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MAY, 1891.)
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE; No. 9.
185
The pagel with his whole family were now well settled in life. At the instigation of the youngest daughter-in-law, their house was rebuilt and furnished handsomely. The old man now took his youngest daughter-in-law to heart, and loved her more than ever. In everything that had to be done he always consulted her, and gave everything in her charge. This of course naturally led the others to envy her. They, therefore, began to invent stories in order to prejudice the pátel and her husband against her.
Said they to the paral, the first time he called her: - "Oh yes, you have taken such a liking to her; but do you know what is going on behind your back? What people are coming and going, and sach like things ?”
In this way the old patol's mind was poisoned against his youngest daughter-in-law, and he in his turn told everything he had heard to her husband, who also took a dislike to her. Her husband then got her hair cut off, and, seating her on a donkey, drove her away from his house with strict injanctions never to return. The poor woman had no alternative but to submit to her fate, and went where the donkey carried her. She had, however, for some time past, sus. pected foul play, and had, therefore, put by a small sum of money for her private use, should she require it. This she took with her, and the donkey carried her to another distant country. Here our heroine laid aside her own clothes, and assumed the disguise of a man, and began to wander about the city. The king of that country saw her, and, taking her for a man, asked her if she would take employment. She offered to serve the king in any capacity, and was accordingly engaged as a police sipahi.
Now, it happened that that country was visited every night by a bhujang (monster), who used to eat up anything and any one that came in its way, - men and animals alike. Many attempts were made to capture it, but with no success. The king had set a reward on the bhujang's life. Whoever should kill it, would be rewarded by getting the king's only daughter in marriage, and half his kingdom.
Our heroine was apprised of this. So she went and bought a sword and concealed it in her house. That night, as she went about the town patrolling, she saw, by moonlight, the bhujang coming down from a hill, and marked well the road it took. The following day she went and dug a large ditch in the bhujang's way, and in the night lay concealed close to it, sword in hand.
At the usual time the bhujang descended, and fell in the ditch, upon which our heroine rushed from her hiding place, and cut off its head, which she wrapped in a cloth and carried home.
The king was every day in the habit of calling together the sipahís that were on patrol duty, and asking each of them in turn what they saw and what they did in connection with the bhujang. Unfortunately they never saw the monster, but, nevertheless, without knowing what it was, each invented a tale for the nonce.
Said one: -"I saw a large beast in the form of a cat which made its way towards the East."
Another would say: - "It was & monstrous tiger that I saw, and it went towards the stables of such and such a person."
A third said: “A hideous saitán (devil) passed me at a few yards' distance, and when I tried to capture it, it disappeared."
And in this way every one told the king some tale or other. Last of all the king asked the supposed new sipáha: -“Well, then, what did you see ?"
«Sire," replied our heroine; "at about ten o'clock, as I was looling towards a hill, I saw a large monster descending, upon which I ran and cut off its head, and then I found that it w a bhujang."
