Indian Antiquary Vol 20

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 93

FEBRUARY, 1891.]
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE; No. 6.
Accordingly one day they both went to Church, and made a vow, each promising to give his child in marriage to the other, in case the sexes differed. Some time after this, the queen, and also the baker's wife, became pregoant. The baker's wife was confined first, and brought forth a boy. The baker, greatly rejoiced at his good fortane, at once made off to the palace, and informed the king that a son was born to him. Two or three days later, the queen was confined of a girl, to the great regret of the king, who did not even inform the baker of the occurrence. But on the day of the queen's confinement there was a great bustle in the palace, which made the baker suspect something, and so he asked one of the maids what was the matter, and she frankly told him that the queen had been confined of a girl.
When the boy was old enough, the baker sent him to school, and spared neither pains nor money to give him a fitting education, and he was the pride of his parents. Many years passed, and the king's daughter became marriageable, but the idea of giving a king's daughter in marriage to even a wealthy baker's son preyed upon the mind of the king, and he determined by some means or other to get out of it. With this object, one day he said to the baker :"I believe your son is now well grown, and it will be interesting to know if he is being educated." "Yes, sire," replied the baker; "the boy goes to school, and I spare neither pains nor money to educate him well." "But," interrupted the king; "that sort of education will not do. You must fit out a ship, and send him to a distant country with merchandise, and see how he succeeds. That is the sort of education you must give, for it will make a man of him." ** Very well,” said the baker ; "I will act up to your advice."
Going home, the baker at once set to work to build a ship. He hired numerous workmen, and a job that usually takes some months to complete, he got done in a few days. He then loaded the ship with costly merchandise, and ordered his son to go to a certain country, and there to trade At what profit he could. The son, always obedient to his father, at once embarked on board the ship and set sail. When he arrived at his destination, he did business at an immense profit for two or three years, and then returned home with every expectation of marrying the king's daughter. Before leaving the place he bought some rarities, in the way of clothes, jewellery, and such like, for his intended wife, which he packed in a box. Half-way home he received information that his intended bride had been married to another person, a king's son. This so disheartened him that he had a mind to throw the box of presents overboard, but when he reached his native shore he opened the box, and to his great astonishment discovered that everything had disappeared! He only found in it a very small packet of paper, which he took up and put in his pocket, without even looking at its contents ! On his arrival home, his parents welcomed him with great kindness, and told him how the king had violated his vow, but he pretended not to pay heed to what they said. After his arrival he never staid at home a single hour, but daily visited his old friends and acquaintances, with whom he spent the day, and came home late in the evening.
One day he paid a visit to his promised wife, the princess, at her house, and remembered all the rarities he had brought for her, which had been miraculously changed into the small packet he still had in his pocket. He thought to himself: "I brought all those rarities to give to her. What can I do with them now? What use are they to me? I will give her their substitute."
So thinking, he pulled out the packet and handed it to her, and she, thinking it contained only sweets or something of the kind, laid it aside. They sat and conversed together for a long time, till it was very nearly time for her husband to return. The baker's son then rose to bid her good-bye, and as he was about to shake hands with her, he fell on her neck and died! She was at a loss to know what to do, and how to dispose of the corpse. She, however, dragged it to her room, and covered it up on a cot.
Now, the princess had an express order from her husband that, as soon as she had finished her domestic duties, she was to dress herself up in her jewellery against his arrival. But on this