________________
AUGUST, 1887.]
red! He, however, took a handful of it to drink" and behold when he put it to his mouth, it became as pure as crystal. This made him think that there must be something near the lake which gave it its red colour, so he went round it.
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
To the extreme north he found a ruby as big as a man's thumb glittering like fire, which he picked up and after rolling it up in several wraps, tied it safely to his hip inside his clothes. He then collected the water in half a dozen sémbu leaves and returned to the ladies, who drank it and rested for a while, resuming their journey at about the 20th ghatika.
So far the Tûkkuttükki did not know in what country he was travelling, and in the morning the party found themselves in the middle of a jungle with nothing to show them where they were going. But about the 25th ghatikú that evening they emerged from the jungle and neared a road. On enquiry the Tûkkuttûkki found to his great joy that it led to Pushpa pura. His vigour was renewed by the news and he was anxious, if possible, to reach Pushpapura before night, and actually succeeded in nearing the vicinity of his native city before it was dark. He then asked the princess and Sellam to sit down in a chatram" with the horses, while he went into the town and hired a very spacious and convenient house, three stories high, and when he returned and took them to it.
The two women were most thankful for the assistance of the Tûkkuttûkki in their trouble, and asked him to get them what he could to eat for the night. He went to the chief temple of the town and brought away food enough for their purpose, and after eating a little of it the princess and her companion, much exhausted by their journey, retired to sleep. The Tûkkuttûkki, however, had no rest. He tied up the horses in the ground floor of the house and took a big room in it for his own use, in which he secured the hundis and the other money he had so carefully hidden in the horses saddles' at Dhârâpura; and, though it was very late, he went to the bázár, where he bought everything that was necessary for a comfortable life in Pushpapura, except rice, which he purposely omitted to bring. He then retired to rest at about midnight.
1 Natives of India do drink water by handfuls. to Caladium nymphæfolium, a garden plant with large broad succulent leaves and roots.
239
They all got up very early in the morning, for light meals procure light slumbers.' The ladies found provisions, vessels and everything ready, and the Tûkkuttûkki told them he had managed to bring them all during the night, as he had seen that they were so tired by their journey that they would urgently require them in the morning. They were rather surprised at what they thought to be the dawn of intelligence in the Tâkkuttûkki, but their surprise was changed to amusement when, on enquiring for rice, they were told that he had forgotten to buy it! So they ridiculed him for his foolishness in having omitted the most important thing of all!
The princess now asked the Tukkuttûkki to do the menial work of the household, draw water from the well, wash the clothes, bring the necessary provisions from the bázár and perform other out-of-door and petty services, while she asked Sellam to be cook. In this way they lived at Pushpapura as ordinary people without attracting any notice, the ladies never leaving their third storey and returning to their former gosha" life, and managing to live in comfort through the assistance of the Takkuttükki.
Meanwhile the Tûkkuttûkki always used to finish all his daily work in a few hours, and after taking his meals with the ladies, he used to go out and amuse himself by wandering up and down. He now bought another pair of very fine horses and a beautiful coach, and engaged four grooms for the horses, giving up the whole of the ground-floor of the house for stables. He also gave orders for some beautiful dresses and had them prepared according to the best fashion of the day. All this was done after dinner, for until then he had to draw water and do other menial work. The ladies knew nothing as to what he was doing, as the Tûkkuttûkki used to leave them in his dirty menial's dress and returned to them in the same clothes, but he spent his leisure hours in the town driving about up and down in his coach and four, dressed like a prince or even better!
Thus passed many days, till one day the Tûkkuttukki determined to pay a visit to the king of Pushpapura. Now to visit a king empty
31 An inn.
Closed life within doors: the sanána system.
