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374
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1892
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE.
BY GEO. FR. D'PENHA.
No. 13.-The Ill-treated Daughter-in-law. There once lived an old woman with her son and his wife, and after a few years of married life the wife became pregnant. The old woman's son, about this time, fitted out a ship to go to another country, but before going he asked his mother to take care of his wife as she was pregnant, and said : -"Mdlá sôlera hóil té manjé tárvávar soni achd pániin parel, ani sokori neil té rúpiachd pániin parel; If a son be born to me a shower of gold will fall on my ship. but if a daughter then there will be a shower of silver."
Then bidding farewell to his wife and mother he went away. After a few months had passed the wife felt her time of delivery approaching, and so she asked her mother-in-law if she might take her cot into the sleeping-room (lámbrá), but the old woman objected, saying: - “Kambrá hai to déván dharmáchd ; The sleeping-room belongs to the gods and religious rites."
Then the daughter-in-law asked if she might place it in the hall (sd), and the mother-in. law again objected, saying: -"Sal hai té últá baisúvchan ;1 The hall is meant for people. to sit in."
Upon this the daughter-in-law asked if she might place her cot in the verandah (onta), and for the third time the old woman objected, saying: -"Onta hái tô étiaizdtiunchá;' The verandah is mennt for passers-by to rest themselves."
The poor daughter-in-law saw that there was no place in the house to be spared for her confinement, and at length resorted to a jungle, and there, under a mango-tree, was delivered of & boy. She left the child under the tree and went home, occasionally going back to give suck to the child. On the day the boy was born a shower of gold fell on his father's ship, upon which he distributed sugar to the crew and returned home. His mother, however, told him tales against his wife, and shewed him an Oronta (spice-grinding-stone), saying she had given birth to that stone! The husband's anger was roused against his wife, but he saw that he could do nothing and kept quiet.
A few more years passed and the wife was again pregnant. This time also her husband proceeded on a voyage. He again asked his mother to take care of his wife, which, of course she promised to do; and saying: "Malá sókrá hóil té mánjé tárudvar sôniachá pániin parél. ani sôkri hšil ti ripiachá panin parél; If a son be born to me there will fall on my ship a shower. of gold, but if a danghter is born there will be a shower of silvor," he went away.
Some montlis after, when the time of her labour commenced, the wife ngain asked her mother-in-law if she might use the sleeping-room, but she met with the same objection as before : - "Kámbrá hdi ti devin dharmáchá; The sleeping-room belongs to the gods and religious rites."
She then asked for the use of the hall, bat again came the objection : -"Sal hdi té utá baisávchann; The hall is meant for people to sit in."
Then the ase of the verandah was asked for, and again the old woman said: -" Onțá hái 8 Stian zátianchá; The verandah is meant for such as come and go."
The poor woman, for the second time, was refused a place for her confinement, and again went into the jungle and was delivered under a kazú troe (catchu-nut tree), where she left the child and went home, occasionally going back to the tree to suckle it. For the second time there fell a shower of gold on her husband's ship, and, again distributing sugar to the crew, he returned home with great joy; but only to be disappointed, for the old woman again told him a lot of
1 Literally, the hall is for rising and sitting.' Literally, the verandah is for such as come and go.'
