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DECEMBER, 1897.)
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE.
341
The prince's services were engaged, but she had not the heart to make him do any hard work, and, therefore, he was asked to supervise the building. He was also allowed to live at his supposed master's boase. At meal time Bharê would order her servant to serve the prince first at her own table. The prince would modestly refuse to eat before his master, but Bharê would insist upon his eating first, and then he would do so. In this way some time passed, till the house was complete. Bharô then gave orders for furnishing the house completely, the old fishermar and the prince being commissioned to do the task. The prince had great taste in furniture, and so bought the best available, and when it was arranged in the house, also under the prince's supervision, the house looked simply beautiful.
Bharô now paid all the workmen their respective wages, and dismissed them. The prince also asked for his wages, saying he, too, wished to go away, but he was told to remain for a few days, after which he would get leáve to go home. Now, when they were almost by themselves Bhard one day asked the prince to enter her chamber, and, having thrown off her disguise, she donned herself in a rich sdríand all her beautiful ornaments, and presented herself before the prince. The prince was simply struck dumb at seeing Bharó, his wife, standing before bim, and could not for the world of him understand what it all meant. Was he, perhaps, dreaming, or was the person he saw really his wife? When he had recovered speech, he asked her to explain to him everything. Bharð then told him, how, after he had gone, she had, in the first place, to remain without food for a day or two; how, later on, she found the tindambri tied to her siri, for which she could not account, as she herself had never tied it there; how she gave the tindambrí to the old fisherman, who had come to fish, and asked him to buy her chaud kúrmári, which, when bought and given her, all fell in the water as she was about to eat them; how, when the chaná kürmürí fell in the water, magalmáshe came and swallowed them, after which the anagalmáshé, going on dry land, threw up heaps upon heaps of sinichiá móri, which she collected, and which enabled her to live comfortably and to build that large house, in furnishing which he had displayed so much taste.
Here the prince interposed, and told Bharô what had led him to bring her and leave her alone in that land, and that he was now quite satisfied, that what she was wont to say to her mother before their marriage she had been enabled to carry out, namely, “ vin sítá vin phaniii rinin gunthin ani dambrémanin rúz karin, without thread, without comb, I will dress my hair and live on one dambrí."
After this they disposed of the building, and taking the proceeds as well as the heaps of mor, they returned to their native country, where they lived in happiness to an old age.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
CHELA.
trained by him, and had no other home than his Here is a note from a paper in J.R.A.S., 1896, camp. They were recruited chiefly from children p. 517, on "the Army of the Indian Moghuls," by taken in war or bought from their parents in Mr. W. Irvine, which will throw useful additional time of famine. The great majority were of light on my previous investigations into this Hindu origin, but all were made Mahomedans interesting word (ante, Vol. XXV. pp. 199, 228): - when received into the body of chelas. These
goe Chole A s a counterpoige to the cholas were the only troops on which a man mercenaries in their employ, over whom they bad could place entire reliance as being ready to a very loose hold, commanders were in the habit
follow his fortunes in both foul and fair weather. of getting together, as the kernel of their force, Muhammad Khan Bungash's system of chelás is a body of personal dependents or slaves, who had described by me in J. 4. S. Bengal, Part I., 1878. no one to look to except their master. Such p. 340. -- Irvine, Army of the Indian Moghuls, troops were known by the Hindi name of chela J.R. A. S., 1896, p: 517. (a slave). They were fed, clothed, and lodged by their employer, had mostly been brought up and
R. C. TENPLE.
