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SEPTEMBE«, 1875.)
SANTALI FOLKLORE.
259
by their chief and armed with bows, advanced he addressed the soul of his departed brother to the attack, determined to be avenged upon in the following manner :-"O Guja, receive the strangers. They commenced shooting, but these offerings. I killed you indeed, but don't the brothers, hidden behind their drum, re. be angry with me for doing so. Condescend to mained unharmed. After all their arrows had accept this meat and rice.” Guja, from his been shot, Gaja opened the hole of his drum, hiding-place, replied, “Very well, lay them and the bees streamed out like a cart-rope. The down." Kansan, hearing this voice, was greatly villag yrs now prayed to be released from this astonished, but was afraid to look in the direcplague of bees, and their chief promised to give tion from which the sound proceeded. Going one of them his daughter in marriage, also a out, he inquired of the villagers as to whether it yoke of oxen and a piece of land. Guja then was possible for a dead man to speak. They calling his bees forced them again in the drum. told him that such was sometimes the case. The chief performed his promise. Kansan was | Whilst Kanran was talking to the neighbours, married to his daughter, and he cultivated the Guja escaped secretly by a back door, taking land which his father-in-law gave him.
with him the meat and rice. He had not gone One day, for some reason, Kansan was ob- fer before he encountered some men who, he liged to leave home for a short time, and upon afterwards learned, were professional thieves. his departure gave Guja this parting injunc- He divided his meat and rice with them, and tion:-“If," said he, “the plough become at they became great friends. Guja became their any time entangled in the ground, and the ox companion in their plundering expeditions. be unable to get along, strike it with your axe." However, afterwards coming to words, they Guja imagined that his brother was speaking of beat Guja severely, tied his hands and foet, and the ox, so when the plough became entangled were carrying him off to the river with the he struck the ox with his axe and killed him, intention of drowning him. But on the way instead of cutting away the obstruction, as his they were compelled by hunger to go in search brother had intended. Kanran, returning home of fond, and not wishing to be burdened with about this time, was intormed by his wife of Guja they set him down bound under a tree. A what had happened. Upon hearing it, he be- shepherd passing that way, and attracted by came greatly enraged, and ran to the spot, in- his crying, inquired who he was and why he tending to kill his brother. Guja, however, be. was crying. Gaja answered, "I am a king's son, coming aware of his brother's intention, imme- and am being taken against my will to be married diately snatched up the entrails of the ox and to a king's daughter for whom I have not the fled. Seeing a tree having large hole in the slightest affection." The shepherd answered, trunk, he got inside, having first covered himself "I am indeed sorry for you, but let me go with the entrails. Kansan, arriving at the instead of you, I will gladly marry her." So spot, thrust his spear into the hole repeatedly, the shepherd quickly released Guja, and allowed and when he drew it out he perceived that it himself to be bound in his place. The thieves, was smeared with blood. He exclaimed, “I soon afterwards returning, took up the supposed have speared him to death, now he won't kill Guja, and in spite of the shepherd's protestaany more of my oxen," and returned home. tions that he was not Guja they threw him into
Guja was not at all hurt, the spear not the river. In the meantime Guja fled, driving having touched him, -the blood was not his, before him the shepherd's cows. The thieves but that of the ox. Having satisfied himself afterwards met him again, and seeing the cows that no one was near, he came out of the hole, inquired of Guja whence he had procured them. and crept secretly into his brother's house. Guja answered, “Don't you remember you Climbing to the top of the house, he sat there threw me into the river ? there it was I got perched upon one of the beams. A little while all these. Let me throw you in too, and you afterwards Kansan entered, bringing with him will get as many cows as you wish." This portions of the flesh of the slain ox, also some proposition meeting with general approbation, rice. Having closed the door, he commenced they suffered themselves to be bound and thrown to offer a sacrifice to his brother Guja's memory. into the river, where, as a natural consequence, The usual ceremonies having been performed, all were drowned.
