Indian Antiquary Vol 11

SR No.: 032503
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 396
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1882.
“What you say is curious," answered the to wait yet a little longer for his food, he began farmer, whose courage, now that he saw it was lashing his tail and curling his whiskers in a question of gobbling bullocks and not men, a way the farmer did not like. had returned, “because the Lord sent me here Now, no sooner had the farmer left the to plough my field, and for that I must have house than his wife, going to the stable, saddled bullocks. Are you sure you are not making the pony. Then she put on the farmer's best a mistake ?"
clothes, tied the pagri very high, and set off "I fancy I know best what the Lord told man-fashion, to the field where the tiger was. me," growled the tiger, showing his teeth, "80 She rode up swaggering and bold, till she be quick and give me those bullocks."
came to the corner, when she called out in a loud But the farmer begged and prayed till at voice, last he promised that if the tiger would spare "Now, by the grace of God, may I find a the bullocks, he would go back to his house and tiger in this field, for I have not tasted tiger's fetch him a fine young milch cow instead. flesh since the day before yesterday, when, as
To this the tiger agreed: so taking his oxen luck would have it, I killed three." with him the farmer returned to his house. Hearing this the tiger became so much His wife, who was a very clever woman, seeing frightened that he turned tail and fled into the him return so early, called out
jangal ; going away full tilt till he met his “What, Lazybones, back again from the own jackal, who called out,fields, and my work but just begun."
"My lord ! my lord ! whither away so fast?" Then the farmer explained to her about his "Ran! run!" cried the tiger, " there's the meeting with the tiger, and how to save the very devil of a horseman in yonder field, who bullocks he had promised to give the milch thinks nothing of eating three tigers." cow. At this the wife began to cry, saying,
At this the jackal laughed, saying, “that "A likely story, saving your bullocks at was no horseman: that was only the farmer's the expense of my cow! Where will the wife.” children get milk, and how can I cook without "Are you sure?" asked the tiger pausing. any butter ghi?"
"Quite sure, my lord,” replied the jackal, "All very fine, wife," said the farmer, “but "did not you see her pigtail'? Come ! don't give can we make bread without any corn? And up your breakfast for a woman!" how can you have corn without bullocks to "But you may be mistaken," persisted the plough the field ? It is better to do without cowardly tiger. It was the very devil of a milk than without bread, so make haste and horseman to look at." untie the cow."
"Who's afraid !" replied the brave jackal, "You great gaby," wept the wife,"if you let's go together." had an ounce of sense in your brains, you'd | “But you may intend to betray me, and think of some plan to get out of the scrape." run away," said the still suspicious tiger.
"Think yourself," cried the husband in a "In that case, let's tie our tails together, and rage.
then I can't," replied the determined jackal, "Very well," replied the wife, "only if I who did not want to be done out of his bones. think, you must obey; so go back to the tiger, So they tied their tails together in a very and tell him the cow wouldn't come along with fast knot, and set off gaily. you, but that your wife is bringing it.”
Now the farmer and his wife were still in the The farmer accordingly went back to the field laughing over the trick she had played the tiger, and found him sharpening his teeth and tiger, when her husband caught sight of the claws for very hunger : when he heard he had pair coming back so bravely with their tails
Pagri, a turban. Wearing a lofty pagri, for swagger, is a common trick in India stil. R.O. T.
Popularly tigers are supposed to be accompanied by jackals who show them their game and get the leavings for their pains. Every tiger is said to have his parti. cular jackal. Hence the old Sanskrit phrase for jackal vyághranayaka, tiger-leader.-R. C. T .
The Kashmiri woman's hair is drawn to the back
of the head and finely braided; the braids are then gathered together, and being mixed with coarse woollen thread are worked into a very long plait terminated by a thick tassel, which reaches almost down to the ankles. It is highly suggestive of the Chinese pig tail, but it is far more graceful. Inoe, Kashmir Handbook, 1876, p. 26. -R. C. T.