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DECEMBER, 1886.]
time. Sunâbâi Jai joyfully took the separated grains into the house. Her sisters-in-law could not believe their eyes, so astonished were they to see the job done so quickly. One of them, however, making a pretence of counting the grains, said:
FOLKLORE IN WESTERN INDIA,
"Stop, stop! Sunâbâî JAî, is that the way you do your work? I find the rice short just by one grain; pray how do you account for that? Go and fetch it this instant, or we shall beat you within an inch of your life."
The poor child went back into the yard, and began to look for the missing grain of rice, with eyes full of tears; when she beheld a sparrow flying into the house. She followed it, and to the surprise of all the bird dropped a grain of rice into the heap, and flew away..
At this the women grew very jealous of the poor child, and bethought themselves of some sure method of getting rid of her. They therefore ordered her one day to go into the jungle and get for them some tigress's milk, firmly believing that she would meet with her death in the attempt. Little Sunâbâî JAÎ had no conception of the dangerous nature of the errand she was sent upon, and so she fearlessly wandered here and there into the jungle in search of a tigress, but fortunately for her she did not find one. So, fatigued and utterly prostrated, she sank down on the ground in a thick part of it, and cried for help; when lo! a tigress sprang out of a bush hard by, and seeing Sunâbât Jaf, said:
"Well, Sunâbâi, what are you doing here, and why are you crying ?"
Then Sunâbai Jaf told her tale in the follow. ing words :
"Dant& Seth had seven sons and after them came
Sunâbâi JAI,
Over whose head a string of pearls was waved every morning;
But now all the seven brothers have gone away in a ship leaving her alone, And all the seven sisters-in-law ill-treat Sun&bai JAI."
"My sisters-in-law have sent me," she continued, "to fetch the milk. of a tigress, and of a surety I don't know where to find it."
At this the tigress took pity on her and gave her some of her own milk, which she carried home in the pail she had brought for the purpose.
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Great was the surprise and disappointment of the seven women on seeing Sunâbâî Jâi come home alive and unhurt once more, and when she placed before them the pail with the tigress's milk in it, their astonishment knew no bounds. They now clearly saw that she was under the special protection of Fate, and that, therefore, every attempt of theirs to get rid of her would come to nothing. Still, however, they persevered and one day told her to take a large piece of cloth, go to the sea-side, and bring in it the foam of the ocean. Not suspecting the uselessness of making such an attempt, the little girl went to the sea-side, and passed nearly the whole day up to her knees in the water, trying to catch some at least of the foam that floated by her, but to her great dismay she found how utterly impracticable such a thing was. Her tears fell fast when she saw that it was getting dark, and thought how far she had to go, and how, if she went home empty handed, her sisters-in-law would visit her with the severest punishment they could inflict, when her attention was attracted by a solitary sail. She felt great interest in watching the movements of the ship which was fast making for the shore; when it neared her she recognised it to be that of her brothers, and her delight was unbounded.
Being seized with a desire to give her brothers a surprise, little Sunâbâî Jâî hid herself behind a rock till they landed. The vessel anchored in due time, and the seven young men put off in a boat for the shore. As soon as they stepped on dry land, the little girl, unable to restrain herself any longer, ran up to them and was clasped in their arms. When the excitement of this most unexpected meeting was over, the brothers inquired of her what she was doing on the sea-shore so far away from home. She related to them all that had befallen her since their departure, and told them how that day she had been sent to fetch foam from the sea. The brothers were greatly enraged on learning of the inhuman conduct of their wives, and resolved to punish them as they deserved. So they took Sunâbâl Jai on board their ship, and kept her there till the following morning; when one of them, cutting open his thigh with his knife, put his little sister into it and sewed up the rent! They then went ashore and walked
