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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUAR7, 1997.
II.
with her cock and her chafing dish and sat down there. The next morrow, all the villagers arose, came as usual to the old woman's house, but not finding her there, thought she must have gone somewhere on some errand, fetched fire from some other quarter and performed each his respective duty. In the meantime' the old woman fasted in the wood until dusk, when a villager passed by to some other place on a particular errand. She called to him and said "I was not in the village this morning, has it dawned there? Have the people procured fire? Have they all eaten P"
He laughed and said :-"Do you think that the whole world depends entirely on your cock and your dish P Why do you sit fasting here P Get up and go home."
She heard him and was abashed, and throwing off the foolish vanity which had made her think that all the world exiated through her, she lived happily.
IV.
While King Nandana was wielding sway over Malabar, a wrestler approached him and said that he had toiied hard and learnt the art of fencing and other similar arts, could fight with wild animals, and could even walk with a huge mountain on his head. But he had found no one, except the king, who could give him the wages due to his powers. He had come therefore to the king's presence to represent his grievances and earn a proper livelihood. The king heard him and thought that such a warrior would be serviceable to him, and engaged his services at a hundred pagodas a month.
There was a huge mountain near the city infest. ed with wild boaste which were causing great havoc among the people. The king therefore sent for the wrestler and said :-"You declared, you know, that you could carry a mountain on your shoulders. A mountain there is in the neighbourhood, which is the cause of much suffering to the people. Take it away to & distant spot and return hither."
The wrestler Assented to the proposal, and on the next day at dawn, the king took him with his ministers, priest, and a retinue of soldiers to the vicinity of the mountain. The wrestler girded up his waistband, tied his turban and stood ready. The king saw him and asked him why he hesitated, and called upon him to take the mountain on his head and go.
The wrestler replied :-"Sir, I humbly gave you to understand that I could carry the moun. tain on my head, but I did not say that I could lift it up. Kindly command your soldiers there. fore, to tear the mountain up and keep it on my head, and I will then carry it to whatever place you may command me."
III. In the village of Pennagatai, on the road from Conjoverám to Wandiwash, there lived an old woman who had a chafing dish and a cock. Day after day at early morn, when the first streaks of light were visible, the cook would crow. All the villagers would then rise, procure fire at her house and go their ways. This state of affairs had run on for a long time, till the old dame took into her heal that the day dawned because ber cock crew. She observed that all the villagers cooked and ate after getting fire from her house, and she wanted to see how the day could dawn if she quitted the village, and how the villagere would manage to eat. So she went, un known to anybody in the village, to a wood afar off
In a certain village there lived a merchant who had a deaf friend. The latter, learning that the former was ill, went to enquire after him, and while going along the road, determined to hold the following conversation with his sick friend : “After the usual greeting, I will first ask, well, Sir, how do you feel yourself to-day P' He will reply, better,' and I shall rejoin, very good.' I will then make enquiries about his diet, and he will reply rice without salt,' and I shall rejoin, 'may it do you much service. I shall then pat the question, 'pray, who is your doctor P' He will, of course, tell me that such and such a person is his doctor, and I may safely add, may God assist him in the fulfilment of his work.'
At length, having come to a resolve, he reached the house, and after the usual greetings, sented himself near the patient and said :-"My friend, how are you PR -
To which the patient replied: "I am very much troubled with a virulent attack of fever?"
The deaf man, not understanding what he said, thought that he was answering according to the plan ho had settled beforehand, and responded :-" Very good: I hope God will keep yon so?"
The patient, who was already peevish with the disease, was made more so by this speech of his deaf companion. The latter next asked what his diet was, and was told that it was the dust of the earth!
