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24
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1892.
After several days, the uncle, finding Francis importunate, one day said to him :- "There are a lot of cows here, you can choose one for yourself."
Upon this Francis chose a cow for himself, and every day fed her with half of his own rations, which made her grow plump and fat. Now bis uncle observed that, while his own cattle remained as before, Francis' cow was growing fat and beat them all in beauty. He soon became jealous, and considered how he might deprive the lad of his cow.
So one evening he came and said to him:-“Well, Francis, my boy, I'll give you a holiday to-morrow, and I will look after the cattle myself."
Bat Francis said :-"No, uncle, I don't care for a holiday. I will be at my usual work."
His uncle, however, pressed him much, saying :- "Francis, you are yet a child, and you require some rest. So listen to me and take a holiday."
So Francis was at last persuaded to take a holiday, but he asked his uncle to take care of his cow, which, of course, his uncle promised to do.
In the morning the uncle took his cattle for grazing, as also Francis' cow. While his cattle were grazing he drove the cow up a high mountain and from there threw her into the river below, and the cow died at once, and the uncle was satisfied, and taking his own cattle he came home in the evening.
The following day, as soon as Francis arose, he went as usual to his daily work, but to his astonishment found his cow missing. He ran to his uncle and asked him where his cow was, His uncle said :-“Look in the stalls; she must be somewhere among the other cattle."
Francis went to the stalls and searched among all the cattle, but in vain, and therefore suspected foul phy. Instead of taking his uncle's cattle to graze, he left them in the stalls, and went all over the forests in quest of his own cow. He searched and searched, and, at last, found the carcass of his cow in the river. Poor Francis sat down by the poor cow and cried for hours and hours, but he made sure that the death of the cow was due to nothing else than his uncle's envy.
Seeing that crying would not bring his cow back to life, he made up his mind to skin the cow, so that the skin might some day be of use to him. So he at once set to work, and, dragging the carcass to the bank of the river, skinned it and dried it in the sun for several days.
When the skin was thoroughly dried, he asked his mother one day to bake him three or four hand-cakes, but she said: "There is scarcely flour enough to make one cake ; and how am. I to bake three or fonr for you?"
Francis, however, bothered her so often that his mother went and begged some rice-flour, aud baked four cakes, and gave them to him. Francis tied up the cakes in a kerchief, and, taking the cow's skin, went away. He walked on and on, uncertain where to go, or what to do, for a whole day, and when it was dusk he found himself in a large forest, and here he meant to pass the night; but being afraid that some wild beast might see and devour him, he climbed up a high treo, not forgetting to take the skin also with him.
At dead of night it happened that some robbers, who had plundered a rich house, came and sat under that very tree, and, having thrown down their booty, began to divide it, and to quarrel between themselves.
Said one: -"I deserve the greatest share because I shewed yon the house."
"No, no," said a second; “I entered the house first, while you remained outside, and so the biggest share falls to my lot."
And so they went on quarrelling, till our hero got so frightened that he let fall the cow's hide from the tree, which made such a noise, and in its turn so frightened the robbers, that they left everything and took to their heels, thinking some evil spirits had seen them and were coming on them.
