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MAY, 1881.]
equalled by his wonder when he was received by the young Prince as a revered father, and conducted at once into the presence of the Seven Queens. He was dumb with amazement till the young Princess, his daughter-in-law, stepped forth, and with much grace related to him the whole story. The King's heart was moved, and what with the sight of his Queens' sorrowful faces, and his handsome young son with his beautiful bride, his anger rose against the wicked witch who had wrought all this mischief, and he ordered her to be put to death.
So they buried the witch and ploughed up the ground and the Seven Queens walked over her grave into the palace, where they lived ever after. The Mother of Seven Sons. Another similar story current in the Punjab is the following:
FOLKLORE IN THE PANJAB.
There was a Raja who had no children. A faqir came and sat down in his garden, where on the same day the Râjà in great grief was lying on a dirty and dilapidated old bed. The faqir asked him why such a great Râjâ as he was lying on such a dirty old bed. The Rajâ answered "What are you asking, reverend Sir ?" The faqir said "Explain." The Raja again asked "What are you asking ?" Again the faqir said, "For the third time, Râjâ, tell me the truth."
Then the Raja said, "I have no children." The faqir said "Take this stick, and knock down the fruit of that mango tree. The first time five mangos will fall, and the second time two." The Raja threw the stick, and the first time five mangos fell, and the second time two. The Raja, being very covetous of children, threw the stick yet a third time, when the stick remained in the tree and all the fallen mangos went back. The Raja then went to the faqir, who asked him where the stick was, and the Raja said, "It is in the tree." Then the faqir said "You must have been throwing the stick more than twice to get a lot of children. But go back, and you will find the stick on the ground." The Raja went and found the stick on the ground. He took up the stick, and then threw it at the mangos-the first time five fell, and the second. time two. He took the mangos and stick, and
.shikkht manit utte paint چهگهي منجي اتے پینا
Panj. expression "to lie on an old and dirty bed." This, like scratching the ground with the forefinger, is one of the signs of great grief in the Panjab. The object is to attract
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went with them to his home. At that time six of his Queens were at home, but the seventh had gone out. He gave each of the six Queens a mango apiece. The seventh mango he put away into a recess, and a mouse bit it. A few moments afterwards the seventh Queen came home, and asked the other Queens what they were eating. They answered "We have been eating a mango each." Then the seventh Queen asked "Where is my mango ?" They said "It is in the recess," and she took it out, and ate it. After nine months each of the six Queens had a son, but the seventh Queen had only half a son, who was therefore called Adhiâ or The Half.1 One day the six brothers went out shooting together, and Adhiâ asked his mother's leave to go out shooting too. But his mother said "You are only half a boy-how can you go out shooting ?" Adhiâ answered, "I'll go and play at shooting." The mothers of the six sons made them some sweets to take out shooting, but Adhia's mother said she didn't know how to make them, and told her son to go to the other Queens for his sweets. So the other Queens made sweets for Adhiâ too, but. they put ashes inside and covered them with sugar, and gave them to Adhià. The six brothers and Adhia went off to the jangals, and on the road they felt hungry and began to open their sweets and eat. When Adhià began to break his sweets he found nothing but ashes inside, and so he went to his brothers, and asked for some of theirs, but they would not give him anything. Poor Adhiâ said nothing, but went on. They at last reached a field of melons. Adhia broke down the fence and went inside, but the others could not get inside. Adhiâ began to eat the melons, and when his brothers asked him for some, he said, "Remember the sweets, and when you would give me none." But they entreated him very much, and he threw them the unripe and sour ones. So the brothers shouted and called the owner of the field, who came and caught Adhiâ, and tied him up to a tree. The brothers left him and went on. Then Adhiâ said to the rope: Break, rope, for my companions have gone on." The rope broke at once, and Adhiâ came up to his brothers. Next the pity of passing fuqirs, who are supposed to be able to help the sufferer.
La adhia from last adhd-half. The narrator explained this "half a son" by his having but one eye, one ear, one arm, etc.
