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leisurely home. When they arrived there, their wives were greatly surprised to see them, for they had not expected them to return so soon. Pretending to know nothing of Sunâbâl Jâi, they demanded of them where she was, when the wicked women replied that she had behaved very badly after their departure, and had taken to wandering about at pleasure, regardless of their admonitions, and that that morning, too, she had gone no one knew where, without their permission; but would come back, sure enough, in the evening, as was her wont.
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
"Very well," said the men, let us have something for our breakfast now, and mind, if Sunâbâi Jai does not return by dusk we shall hold you answerable for her life."
The seven women, who had not seen the poor girl all the previous day and night, began to tremble at these words, and devoutly prayed that she would return home in safety. When they were at their meals, however, they
[DECEMBER, 1886.
noticed that one of the men every now and then placed a morsel of food upon his thigh, and that it soon disappeared therefrom, to be replaced by another; but, seeing their husbands were in an angry mood they dared not ask them any questions. At last, when night came and there were no signs of Sunâbâî Jâî, the brothers were furious and bade their wives on pain of death to tell them what they had done with her. Seeing further prevarication useless, they all confessed their guilt, and expressed their fear that Sunâbâi Jai was drowned in the sea; when, to their great dismay, one of the brothers opened the rent in his thigh, and pulled out Sanâbât Jâî, as large as life and as well as ever. Upon this, the wicked women fell on their knees, and begged loudly to be forgiven, but their husbands were inexorable; they shaved their heads and cut off their noses and mounting them upon donkeys, sent them away to their parents' houses, to live there in disgrace for the rest of their lives!
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA. BY S. M. NATESA SASTRI,
No. XIII.-THE FOUR GOOD SISTERS. In the town of Tañjai there reigned a king named Hariji, who was a very good and charitable sovereign. In his reign the tiger and bull drank out of the same pool, the serpent and peacock amused themselves under the same tree; and thus even birds and beasts of a quarrelsome and inimical character lived together like sheep of the same flock. While the brute creation of the great God was thus living in friendship and happiness, need it be said that this king's subjects led a life of peace and prosperity unknown in any other country under the canopy of heaven?
But, for all the peace which his subjects enjoyed, Hariji himself had no joy. His face was always drooping, his lips never moved in laughter, and he was as sad as sad could be, because he had no son. After trying in vain the various distributions of charitable gifts, which his elders and priests recommended, he resolved within himself to retire into the wilderness, there to propitiate Mahêévara, the great god of gods, hoping thus to have his desires fulfilled.
No sooner had this thought entered into his mind than he called his ministers to his side, and, informing them of his intention, made over to them the kingdom of Tañjai. He gave strict orders to them to look after the interests of his subjects, warning them that, if they failed in this, they would have to pay forfeit with their heads. Thus appointing his ministers in his place, to order his realm during his absence, Hariji retired to the nearest jungle as a hermit.
The monarch of Tañjai, who had been attended with innumerable servants, now became his own servant and master. He removed all his royal garments and clothed himself with the bark of trees. To him, whose bed had been till then the softest of cushions made of the finest and most delicate cotton, the dried leaves now furnished a mattress. Roots and fruits were now his only food, in the place of a thousand different dishes, which had at one time been daily spread before him. Every morning he rose from his bed of leaves, bathed in the coldest water, and sat meditating on Mahêévara till about the twentieth ghatika.
8p.m.;a ghafikd is twenty-four minutes, 30 ghatikás make one day, and 30 one night. Thus 60 ghafikas make a day and night.
