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SEPTEMBER, 1890.]
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
279
Our hero, after his escape, went through several places, and at last reached a town. All the way he pondered over his wife's conduct, and was vexed to see that he was partly the cause of it, as, by his sending her away for a long while to her parents' house, he had given her every opportunity to become wicked. In this case, too, he found one of the maxims, which he had so dearly bought, had proved true. Thinking on the way, he heard the sing-song noise of a palanquin passing, and on observing it closely he found an old friend of his seated in it. This at once brought into his mind the fifth maxim of the sage, that in adversity we must always seek our friends. To test the truth of it, he proceeded to the side of the palanquin and accosting its inmate in the most familiar style, said: "Get down, you fool. Are you not ashamed to ride thus in a palanquin while your old friend is walking bare-footed P" The inmate was the young prime-minister of that empire, and was proceeding to the palace. His name was Snohapatra. He did not recognise his friend and school-day companion in his disguise, but being a wise man, he thought that there must be some meaning in the familiarity, and so at once coming down from the palanquin, he asked his friend to take his place. Our hero did so, and the young minister wrote a letter to his wife recommending the guest to her kind care, and telling her to behave to him in every way as to her husband. And secretly he sent a confidential letter to her of which we shall hear more by-and-bye.
Thus Satyaparakrama was borne in the palanquin, and reached his friend's house, but his friend was not able to accompany him as there was some important business, pretended or real, on account of which he was obliged to be absent. When the minister's house was reached, the mistress thereof shewed him every kind of hospitality, and our hero found nothing wanting for his comfort. The day passed and night came on, and after supper Satyaparakrama retired to rest. Just then the minister's wife placed before him her husband's letter, which said that she must behave to her guest as she would to her own husband. But as soon as our hero read it, he rose up and falling down before the lady, he said: "Madam, you are my mother. For even 80 must we regard our friends' wives."
Thus saying he shed tears, and that most virtuous woman,- for so she was, as our readers shall-soon know, - sent her husband word of what had occurred. This was part of the secret and confidential communication to her. The minister had also secretly informed her that, to see whether the pretended friend, whom he did not know, was a real friend or not, he had tried the trick of offering her up to him for his pleasure, because a true and sincere friend would shudder at the idea. Snêhapâtra had also arranged with the maid-servants secretly, that the guest should be watched and arrested in case he made any attempts to violate decency and take advantage of the letter. The minister's wife too had obeyed her lord in every way, divining the meaning of his proceedings. Snêhapatra was all the while anxiously waiting in the palace to know the result of his scheme, and as soon as it was communicated to him, he hastened hence, embraced his friend, and like an honest man acknowledged his forgetfulness, and asked him who he was. When it was made known that the person whom he had thus tested was no other than the prince Satyaparakrama, his joy knew no bounds. He enquired into the cause which had reduced him to such a poor state, and when all the prince's history had been related in detail, he wept for his friend's calamities. He then told him to forget the past, and live comfortably in his house till better days, which he said would not be far off. Thus, here, too, our hero found the wisdom of the Pandit's maxim.
Snêhapâtra had an object in saying that the time would not be long before his friend saw better days. The emperor of that city was the great emperor of the Pandya country, to whom Satyaparakrama's father used to pay tribute. He had an only daughter who was approaching the marriageable age, and of whom he was very anxious to dispose. But 'infortunately he was not able to secure a suitable match for her. The minister knew all this and on the next day secretly tested the emperor's opinion whether His Majesty would have any objection to accept Satyaparakrama as his son-in-law, His Majesty had often heard of the deep learning of that prince, but of the latter part of his lifo His Majesty had had no
