swans came flying over his head ; and when he heard them singing, " Glory to Bikramajit ! glory to Bikramajit ! " he said to himself : " Who is this whom even the birds praise ? I let myself be fried and eaten every day, in order that I may be able to give away a"hundredweight of gold in charity, yet no swan sings my song !
So, being jealous, he sent for a bird catcher, who snared the poor swans with lime, and put them in a cage.
Then Karan hung the cage in the palace, and ordered his servants to bring every kind of birds' food; but the" proud swans only curved their white necks in scorn, saying, Glory to Bikramajit ! — he gave us pearls to eat ! "
Then King Karan, determined not to be outdone, sent for pearls ; but still the scornful swans would not touch any thing.
"Why will ye not eat? " quoth King Karan, wrathfully; "am I not as generous as Bikramajit? "
Then the swan's wife answered, and said, " Kings do not imprison the innocent. Kings do not war against women. If Bikramajit were here, he would at any rate let me go ! "
So Karan, not to be outdone in generosity, let the swan's wife go, and she spread her broad white wings and flew south wards to Bikramajit, and told him how her husband lay a prisoner at the court of King Karan.
Of course Bikramajit, who was, as every one knows, the most generous of kings, determined to release the poor captive ; and bidding the swan fly back and rejoin her mate, he put on
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 247
the garb of a servant, and taking the name of Bikru, journeyed northwards till he came to King Karan's kingdom. Then he took service with the King, and helped every day to carry out the baskets of golden pieces. He soon saw there was some secret in King Karan's endless wealth, and never rested until he had found it out. So, one day, hidden close by, he saw King Karan enter the faqir's house and pop into the boiling oil. He saw him frizzle and sizzle, he saw him come out crisp and brown, he saw the hungry and holy faqir pick the bones, and, finally, he saw King Karan, fat and jolly as ever, go down the mountain side with his hundredweight of gold !
Then Bikru knew what to do ! So the very next day he rose very early, and taking a carving knife, he slashed himself all over. Next he took some pepper and salt, spices, pounded pomegranate seeds, and pea flour ; these he mixed together into a beautiful curry stuff, and rubbed himself all over with it — right into the cuts in spite of the smarting. When he thought he was quite ready for cooking, he just went up the hill to the faqir's house, and popped into the frying pan. The faqir was still asleep, but he soon awoke with the sizzling and the fizzling, and said to himself, " Dear me ! how uncommonly nice the King smells this morning ! "
Indeed, so appetizing was the smell, that he could hardly wait until the King was crisp and brown, but then — oh, my goodness ! how he gobbled him up !
You see, he had been eating plain fried so long that a deviled king was quite a change. He picked the bones ever so clean, and it is my belief would have eaten them too, if he had not been afraid of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Then, when it was all over, he put the King together again, and said, with tears in his eyes, " What a breakfast that was, to be sure ! Tell me how you managed to taste so nice, and I'll give you anything you ask. "
Whereupon Bikru told him the way it was done, and prom ised to devil himself every morning, if he might have the old coat in return. " For," said he, " it is not pleasant to be fried ! and I don't see why I should in addition have the trouble of carIrying a hundredweight of gold to the palace every day. Now,
if coat.
keep the coat, I can shake it down there. "
To this the faqir agreed, and off went Bikru with the
248 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
Meanwhile King Karan came toiling up the hill, and was surprised, when he entered the faqirs house, to find the fire out, the frying pan put away, and the faqir himself as holy as ever, but not in the least hungry.
" Why, what is the matter ? " faltered the King.
" Who are you ? " asked the faqir, who, to begin with, was somewhat short-sighted, and in addition felt drowsy after his heavy meal.
" Who ! Why, I'm King Karan, come to be fried ! Don't you want your breakfast ? "
" I've had my breakfast ! " sighed the faqir, regretfully. "You " tasted very nice when you were deviled, I can assure
you ! I never was deviled in life ! " shouted the King ; " my "
must have eaten somebody else ! " " That's just what I was saying to myself !
"you
———
I thought it couldn't be only the spices
returned the
faqir, sleepily ; "
— that " Snore, snore, snore !
" Look here ! " cried King Karan, in a rage, shaking the faqir, " you must eat me too ! "
" Couldn't ! " nodded the holy but satisfied faqir, " really — not another morsel — no, thanks ! "
" Then give me my gold ! " shrieked King Karan ; " you're bound to"do that, for I'm ready to fulfil my part of the contract !
" Sorry I can't oblige, but the devil — I mean the other person — went off with the coat ! " nodded the faqir.
Hearing this, King Karan returned home in despair and ordered the royal treasurer to send him gold ; so that day he ate his breakfast in peace.
And the next day also, by ransacking all the private treasuries, a hundredweight of gold was forthcoming ; so King Karan ate his breakfast as usual, though his heart was gloomy.
But the third day, the royal treasurer arrived with empty hands, and, casting himself on the ground, exclaimed, " May it please your majesty ! there is not any more gold in your majesty's domains ! "
Then King Karan went solemnly to bed, without any break fast, and the crowd, after waiting for hours expecting to see the palace doors open and the servants come out with the baskets of gold, melted away, saying it was a great shame to deceive poor folk in that way !
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. 249
By dinner time poor King Karan was visibly thinner ; but he was a man of his word, and though the wily Bikru came and tried to persuade him to eat, by saying he could not possibly be blamed, he shook his head, and turned his face to the wall.
Then Bikru, or Bikramajft, took the faqir'g old coat, and, shaking it before the King, said, " Take the money, my friend ; and what is more, if you will set the wild swans you have in that cage at liberty, I will give you the coat into the bargain ! "
So King Karan set the wild swans at liberty; and as the pair of them flew away to the great Mansarobar Lake, they sang as they went, " Glory to Bikramajit ! the generous
Bikramajft ! "
Then King Karan hung his head, and said to himself, " The
swans' song is true ! — Bikram&jft is more generous than I for if I was fried for the sake of a hundredweight of gold and my breakfast, he was deviled in order to set a bird at liberty ! "
;
Those famous Hindu demons, the Rakshas, are the origi nals of all the ogres and giants of our nursery tales. Now the Rakshas were very terrible creatures indeed, and in the minds of many people in India are so still, for they are believed in even now. Their natural form, so the stories say, is that of huge, unshapely giants, like clouds, with hair and beard of the color of the red lightning ; but they can take any form they please, to deceive those whom they wish to devour — for their great delight, like that of the ogres, is to kill all they meet, and to eat the flesh of those whom they kill. Often they appear as hunters, of monstrous size, with tusks instead of teeth, and with horns on their heads, and all kinds of grotesque and frightful weapons and ornaments. They are very strong, and make themselves stronger by various arts of magic ; and they are strongest of all at nightfall, when they are supposed to roam about the jungles, to enter the tombs, and even to make their way into the cities, and carry off their victims.
But the Rakshas are not alone like ogres in their cruelty, but also in their fondness for money, and for precious stones, which they get together in great quantities and conceal in their palaces;
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. By J. T. BUNCE.
250 OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY.
for some of them are kings of their species, and have thousands upon thousands of inferior Rakshas under their command. But while they are so numerous and so powerful, the Rakshas, like all the ogres and giants in Fairyland, are also very stupid, and are easily outwitted by clever people. There are many Hindu stories which are told to show this. I will tell you one of them.
Two little Princesses were badly treated at home, and so they ran away into a great forest, where they found a palace belonging to a Rakshas, who had gone out. So they went into the house and feasted, and swept the rooms, and made every thing neat and tidy. Just as they had done this, the Rakshas and his wife came home, and the two Princesses ran up to the top of the house, and hid themselves on the flat roof. When the Rakshas got indoors he said to his wife : " Somebody has been making everything clean and tidy. Wife, did you do this? " "No," she said; "I don't know who can have done it. " "Some one has been sweeping the courtyard," said the Rakshas ; " wife, did you sweep the courtyard ? " " No," she
I did not do it. " Then the Rakshas walked round
answered ; "
and round several times, with his nose up in the air, saying :
I smell flesh and blood. Where can They went on disputing, till at last the Rakshas gave it up.
" Some one is here now ;
they be ? " " Stuff and nonsense ! " cried the Rakshas' wife. " You smell flesh and blood, indeed ! Why, you have just been killing and eating a hundred thousand people. I should won der if you didn't still smell flesh and blood ! "
" Never mind," he said ; "
I don't know how it is
I am very
—
thirsty : let's come and drink some water. " So they went to
the well, and began letting down jars into it, and drawing them up, and drinking the water. Then the elder of the two Prin cesses, who was very bold and wise, said to her sister, " I will do something that will be very good for us both. " So she ran quickly downstairs, and crept close behind the Rakshas and his wife, as they stood on tiptoe more than half over the side of the well, and catching hold of one of the Rakshas' heels, and one of his wife's, she gave each a little push, and down they both tumbled into the well, and were drowned — the Rakshas and the Rakshas' wife. The Princess then went back to her sister, and said, " I have killed the Rakshas ! " " What, both ? " cried her sister. " Yes, both," she said. " Won't they come back ? " said her sister. " No, never," answered she.
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. 251
Another story will show you how stupid a Rakshas and how easily he can be outwitted.
Once upon time Blind Man and Deaf Man made an agreement. The Blind Man was to hear for the Deaf Man and the Deaf Man was to see for the Blind Man and so they were to go about on their travels together. One day they went to nautch — that is, a singing and dancing exhibition. The Deaf Man said, " The dancing very good but the music
not worth listening to. " "I do not agree with you," the Blind Man said " think the music very good but the dancing not worth looking at. " So they went away for walk in the jungle. On the way they found donkey, belong ing to dhobee, or washerman, and big chattee, or iron pot, which the washerman used to boil clothes in. " Brother," said the Deaf Man, " here donkey and chattee let us take them with us, they may be useful. " So they took them, and went on. Presently they came to an ants' nest. " Here," said the Deaf Man, " are number of very fine black ants let us take some of them to show our friends. " " Yes," said the Blind Man, "they will do as presents to our friends. " So the Deaf Man took out silver box from his pocket, and put several of the black ants into it. After time terrible storm came on. " Oh dear " cried the Deaf Man, " how dreadful this lightning let us get to some place of shelter. " "I don't see that it's dreadful at all," said the Blind Man, "but the thunder terrible let us get under shelter. "
So they went up to building that looked like temple, and went in, and took the donkey and the big pot and the black ants with them. But was not temple, was the house of
powerful Rakshas, and the Rakshas came home as soon as they had got inside and had fastened the door. Finding that he couldn't get in, he began to make great noise, louder than the thunder, and he beat upon the door with his great fists. Now the Deaf Man looked through chink, and saw him, and was very frightened, for the Rakshas was dreadful to look at. But the Blind Man, as he couldn't see, was very brave and he went to the door and called out, " Who are you and what do you mean by coming here and battering at the door in this way, and at this time of night " " I'm Rakshas," he answered, in a rage " and this my house, and you don't let me in will kill you. " Then the Blind Man called out in reply " Oh
you're
Rakshas, are you Well, you're Rakshas, I'm
?
a
is a
if
;
if
a
is
a a is a
a a
a
a
is
a is a is
is
a
a
;
is a I
a
a ? a
it
it
aa
!
! ;
; ? ;
:;; ;
;
a
! Ia;
is,
252 OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY.
Bakshas, and Bakshas is as good as Rakshas. " "What non sense is this ? " cried the monster ; " there is no such creature as a Bakshas. " "Go away," replied the Blind Man; "if you make any further disturbance I'll punish you ; for know that I am Bakshas, and Bakshas is Rakshas' father. " "Heavens and earth ! " cried the Rakshas, " I never heard such an ex traordinary thing in my life. But if you are my father, let me see your face," —for he began to get puzzled and frightened, as the person inside was so very positive.
Now the Blind Man and the Deaf Man didn't quite know what to do ; but at last they opened the door just a little, and poked the donkey's nose out. " Bless me," thought the Rakshas, " what a terribly ugly face my father Bakshas has got. " Then he called out again : " Oh ! father Bakshas, you have a very big fierce face, but people have sometimes very big heads and very little bodies ; let me see you, body and head, before I go away. " Then the Blind Man and the Deaf Man rolled the great iron pot across the floor with a thundering noise ; and the Rakshas, who watched the chink of the door very carefully, said to himself, " He has got a great body as well, so I had better go away. " But he was still doubtful ; so he said, " Be fore I go away let me hear you scream," for all the tribe of the Rakshas scream dreadfully. Then the Blind Man and the Deaf Man took two of the black ants out of the box, and put one into each of the donkey's ears, and the ants bit the donkey, and the donkey began to bray and to bellow as loud as he could ; and then the Rakshas ran away quite frightened.
In the morning the Blind Man and the Deaf Man found that the floor of the house was covered with heaps of gold, and silver, and precious stones ; and they made four great bundles of the treasure, and took one each, and put the other two on the donkey, and off they went. But the Rakshas was waiting some distance off to see what his father Bakshas was like by daylight ; and he was very angry when he saw only a Deaf Man, and a Blind Man, and a big iron pot, and a donkey, all loaded with his gold and silver. So he ran off and fetched six of his friends to help him, and each of the six had hair a yard long, and tusks like an elephant. When the Blind Man and the Deaf Man saw them coming they went and hid the treasure in the bushes, and then they got up into a lofty betel palm and waited — the Deaf Man, because he could see, getting up first, to be furthest out of harm's way. Now the seven Rakshas
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. 253
were not able to reach them, and so they said, " Let us get on each other's shoulders and pull them down. " So one Rakshas stooped down, and the second got on his shoulders, and the third on his, and the fourth on his, and the fifth on his, and the sixth on his, and the seventh — the one who had invited the others — was just climbing up, when the Deaf Man got frightened and caught hold of the Blind Man's arm, and as he was sitting quite at ease, not knowing that they were so close, the Blind Man was upset, and tumbled down on the neck of the seventh Rakshas. The Blind Man thought he had fallen into the branches of another tree, and stretching out his hands for something to take hold of, he seized the Rakshas' two great ears and pinched them very hard. This frightened the Rak shas, who lost his balance and fell down to the ground, up setting the other six of his friends, the Blind Man all the while pinching harder than ever, and the Deaf Man crying out from the top of the tree — " You're "all right, brother, hold on tight, I'm coming down to help you — though he really didn't
mean to do anything of the kind.
Well, the noise, and the pinching, and all the confusion, so
frightened the six Rakshas that they thought they had had enough of helping their friend, and so they ran away ; and the seventh Rakshas, thinking that because they ran there must be great danger, shook off the Blind Man and ran away too. And then the Deaf Man came down from the tree and embraced the Blind Man, and said, " I could not have done better myself.
"Oh, dear me! — my head is beginning to whirl again!
" Yes, you shall ! " returned the tiger, in a rage at the
jackal's stupidity : " I'll make you understand ! I am the tiger "
" "
no, I wasn't
dear ! dear !
Please don't be angry, my lord, but what is the usual way ? " At this the tiger lost patience, and, jumping into the cage,
cried, " This way ! Now do you understand how it was ? "
" Perfectly ! " grinned the jackal, as he dexterously shut the door ; " and if you will permit me to say so, I think
matters will remain as they were ! "
The Barber's Clever Wife.
Once upon a time there lived a barber, who was such a poor silly creature that he couldn't even ply his trade decently, but snipped off his customers' ears instead of their hair, and cut their throats instead of shaving them. So of course he grew poorer every day, till at last he found himself with nothing left in his house but his wife and his razor, both of whom were as sharp as sharp could be.
For his wife was an exceedingly clever person, who was continually rating her husband for his stupidity; and when she saw they hadn't a farthing left, she fell as usual to scolding.
238 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
But the barber took it very"calmly. " What is the use of making such a fuss, my dear ? said he ; " you've told me all
this before, and I quite agree with you. I never diI
never could work, and I never will work. That is the fact ! "
" Then you must beg ! " returned his wife, " for
starve to please you ! Go to the palace and beg something of the King. There is a wedding feast going on, and he is sure to give alms to the poor. " "
" Very well, my dear ! said the barber, submissively. He was rather afraid of his clever wife, so he did as he was bid, and going to the palace, begged of the King to give him something. "
asked the King ; " what thing? "
Now the barber's wife had not mentioned anything in par ticular, and the barber was far too addle-pated to think of any
" Something?
thing by himself, so he answered cautiously, " Oh, something ! " " "Will a piece of land do ? " said the King.
Whereupon the lazy barber, glad to be helped out of the
d work, I
will not
difficulty, remarked that perhaps a piece of land would do as well as anything else.
Then the King ordered a piece of waste outside the city should be given to the barber, who went home quite satisfied.
"Well! what did you get? " asked the clever wife, who was waiting impatiently for his return. " Give it me quick, that Imay go and buy bread ! "
And you may imagine how she scolded when she found he had only got a piece of waste land.
" But land is land ! " remonstrated the barber ; " it can't run away, so we must always have something now ! "
"Was there ever such a dunderhead? " raged the clever wife. " What good is ground unless we can till it ? and where are we to get bullocks and plows ? "
But being, as we have said, an exceedingly clever person, she set her wits to work, and soon thought of a plan whereby to make the best of a bad bargain.
She took her husband with her, and set off to the piece of waste land ; then, bidding her husband imitate her, she began walking about the field, and peering anxiously into the ground. But when anybody came that way, she would sit down and pretend to be doing nothing at all.
Now it so happened that seven thieves were hiding in a thicket hard by, and they watched the barber and his wife
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 239
all day, until they became convinced something mysterious was going on. So at sunset they sent one of their number to try and"find out what it was.
Well, the fact is," said the barber's wife, after beating about the bush for some time, and with many injunctions to strict secrecy, "this field belonged to my grandfather, who buried five pots full of gold in it, and we were just trying to discover the exact spot " before beginning to dig. You won't tell any one, will you ?
The thief promised he wouldn't, of course, but the moment the barber and his wife went home, he called his companions, and telling them of the hidden treasure, set them to work. All night long they dug and delved, till the field looked as if it had been plowed seven times over, and they were as tired as tired could be ; but never a gold piece, nor a silver piece, nor a farthing did they find, so when dawn came they went away disgusted.
The barber's wife, when she found the field so beautifully plowed, laughed heartily at the success of her stratagem, and going to the corn dealer's shop, borrowed some rice to sow in the field. This the corn dealer willingly gave her, for he reckoned he would get it back threefold at harvest time. And so he did, for never was there such a crop ! — the barber's wife paid her debts, kept enough for the house, and sold the rest for a great crock of gold pieces.
Now, when the thieves saw this, they were very angry indeed, and going to the barber's house, said, " Give us our share of the harvest, for we tilled the ground, as you very well know. "
"I told you there was gold in the ground," laughed the barber's wife, " but you didn't find it. I have, and there's a crock full of it in the house, only you rascals shall never have a farthing of it ! "
" Very well ! " said the thieves ; " look out for yourself to night. If you won't give us our share, we'll take it ! "
So that night one of the thieves hid himself in the house, intending to open the door to his comrades when the house folk were asleep ; but the barber's wife saw him with the corner of her eye, and determined to lead him a dance. Therefore, when her husband, who was in a dreadful state of alarm, " asked her what she had done with the gold pieces, she replied, Put them where no one will find them — under the sweetmeats, in the crock that stands in the niche by the door. "
240 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
The thief chuckled at hearing this, and after waiting till all was quiet, he crept out, and feeling about for the crock, made off with it, whispering to his comrades that he had got the prize. Fearing pursuit, they fled to a thicket, where they sat down to divide the spoil.
"She said there were sweetmeats on the top," said the
thief ; "
I will divide them first, and then we can eat them, for it is hungry work, this waiting and watching. "
So he divided what he thought were the sweetmeats as well as he could in the dark. Now in reality the crock was full of all sorts of horrible things that the barber's wife had put there on purpose, and so when the thieves crammed its contents into their mouths, you may imagine what faces they made and how they vowed revenge.
But when they returned next day to threaten and repeat their claim to a share of the crop, the barber's wife only laughed at them. "
" Have a care ! they cried ; " twice you have fooled us — once by making us dig all night, and next by feeding us"on filth and breaking our caste. It will be our turn to-night !
Then another thief hid himself in the house, but the barber's wife saw him with half an eye, and when her husband asked,
" What have you done with the gold, my dear ?
haven't put it under the pillow ? " she answered, " Don't be alarmed; it is out of the house. I have hung it in the branches of the nim tree outside. No one will think of looking for it there ! "
The hidden thief chuckled, and when the house folk were asleep he slipped out and told his companions.
" Sure enough, there it is ! " cried the captain of the band, peering up into the branches. " One of you go up and fetch it down. " Now what he saw was really a hornets' nest, full of great big brown and yellow hornets.
So one of the thieves climbed up the tree ; but when he came close to the nest, and was just reaching up to take hold of it, a hornet flew out and stung him on the thigh. He imme diately clapped his hand to the spot.
" Oh, you thief ! " cried out the rest from below, " you're pocketing the gold pieces, are you ? Oh ! shabby ! shabby ! " — For you see it was very dark, and when the poor man clapped his hand to the place where he had been stung, they thought he was putting his hand in his pocket.
I hope you
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 241
" I assure you I'm not doing anything of the kind ! " re torted" the thief; "but there is something that bites in this tree !
Just at that moment another hornet stung him on the
breast, and he clapped his hand there. " " Fie ! fie, for shame ! We saw you do it that time !
cried the rest. "Just you stop that at once, or we will make
you ! "
So they sent up another thief, but he fared no better, for
by this time the hornets were thoroughly roused, and they stung the poor man all over, so that he kept clapping his hands
here, there, and everywhere. " " Shame ! Shabby ! Ssh-sh !
bawled the rest ; and then one after another they climbed into the tree, determined to share the booty, and one after another began clapping their
hands about their bodies, till it came to the captain's turn. Then he, intent on having the prize, seized hold of the hornets' nest, and as the branch on which they were all standing broke at the selfsame moment, they all came tumbling down with the hornets' nest on top of them. And then, in spite of bumps and bruises, you can imagine what a stampede there was !
After this the barber's wife had some peace, for every one of the seven thieves was in hospital. In fact, they were laid up for so long a time that she began to think that they were never coming back again, and ceased to be on the lookout. But she was wrong, for one night, when she had left the window open, she was awakened by whisperings outside, and at once recognized the thieves' voices. She gave herself up for lost ; but, determined not to yield without a struggle, she seized her husband's razor, crept to the side of the window, and stood quite still. By and by the first thief began to creep through cautiously. She just waited till the tip of his nose was visible, and then, flash ! — she sliced it off with the razor as clean as a whistle.
" Confound it ! " yelled the thief, drawing back mighty quick ; " I've cut my nose on something ! "
" Hush-sh-sh-sh ! " whispered the others, "you'll wake some one. Go on ! "
"Not I " " " ! said the thief ; I'm bleeding like a pig !
" Pooh ! — knocked your nose against the shutter, I sup pose," returned the second thief. " I'll go ! "
But, swish ! — off went the tip of his nose too.
242 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
" Dear me ! " said he, ruefully, " there certainly is something sharp inside ! "
" A bit of bamboo in the lattice, most likely," remarked the third thief. " I'll go ! "
And, flick ! — off went his nose too.
" It is most extraordinary ! " he exclaimed, hurriedly retir
ing; "
off! " "
I feel exactly as if some one had cut the tip of my nose
said "the fourth thief. all are ! Let me go !
"
What cowards you
Rubbish !
But he fared no better, nor the fifth thief, nor the sixth.
" My friends ! " said the captain, when it came to his turn, " you are all disabled. One man must remain unhurt to pro tect the wounded. Let us return another night. " — He was a cautious man, you see, and valued his nose.
So they crept away sulkily, and the barber's wife lit a lamp, and gathering up all the nose tips, put them away safely in a little box.
Now before the robbers' noses were healed over, the hot weather set in, and the barber and his wife, finding it warm sleeping in the house, put their beds outside ; for they made sure the thieves would not return. But they did, and seizing such a good opportunity for revenge, they lifted up the wife's bed, and carried her off fast asleep. She woke to find herself borne along on the heads of four of the thieves, whilst the other three ran beside her. She gave herself up for lost, and though she thought, and thought, and thought, she could find no way of escape ; till, as luck would have it, the robbers paused to take breath under a banyan tree. Quick as light ning, she seized hold of a branch that was within reach, and swung herself into the tree, leaving her quilt on the bed just as if she were still in it.
" Let us rest a bit here," said the thieves who were carry ing the bed ; " there "is plenty of time, and we are tired. She is dreadfully heavy !
The barber's wife could hardly help laughing, but she had to keep very still, for it was a bright moonlight night ; and the robbers, after setting down their burden, began to squabble as to who should take first watch. At last they determined that it should be the captain, for the others had really barely re covered from the shock of having their noses sliced off; so they lay down to sleep, while the captain walked up and down,
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 243
watching the bed , and the barber's wife sat perched up in the tree like a great bird.
Suddenly an idea came into her head, and drawing her white veil becomingly over her face, she began to sing softly. The robber captain looked up, and saw the veiled figure of a woman in the tree. Of course he was a little surprised, but being a good-looking young fellow, and rather vain of his ap pearance, he jumped at once to the conclusion that it was a fairy who had fallen in love with his handsome face. For fairies do such things sometimes, especially on moonlight nights. So he twirled his mustaches, and strutted about, waiting for her to speak. But when she went on singing, and took no notice of him, he stopped and called out: "Come down,
I won't hurt you !
But still she went on singing ; so he climbed up into the
my beauty !
"
tree, determined to attract her attention. When he came quite close, she turned away her head and sighed.
" What is the matter, my beauty ? " he asked tenderly. " Of course you are a fairy, and have fallen in love with me, but there is nothing to sigh at in that, surely ? "
"Ah — ah — ah ! " said the barber's wife, with another sigh, " I believe you're fickle ! Men with long-pointed noses always are! "
But the robber captain swore he was the most constant of men; yet still the fairy sighed and sighed, until he almost wished his nose had been shortened too.
" You are telling stories, I am sure ! " said the pretended fairy. " Just let me touch your tongue with the tip of mine, and then I shall be able to taste if there are fibs about ! "
So the robber captain put out his tongue, and snip ! — the barber's wife bit the tip off clean !
What with the fright and the pain, he tumbled off the branch, and fell bump on the ground, where he sat with his legs very wide apart, looking as if he had come from the skies.
" What is the matter ? " cried his comrades, awakened by the noise of his fall. "'
"Bul-ul-a-bul-ul-vl 1 answered he, pointing up into the tree ; for of course he could not speak plainly without the tip of his tongue.
" What—is—the —matter ? " they bawled in his ear, as if that would do any good. "
" BiU-ul-a-bul-ul-ul ! said he, still pointing upwards.
244 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
"The man is bewitched ! " cried one ; "there must be a ghost in the tree ! "
Just then the barber's wife began flapping her veil and howl ing ; whereupon, without waiting to look, the thieves in a ter rible fright set off at a run, dragging their leader with them ; and the barber's wife, coming down from the tree, put her bed on her head, and walked quietly home.
After this, the thieves came to the conclusion that it was no use trying to gain their point by force, so they went to law to claim their share. But the barber's wife pleaded her own cause so well, bringing out the nose and tongue tips as witnesses, that the King made the barber his Wazir, saying, " He will never do a foolish thing as long as his wife is alive ! "
The King who was Fried.
Once upon a time, a very long time ago indeed, there lived a King who had made a vow never to eat bread or break his fast until he had given away a hundredweight of gold in charity.
— So every day, before King Karan — for that was his name
had his breakfast, the palace servants would come out with baskets and baskets of gold pieces to scatter amongst the crowds of poor folk, who, you may be sure, never forgot to be there to receive the alms.
How they used to hustle and bustle and struggle and scramble ! Then, when the last golden piece had been fought for, King Karan would sit down to his breakfast, and enjoy it as a man who has kept his word should do.
Now, when people saw the King lavishing his gold in this fashion, they naturally thought that sooner or later the royal treasuries must give out, the gold come to an end, and the King — who was evidently a man of his word — die of starvation. But, though months and years passed by, every day, just a quarter of an hour before breakfast time, the servants came out of the palace with baskets and baskets of gold ; and as the crowds dispersed they could see the King sitting down to his
breakfast in the royal banqueting hall, as jolly and fat and hungry as could be.
Now, of course, there was some secret in all this, and this secret I shall now tell you. King Karan had made a compact with a holy and very hungry old faqir, who lived at the top of the hill ; and the compact was this : On condition of King Karan
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 245
allowing himself to be fried and eaten for breakfast every day, the faqir gave him a hundredweight of pure gold.
Of course, had the faqir been an ordinary sort of person, the compact would not have lasted long, for once King Karan had been fried and eaten, there would have been an end of the mat ter. But the faqir was a very remarkable faqir indeed ; and when he had eaten the King, and picked the bones quite clean, he just put them together, said a charm or two, and, hey presto ! there was King Karan as fat and jolly as ever, ready for the next morning's breakfast. In fact, the faqir made no bones at all over the affair, which, it must be confessed, was very con venient both for the breakfast and the breakfast eater. Never theless, it was, of course, not pleasant to be popped alive every morning into a great frying pan of boiling oil ; and for my part, I think King Karan earned his hundredweight of gold handsomely. But after a time he got accustomed to the pro cess, and would go up quite cheerfully to the holy and hungry one's house, where the biggest frying pan was spitting and sputtering over the sacred fire. Then he would just pass the time of day to the faqir, to make sure he was punctual, and step gracefully into his hot oil bath. My goodness! how he sizzled and fizzled ! When he was crisp and brown, the faqir ate him, picked the bones, set them together, sang a charm, and finished the business by bringing out his dirty old ragged coat, which he shook and shook, while the bright golden pieces came tumbling out of the pockets on to the floor.
So that was the way King Karan got his gold, and if you
think it very extraordinary, so do I
!
Now, in the great Mansarobar Lake, where, as of course you
know, all the wild swans live when they leave us, and feed upon seed pearls, there was a great famine. Pearls were so scarce that one pair of swans determined to go out into the world and seek for food. So they flew into King Bikramajit's garden, at Ujjayin. Now, when the gardener saw the beautiful birds, he was delighted, and, hoping to induce them to stay, he threw them grain to eat. But they would not touch nor any other food he offered them so he went to his master, and told him there were pair of swans in the garden who refused to eat anything.
Then King Bikramajit went out, and asked them in birds' language (for, as every one knows, Bikramajit understood both beasts and birds) why was that they ate nothing.
it
;
a
it,
246 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
" We don't eat grain ! " said they, " nor fruit, nor anything but fresh, unpierced pearls ! "
Whereupon King Bikramajit, being very kind-hearted, sent for a basket of pearls ; and every day, when he came into the garden, he fed the swans with his own hand.
But one day, when he was feeding them as usual, one of the pearls happened to be pierced. The dainty swans found it out at once, and coming to the conclusion that King Bikramajit's supply of pearls was running short, they made up their minds to go farther afield. So, despite his entreaties, they spread their broad white wings, and flew up into the blue sky, their outstretched necks pointing straight towards home on the great Mansarobar Lake. Yet they were not ungrateful, for as they flew they sang the praises of Bikramajit.
Now, King Karan was watching his servants bring out the baskets of gold, when the wild swans came flying over his head ; and when he heard them singing, " Glory to Bikramajit ! glory to Bikramajit ! " he said to himself : " Who is this whom even the birds praise ? I let myself be fried and eaten every day, in order that I may be able to give away a"hundredweight of gold in charity, yet no swan sings my song !
So, being jealous, he sent for a bird catcher, who snared the poor swans with lime, and put them in a cage.
Then Karan hung the cage in the palace, and ordered his servants to bring every kind of birds' food; but the" proud swans only curved their white necks in scorn, saying, Glory to Bikramajit ! — he gave us pearls to eat ! "
Then King Karan, determined not to be outdone, sent for pearls ; but still the scornful swans would not touch any thing.
"Why will ye not eat? " quoth King Karan, wrathfully; "am I not as generous as Bikramajit? "
Then the swan's wife answered, and said, " Kings do not imprison the innocent. Kings do not war against women. If Bikramajit were here, he would at any rate let me go ! "
So Karan, not to be outdone in generosity, let the swan's wife go, and she spread her broad white wings and flew south wards to Bikramajit, and told him how her husband lay a prisoner at the court of King Karan.
Of course Bikramajit, who was, as every one knows, the most generous of kings, determined to release the poor captive ; and bidding the swan fly back and rejoin her mate, he put on
HINDOO APOLOGUES. 247
the garb of a servant, and taking the name of Bikru, journeyed northwards till he came to King Karan's kingdom. Then he took service with the King, and helped every day to carry out the baskets of golden pieces. He soon saw there was some secret in King Karan's endless wealth, and never rested until he had found it out. So, one day, hidden close by, he saw King Karan enter the faqir's house and pop into the boiling oil. He saw him frizzle and sizzle, he saw him come out crisp and brown, he saw the hungry and holy faqir pick the bones, and, finally, he saw King Karan, fat and jolly as ever, go down the mountain side with his hundredweight of gold !
Then Bikru knew what to do ! So the very next day he rose very early, and taking a carving knife, he slashed himself all over. Next he took some pepper and salt, spices, pounded pomegranate seeds, and pea flour ; these he mixed together into a beautiful curry stuff, and rubbed himself all over with it — right into the cuts in spite of the smarting. When he thought he was quite ready for cooking, he just went up the hill to the faqir's house, and popped into the frying pan. The faqir was still asleep, but he soon awoke with the sizzling and the fizzling, and said to himself, " Dear me ! how uncommonly nice the King smells this morning ! "
Indeed, so appetizing was the smell, that he could hardly wait until the King was crisp and brown, but then — oh, my goodness ! how he gobbled him up !
You see, he had been eating plain fried so long that a deviled king was quite a change. He picked the bones ever so clean, and it is my belief would have eaten them too, if he had not been afraid of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Then, when it was all over, he put the King together again, and said, with tears in his eyes, " What a breakfast that was, to be sure ! Tell me how you managed to taste so nice, and I'll give you anything you ask. "
Whereupon Bikru told him the way it was done, and prom ised to devil himself every morning, if he might have the old coat in return. " For," said he, " it is not pleasant to be fried ! and I don't see why I should in addition have the trouble of carIrying a hundredweight of gold to the palace every day. Now,
if coat.
keep the coat, I can shake it down there. "
To this the faqir agreed, and off went Bikru with the
248 HINDOO APOLOGUES.
Meanwhile King Karan came toiling up the hill, and was surprised, when he entered the faqirs house, to find the fire out, the frying pan put away, and the faqir himself as holy as ever, but not in the least hungry.
" Why, what is the matter ? " faltered the King.
" Who are you ? " asked the faqir, who, to begin with, was somewhat short-sighted, and in addition felt drowsy after his heavy meal.
" Who ! Why, I'm King Karan, come to be fried ! Don't you want your breakfast ? "
" I've had my breakfast ! " sighed the faqir, regretfully. "You " tasted very nice when you were deviled, I can assure
you ! I never was deviled in life ! " shouted the King ; " my "
must have eaten somebody else ! " " That's just what I was saying to myself !
"you
———
I thought it couldn't be only the spices
returned the
faqir, sleepily ; "
— that " Snore, snore, snore !
" Look here ! " cried King Karan, in a rage, shaking the faqir, " you must eat me too ! "
" Couldn't ! " nodded the holy but satisfied faqir, " really — not another morsel — no, thanks ! "
" Then give me my gold ! " shrieked King Karan ; " you're bound to"do that, for I'm ready to fulfil my part of the contract !
" Sorry I can't oblige, but the devil — I mean the other person — went off with the coat ! " nodded the faqir.
Hearing this, King Karan returned home in despair and ordered the royal treasurer to send him gold ; so that day he ate his breakfast in peace.
And the next day also, by ransacking all the private treasuries, a hundredweight of gold was forthcoming ; so King Karan ate his breakfast as usual, though his heart was gloomy.
But the third day, the royal treasurer arrived with empty hands, and, casting himself on the ground, exclaimed, " May it please your majesty ! there is not any more gold in your majesty's domains ! "
Then King Karan went solemnly to bed, without any break fast, and the crowd, after waiting for hours expecting to see the palace doors open and the servants come out with the baskets of gold, melted away, saying it was a great shame to deceive poor folk in that way !
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. 249
By dinner time poor King Karan was visibly thinner ; but he was a man of his word, and though the wily Bikru came and tried to persuade him to eat, by saying he could not possibly be blamed, he shook his head, and turned his face to the wall.
Then Bikru, or Bikramajft, took the faqir'g old coat, and, shaking it before the King, said, " Take the money, my friend ; and what is more, if you will set the wild swans you have in that cage at liberty, I will give you the coat into the bargain ! "
So King Karan set the wild swans at liberty; and as the pair of them flew away to the great Mansarobar Lake, they sang as they went, " Glory to Bikramajit ! the generous
Bikramajft ! "
Then King Karan hung his head, and said to himself, " The
swans' song is true ! — Bikram&jft is more generous than I for if I was fried for the sake of a hundredweight of gold and my breakfast, he was deviled in order to set a bird at liberty ! "
;
Those famous Hindu demons, the Rakshas, are the origi nals of all the ogres and giants of our nursery tales. Now the Rakshas were very terrible creatures indeed, and in the minds of many people in India are so still, for they are believed in even now. Their natural form, so the stories say, is that of huge, unshapely giants, like clouds, with hair and beard of the color of the red lightning ; but they can take any form they please, to deceive those whom they wish to devour — for their great delight, like that of the ogres, is to kill all they meet, and to eat the flesh of those whom they kill. Often they appear as hunters, of monstrous size, with tusks instead of teeth, and with horns on their heads, and all kinds of grotesque and frightful weapons and ornaments. They are very strong, and make themselves stronger by various arts of magic ; and they are strongest of all at nightfall, when they are supposed to roam about the jungles, to enter the tombs, and even to make their way into the cities, and carry off their victims.
But the Rakshas are not alone like ogres in their cruelty, but also in their fondness for money, and for precious stones, which they get together in great quantities and conceal in their palaces;
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. By J. T. BUNCE.
250 OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY.
for some of them are kings of their species, and have thousands upon thousands of inferior Rakshas under their command. But while they are so numerous and so powerful, the Rakshas, like all the ogres and giants in Fairyland, are also very stupid, and are easily outwitted by clever people. There are many Hindu stories which are told to show this. I will tell you one of them.
Two little Princesses were badly treated at home, and so they ran away into a great forest, where they found a palace belonging to a Rakshas, who had gone out. So they went into the house and feasted, and swept the rooms, and made every thing neat and tidy. Just as they had done this, the Rakshas and his wife came home, and the two Princesses ran up to the top of the house, and hid themselves on the flat roof. When the Rakshas got indoors he said to his wife : " Somebody has been making everything clean and tidy. Wife, did you do this? " "No," she said; "I don't know who can have done it. " "Some one has been sweeping the courtyard," said the Rakshas ; " wife, did you sweep the courtyard ? " " No," she
I did not do it. " Then the Rakshas walked round
answered ; "
and round several times, with his nose up in the air, saying :
I smell flesh and blood. Where can They went on disputing, till at last the Rakshas gave it up.
" Some one is here now ;
they be ? " " Stuff and nonsense ! " cried the Rakshas' wife. " You smell flesh and blood, indeed ! Why, you have just been killing and eating a hundred thousand people. I should won der if you didn't still smell flesh and blood ! "
" Never mind," he said ; "
I don't know how it is
I am very
—
thirsty : let's come and drink some water. " So they went to
the well, and began letting down jars into it, and drawing them up, and drinking the water. Then the elder of the two Prin cesses, who was very bold and wise, said to her sister, " I will do something that will be very good for us both. " So she ran quickly downstairs, and crept close behind the Rakshas and his wife, as they stood on tiptoe more than half over the side of the well, and catching hold of one of the Rakshas' heels, and one of his wife's, she gave each a little push, and down they both tumbled into the well, and were drowned — the Rakshas and the Rakshas' wife. The Princess then went back to her sister, and said, " I have killed the Rakshas ! " " What, both ? " cried her sister. " Yes, both," she said. " Won't they come back ? " said her sister. " No, never," answered she.
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. 251
Another story will show you how stupid a Rakshas and how easily he can be outwitted.
Once upon time Blind Man and Deaf Man made an agreement. The Blind Man was to hear for the Deaf Man and the Deaf Man was to see for the Blind Man and so they were to go about on their travels together. One day they went to nautch — that is, a singing and dancing exhibition. The Deaf Man said, " The dancing very good but the music
not worth listening to. " "I do not agree with you," the Blind Man said " think the music very good but the dancing not worth looking at. " So they went away for walk in the jungle. On the way they found donkey, belong ing to dhobee, or washerman, and big chattee, or iron pot, which the washerman used to boil clothes in. " Brother," said the Deaf Man, " here donkey and chattee let us take them with us, they may be useful. " So they took them, and went on. Presently they came to an ants' nest. " Here," said the Deaf Man, " are number of very fine black ants let us take some of them to show our friends. " " Yes," said the Blind Man, "they will do as presents to our friends. " So the Deaf Man took out silver box from his pocket, and put several of the black ants into it. After time terrible storm came on. " Oh dear " cried the Deaf Man, " how dreadful this lightning let us get to some place of shelter. " "I don't see that it's dreadful at all," said the Blind Man, "but the thunder terrible let us get under shelter. "
So they went up to building that looked like temple, and went in, and took the donkey and the big pot and the black ants with them. But was not temple, was the house of
powerful Rakshas, and the Rakshas came home as soon as they had got inside and had fastened the door. Finding that he couldn't get in, he began to make great noise, louder than the thunder, and he beat upon the door with his great fists. Now the Deaf Man looked through chink, and saw him, and was very frightened, for the Rakshas was dreadful to look at. But the Blind Man, as he couldn't see, was very brave and he went to the door and called out, " Who are you and what do you mean by coming here and battering at the door in this way, and at this time of night " " I'm Rakshas," he answered, in a rage " and this my house, and you don't let me in will kill you. " Then the Blind Man called out in reply " Oh
you're
Rakshas, are you Well, you're Rakshas, I'm
?
a
is a
if
;
if
a
is
a a is a
a a
a
a
is
a is a is
is
a
a
;
is a I
a
a ? a
it
it
aa
!
! ;
; ? ;
:;; ;
;
a
! Ia;
is,
252 OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY.
Bakshas, and Bakshas is as good as Rakshas. " "What non sense is this ? " cried the monster ; " there is no such creature as a Bakshas. " "Go away," replied the Blind Man; "if you make any further disturbance I'll punish you ; for know that I am Bakshas, and Bakshas is Rakshas' father. " "Heavens and earth ! " cried the Rakshas, " I never heard such an ex traordinary thing in my life. But if you are my father, let me see your face," —for he began to get puzzled and frightened, as the person inside was so very positive.
Now the Blind Man and the Deaf Man didn't quite know what to do ; but at last they opened the door just a little, and poked the donkey's nose out. " Bless me," thought the Rakshas, " what a terribly ugly face my father Bakshas has got. " Then he called out again : " Oh ! father Bakshas, you have a very big fierce face, but people have sometimes very big heads and very little bodies ; let me see you, body and head, before I go away. " Then the Blind Man and the Deaf Man rolled the great iron pot across the floor with a thundering noise ; and the Rakshas, who watched the chink of the door very carefully, said to himself, " He has got a great body as well, so I had better go away. " But he was still doubtful ; so he said, " Be fore I go away let me hear you scream," for all the tribe of the Rakshas scream dreadfully. Then the Blind Man and the Deaf Man took two of the black ants out of the box, and put one into each of the donkey's ears, and the ants bit the donkey, and the donkey began to bray and to bellow as loud as he could ; and then the Rakshas ran away quite frightened.
In the morning the Blind Man and the Deaf Man found that the floor of the house was covered with heaps of gold, and silver, and precious stones ; and they made four great bundles of the treasure, and took one each, and put the other two on the donkey, and off they went. But the Rakshas was waiting some distance off to see what his father Bakshas was like by daylight ; and he was very angry when he saw only a Deaf Man, and a Blind Man, and a big iron pot, and a donkey, all loaded with his gold and silver. So he ran off and fetched six of his friends to help him, and each of the six had hair a yard long, and tusks like an elephant. When the Blind Man and the Deaf Man saw them coming they went and hid the treasure in the bushes, and then they got up into a lofty betel palm and waited — the Deaf Man, because he could see, getting up first, to be furthest out of harm's way. Now the seven Rakshas
OGRES OF HINDOO DEMONOLOGY. 253
were not able to reach them, and so they said, " Let us get on each other's shoulders and pull them down. " So one Rakshas stooped down, and the second got on his shoulders, and the third on his, and the fourth on his, and the fifth on his, and the sixth on his, and the seventh — the one who had invited the others — was just climbing up, when the Deaf Man got frightened and caught hold of the Blind Man's arm, and as he was sitting quite at ease, not knowing that they were so close, the Blind Man was upset, and tumbled down on the neck of the seventh Rakshas. The Blind Man thought he had fallen into the branches of another tree, and stretching out his hands for something to take hold of, he seized the Rakshas' two great ears and pinched them very hard. This frightened the Rak shas, who lost his balance and fell down to the ground, up setting the other six of his friends, the Blind Man all the while pinching harder than ever, and the Deaf Man crying out from the top of the tree — " You're "all right, brother, hold on tight, I'm coming down to help you — though he really didn't
mean to do anything of the kind.
Well, the noise, and the pinching, and all the confusion, so
frightened the six Rakshas that they thought they had had enough of helping their friend, and so they ran away ; and the seventh Rakshas, thinking that because they ran there must be great danger, shook off the Blind Man and ran away too. And then the Deaf Man came down from the tree and embraced the Blind Man, and said, " I could not have done better myself.
