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JUNE, 1883.)
FOLKLORE IN THE PANJAB.
177
go to the place where it all happened, and then perhaps I shall be able to give a judgment."
So they came to where the tiger was waiting for the Brahman, and sharpening his teeth and claws.
"You've been away a long time," growled the beast, "but now let us begin our dinner."
“Our dinner!" thought the Brahman as his knees knocked together with fright; what a very delicate way of putting it!"
"Give me five minutes, my lord," he pleaded, "in order that I may explain matters to the jackal here, who is somewhat slow in his wits."
The tiger consented, and the Brahman began the whole story over again, not missing a single detail, and spinning as long a yarn as possible.
"Oh, my poor brain! oh, my poor brain !" cried the jackal, wringing its paws. “Let me see! How did it begin ? You were in the cage, and the tiger came walking by and "
"What a fool you are!" interrupted the tiger. "I was in the cage."
“Yes, of course!" cried the jackal, pretending to tremble with fright; "I was in the cage. No, I wasn't! Oh, dear, where are my wits ? The cage was in the Brahman, and the tiger came. No, the tiger was in the Brahman and the cage came walking by. Oh, don't mind me! Begin your dinner, for I shall never understand."
“Yes, you shall," cried the tiger in a rage with the jackal for his stupidity. "You shall understand me. Now look at me! I am the tiger."
“Yes, my lord." "And that's the Brahman." “Yes, my lord." "And that's the cage." "Yes, my lord." "And I was in the cage. Do you understand ?" “Yes,-n0,- please, my lord." "Well," cried the tiger impatiently. "Please, my lord, how did you get in ?" "How? In the usual way, of course."
« Oh, dear me! My head is beginning to whirl again. Don't be angry, my lord, but please—what is the usual way ?"
At this the tiger lost patience, and jumping into the cage, cried
"This way! Now do you understand P"
"Exactly so," grinned the jackal, deftly shutting the door; "As we all were !!"
No. 21.-THE JACKAL AND THE TIGER. An old tiger was in the habit of hunting in a particular jangal.
One day he caught a jackal and was proceed. ing to eat it when the jackal said :
"Before you eat your dinner, had you not better kill that other tiger yonder, or whilst you are lazily asleep he may hunt your forest, and perhaps kill you."
"What tiger ?" asked the king of beasts.
"Come with me and I will show you," answered the jackal.
So he led the tiger to a well, and bid him look down. When the tiger saw his reflection in the water he hemmed and hawed, saying:“That's a poor old beast, and he isn't doing any harm. He won't rob me: why, he looks halfstarved."
"He has caught a fine fat jackal though," said the wily prisoner, looking over the well too.
"So be has," cried the tiger, “what a horrid old thief !”
And without pausing a moment be leapt down the well, and was killed on the spot.
And the jackal went home laughing.
A noteworthy variant of this tale is told in the Firozpur District, entitled :
The Viren and the Tiger. An old tiger was in the habit of hunting in a certain jangal, and killing and eating any animal he might chance on. At last matters became so intolerable that the animals met together, and agreed to give up to him daily one of themselves, on condition that he ceased his hunting. One day it came to a vixen's turn to be eaten, but when she reached the tiger she represented to him that a similar arrangement had been made by the animals with his brother, and that it so happened that it was her turn to go to him, too, that day. This made the tiger very jealous, and he demanded to be shown his brother, whereupon the vixen showed him his own image in a well, and the tiger in his wrath jumped in and was drowned.
Told by a Jatt boy in the Gujranwald District, and known also in the Muzaffargarh District.-F. A. S.
A variant of the tale is to be found in the Aswin-it Swhelt: see p. 82 of Munshi Nawal Kishor's Lakhnau
Edition of the Persian version, and p. 41 of the Merath (Meerut) Urdu Translation. It is there known as "the Hare and the Tiger."-R. C. T:
