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FEBRUARY, 1893.)
candidates for the ordination. For the purpose of eliciting the acclamation of sadhu at the conclusion of each conferment of the upasampadá ordination, drums, conch-shells, and other musical instruments were sounded. Scribes skilled in worldly lore, and innumerable nobles and learned men were appointed to note the number of priests that had received the upasam. padá ordination. And, in order that the ceremony might be performed at night, many lamps were provided. It was near sunset when the King returned to his palace.
(To be continued.)
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE; No. 15.
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE.
BY GEO. FR. D'PENHA.
No. 15.
The Parrot's Tale and the Maina's Tale.1
Once upon a time there was a king who had an only son, the pride of his parents. The prince grew up strong and beautiful, and no pains were spared to give him a fitting education. When he was old enough the king got him married to the daughter of a neighbouring king, and they lived happily for some time in their father's house.
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After a few months the prince wanted to go and live with his wife in another country. So he got a ship fitted for the voyage, and at once set sail with her. Now, when they had got half the way the prince remembered that he had a pôpat (parrot) at home, which he would have liked to take with him, and he said to his wife: "Oh dear! I left my parrot behind me at
home."
This put the princess in mind of her mainú, which she, too, had forgotten at the time of leaving their palace, and so she, too, said: "Yes, dear, I, too, have left my maina behind me, which I should have liked to have taken with me."
They, therefore, turned their ship round homewards, and when they had returned to their house, the prince took his parrot and the princess her mains, and again set sail. After a favourable voyage they reached their destination, where they hired a large house, and put up there.
When a few days had passed the princess one day said to her husband: "My dear, we are now married and live happily. I should like to see my maina married to your parrot, and I am sure they will like it."
"Very. well," said the prince; "we have only to put them into one cage, and they will be a married couple. What more is necessary to be done?" The princess then told him to go and fetch a cage, which he did, and they both took the parrot and the mainá, and put them into it. Now it must be known that parrots and mainás seldom agree; so they pecked at each other, and pecked so long and so fiercely, that they plucked each other's feathers to such an extent that both began to bleed, and looked like lumps of live flesh.
The following, morning the prince took them some food, but he was astonished when he saw the state they were in, and wondered what was the matter with them, whereupon the maina said :
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"Listen, O king, to my story. There once lived a king who had an only son, who was brought up with great tenderness, and when he was old enough he was married, whereon he left his father's house and lived with his wife. He was very profligate, and had many friends who were daily entertained at a sumptuously laid-out table. In the meanwhile his wife had gone to her parents' house. In the course of his profligacy the prince soon squandered all his treasure, and, as is always the case, his friends all abandoned him. The poor prince had now barely anything left to maintain himself on, and he thought he would go to his wife's house, where he doubted not he would be welcomed by his royal father and mother-in-law. He,
[A novel version of a very old tale. The previous tale published in Vol. XXI. p. 374 should have been numbered 14. ED.]
