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[NOVEMBER, 1883.
brother they saw Russaloo with his naked sword, and fear fell upon them because of a prophecy which said that the son of Sal Byne should destroy them, and one of them said to Russaloo
Kahan toomhari vutn hy, quon nugri shihr, graon?
"Kis Rajah ka too bété ra, k'a toomhara nam ? To which Russaloo answers:
Hus'rut Sialkot ma wutn, woohi nugri, shihr, graon,
Sala Byn da my bêté ra, Russaloo mera nam. "The answer causes great dismay, nevertheless one of the brothers advances to the combat, but is slain by one of Russaloo's fatal arrows, and another, Pehoon, is wounded, and flies to Gundgurh. Pugrputt also flies, but being hotly
"She replies:
Sut bêté Raja Jee, my jahch, kye n'h keeta kahj, pursued utters a spell, and is instantly enclosed
in solid rock.
Aikulla betá rehguya, oosdi bári ahj. Neela ghorawallah shuksa, too moohndári sir pug Jereh zalum soohj deh aah! phirani uj.
"Then on the morrow Russaloo departed in company with the old woman's only remaining son, who was mounted on a pony, and who drove a buffalo laden with bread. And they reached the Neel Rao River, and Russaloo stopped to bathe. And the sound of thunder was heard in the clear vault of heaven, and fell upon Russaloo and the child. And from the forest appeared a column of cloud stalking forward to the spot and lightnings and thunders proceeding from it. And it paused at the river-brink and an arm, huge as a palm-tree was stretched forth with its mighty hand to seize the youth. But Russaloo drew his sword and severed the hand from the arm. And the Rakuss uttered a dreadful roar and fled, and his brother and sister came to see what was the matter, and as they met their bleeding
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alighted at the abode of an ancient woman. She was cooking bread, but the whole of her mohulla (ward) was desolate, and sometimes she wept, and sometimes she sang. And in that city the inhabitants sent daily a buffalo, loaded with bread and a human victim to the Rakuss as his rations, otherwise he would have destroyed the city. And the Rakuss dwelt in the Barrh, or wilderness, west of the city, and the Rajah addressed the woman thus:-(Chaunted to music). Oochcheh mundul mata marria do russ killah bazaar,
Kye ra sub dur disn sukna kavur lisseh sunsar Natoo rooh my booddiah, hunjoo na dul karr, Jie rub rukh si terá bêtéra my sir deh sa char:
However, Raja Sirikap's fort is shown as being at Kot Bithaur, near Atak, overlooking the Indus, ante, vol. XI, p. 349, note 26, and also at Mangalà, a fort overlooking the Jhelam at the point where it leaves the Himalayas : Abbott, pp. 130-151. So there is not much credit to be placed in the traditions.
Bar means what we should call "foreet-land"; thickly wooded jangal, generally on riverain lands.
Abbott has here an extraordinary footnote, "Bari is a peculiar word, denoting a lot of sheep or other animals for slaughter." Bári here and elsewhere means turn." "His turn is to-day," is the meaning of the passage. Bard, is a penfold; with dim. form bart, a
fence.
The Nilrão River is probably the Indus at Bigh Nilab, where it is very blue. My version makes these adventures all take place at the Nila City. See ante, vol. XI, p. 347, note 18. Lately I have had reason to elieve that Nila should be $ila.
"And Russaloo saw in a dream that the Rakussnie Bêêra, was concealed in the forest, and he came upon her with a drawn sword and compelled her to teach him the spell by which Pugrputt, her brother, might be drawn from the rock. And Russaloo muttered the spell and thunders-pealed and Pugrputt came forth, and Russaloo slew him with an arrow.
"And Bêêra said to Russaloo :
"Behold, I am beautiful, make me thy wife." "And Russaloo consented, and, as they walked with infolding arms round the caldron of boiling oil, the Rakussnie who was very strong, tried to hurl Russaloo into the caldron but failed. And Russaloo hurled her in and cut off her head.
"And he mounted and rode to Gundgurh, whither the first Rakuss had fled. And the Rakuss Tera burrowed in a cavern of Mount Pîr Than.10 And when Russaloo found that he
The names of the Rakshasas are all in modern Panjabi. Four males are mentioned and one female: viz., Chindia, Pagrpat, Pihan, and Terâ, with their sister Birå (most likely Birin, as Abbott frequently drops the final nasal n). Chindia I take to be Chandia, the moon or glorious, Pagrpat means lord of the household (pagrt, literally, turban), thus, sau paghi da malik, master of a hundred households, is a common phrase to express a great man: Pihan means a quarreller: Terâ, means crooked; bîrân lit., betel leaf, is a common name for beauty, the betel leaf being a conventional model of beauty. Abbott notes curiously (p. 150) that Terra is of Roman not Greek my thology, and could scarcely therefore have been transmitted to the Panjab!
"A nuptial ceremony of those days," says Abbott. If so, it is well worth remarking.
10 Pirthân, Saint's Abode, is the highest point of the Gandgarh Hills, 4500 ft.
