Indian Antiquary Vol 26

SR No.: 032518
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 360
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

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[DECEMBER, 1897.
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
Enished, the prince conceived the idea of leaving Bharô alone in the ship. He, therefore, told Bharo that she would have to stay in the ship alone for a few days, as he was going on land on some business, and taking the captain and all the crew the prince landed and was soon out of sight. He had, however, taken the precaution of tying to an end of Bharo's sari one coina tindambri,13 without her knowledge.
Taking a land route, the prince went back with all the other men to his own country. A few hours after the prince's departure, Bhard felt hungry. So she went to where the provisions were stored, but what was her disappointment to find that there was nothing left! That day and night she went without food. The following day she was thinking over what to do to appease her hunger, when she felt something tied to her sár. She unfastened the knot and found a tindambre; but what was she to do with the tindambri? As she was thus thinking, she caught sight of an old fisherman, who had come to fish. She called out to him, addressing him as kúka. The old fisherman was quite surprised to hear himself addressed thus there, and more surprised was he to find that it was a young woman, apparently alone, who called him out. He came to the ship, and Bharô threw the tindambri to the old man, and begged of him to fetch her chaná kúrmúr 15 The old man had not the heart to refuse her. So he went and brought tindambri worth of chaná kúrmúri, which he brought and handed over to Bharô, after which he went about his business. As soon as the old man was gone, Bhard took the chaná kúrmúri and was going to eat them eagerly, when, misfortune of misfortunes, all the chaná kúrmûri fell out of her hands into the water. She was about to burst out crying, when her eyes fell upon hundreds of magalmáshé1s coming and swallowing all the chanú kurmuri. The magalmashe, after eating up all the chana kürmüri, went up on dry ground and threw up heaps upon heaps of soniachia mori.16 This was a cause of great surprise and no less joy to our heroine. She collected all the mors, which nearly filled the ship. Another day of starvation passed, and on the following day, when the fisherman came to fish, she called to him, and giving him one môri, asked him to buy for her a number of different articles of food, and for his trouble she paid him one môri. She then told him to come there on the next day too, and the fisherman, who was not over-rich, was only too glad to come, in the hope of getting, perhaps, another mari. Bharô had now plenty of food, and she ate to her satisfaction. On the following day the old fisherman was commissioned to buy a plot of ground; on the day after that, to buy timber, stones, and other things necessary to build a very large house. Bharo next wished to supervise the building herself; so she got the old man to erect a hut near where the house was being erected. As she did not wish it to be known that she was a woman, she asked the old man to buy her a complete set of a man's clothes, and, thus disguised, she landed and went to the hut, having in the first instance ordered the removal of all the moris.
In this way passed a month or two. Bharo's husband, the prince, now remembered her, and wished to see how she was faring, or what had become of her. So he engaged another vessel and set sail early. He reached in due time, and, right enough, he saw the ship in which he had left his wife, but his wife gone, or, rather, as he thought, dead. He, therefore, wished to go back to his country, when his attention was drawn to a palatial building, fairly on its way to completion, and he wished to ascertain to whom it belonged. So he landed and went to the spot, and enquired who was building the house, and determined that, if any workman was required, he would offer his services. He was shewn the múkádam, the old fisherman, who in turn took him to Bharô, who was still in a man's disguise, which prevented the prince from recognising his wife. Bharô, however, knew who had come to her for work, but not wishing to discover herself so soon, pretended ignorance, and acted as she would towards a stranger, at the time.
15 Tindambrt three dambris or half a pice, or one-eighth of an anna..
14 Kaká means paternal uncle, but all men, about the age of one's father, are thus addressed.
15 Parched gram and rice.
16 Magalmashé are large fish, supposed to be whales. The singular is magalmasa.
16 Gold mohars are evidently meant.