________________
OCTOBER, 1890.)
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
313
covering to protect them from the cold of the night. But being accustomed to a hard life, they nevertheless went composedly to sleep. Their poor mother, too, who always consoled herself with the thought that the God who had given her so many children would somehow or other protect them, according to the doctrine - "He never sends mouths without also sending meat," - she too slept soundly. The poor father alone was awake, and as be trimmed the lamp, he took a farewell look at the innocent faces sound asleep around him. Almost immediately he heard the voice : -"Shall I fall down P shall I fall down ?" His heart, which he had steeled into preparation for death, fairly gave way. But after deep thought he came back again to his original resolution, and fully determined to die with his whole family, and said aloud :-"Why do you thus threaten me who am boldly resolved already? Fall down at once, and take me and my children away."
Thus saying he lifted his head to see the house fall, but instead there rained from the roof a torrent of gold mohars, which soon filled the anoccupied parts of the room. After about a ghatiká the torrent of gold stopped, and the Brühmaņ rose up and heaped all coins in a corner. He then awakened his wife, and related to her all that he had intended and all that had happened. Finding that fortune had began to favour him, he gathered money every night, and with it bought houses and jewels and lands and other things he wanted.
The owner of the house, finding him daily growing richer and richer as a result of dwelling in the haunted house, asked him one day the reason of it, and the Brdamag related to bim the whole affair without concealing anything. The owner of the property was then very sorry for his cowardice, and at having missed the opportunities previously offered him; and so he said to the Brâhmaņ:-"You have now been a long while occupying my house, will yon kindly vacate it for me?"
The Brihmaņ replied: "I have been from my birth a beggar, and what I have already gained is more than enough for me. All my present advantages are due to your kindness, and I will vacate it this very moment. Go you and live in it and amass wealth. It is your property."
The owner occupied it without delay, so as to lose no time over his money-making. He did not wait to remove his family, postponing that till the next day. His anxiety was all for the night, and many a time did he curse his timidity for abandoning the mansion at the first sound of "shall I fall down ?," and kept on calculating how much money he had already lost by his cowardice. The night approached, and he went into the house to sleep, or rather to watch. At midnight, just as he was expecting to hear it, a voice fell upon his ear, saying, "Shall I fall down shall I fall down P" He at once fell into a humble posture and said : -"My good gods; excuse my stupidity in having so long refused your good graces. I have come to my proper senses at last. Shower down the mohars."
Thus said the owner, and at once the voice stopped, and immediately a torrent, alas! not of mohars, but of scorpions, began to descend on our hero, who, looking for the money, never noticed then. Going up close, one scratch was enough to give him an idea of the shower! Starting back he observed by the light that, instead of mohars, scorpions were falling down from the roof. "Stop," said he, unable to bear the horrid sight, and at once the torrent dried up, and our hero fled from the house, almost mad with pain.
However, he kept what had occurred secret, and resolved to try his luck a second night. Secretly he sent servants to examine the whole house, and kill all the scorpiods. Several thousands were killed that day, and the following night our hero tried his luck again, seeing torrents of scorpions, but never a mohar!
Then he sent for the Brahman and asked him whether he could shew him the mohars falling. "Agreed," said he, and on the third night they both slept in the mansion. At midnight when the voice was heard, and the permission was given a torrent commenced.
